Bringing Odisha to the Capital

Odisha, the eastern land of India has witnessed human civilisation more than 4000 years before, this civilisation has made a steady progress with spiritualism which in turn has made it a land of different religion – Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Odisha has been ruled by different dysnaties of Kushanas, Satavahans, Murundas, Guptas, Marathas, Sharabhapuriyas and each of them have made the state richer with culture, heritage and art.

Bringing the richness of the East, the third and last day of the 'Odisha Parba 2017', was action packed with large amounts of crowd entering through the replicas of the three colourful chariots of Jagannath Dham. In the valedictory ceremony of the evening, Governor of Jharkhand, Draupadi Murmu attended as Chief Guest while Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Anil Baijal graced the evening as guest of honour.

Many visitors including visitors from various foreign countries felt the real taste of Odisha and witnessed the true essence of rich cultural ethos of the state at this event. The Atma Shakti, exhibition on the glory of Odisha was the first stop at this massive venue. The exhibition paid tribute to the Amco-Simco victims, showed pictorial representation of the progress of human civilization, wildlife, influences of religion, the role the people of the state played in the struggle for independence, the great leaders of the state, tourist destinations in Odisha such as Chandipur and the tribes of Odisha.

The attraction of the Parba was the sand art by Padma Sri Sudharsan Pattnaik, the master artist who mesmerised the public with his sand sculptures at the Puri beach with special themes. Pattnaik held a workshop on sand art the previous day. The sand sculpture done by him for this event was dedicated to Labor Day.

"Hasta Shilpa Haat", showcased Odisha's authentic artifacts, sculptures and handcrafted textiles. The high points of this haat was live demonstration of various art forms like pattachitra paintings, stone crafts, Pipili appliqué work, stone work, Sambalpuri saree weaving that provided the spectators a unique opportunity to witness the process of the craft.

One of the main highlights of this three-day extravaganza was authentic Oria food that not only evoked nostalgia but also satisfied the food-loving Orias. From mouth-watering snacks to lip smacking desserts, from hearty veg to non-veg thali to exotic sea food, people got a huge platter to relish on. Long queues were noticed at peak hours and everyone savored the special Oria food while enjoying the cultural programme on the stage. The ambience was festive and definitely an affair to remember for a long time.

On its final day, 'Odisha Parba' started with a series of enthralling folk dances of Odisha, Bande Utkal Janani (Chorus) by Team Utkalini, Navakalebara (Odishi) by Chandrakant Sutar, "Desiyazz" Odisha Folk Fusion Music by Debashis Mahapatra and Pankaj Jal, "Shivaya" Contemporary style Chhau dance by Rajesh Sai Babu. Musical and dance performance by Famous Oria Folk Singer Padma Shri Jitendriya Haripal, Sambalpur, was another attraction of the evening. "Kotie Mana Gotie Hrudaya" by leading singer of Odisha, T Shourie and Fate Fighter Group, Puri mesmerised the audience.

This mega celebration left a classic feeling among the residents of Delhi and NCR and the merchants from the State of Odisha received tremendous exposure to varieties of people and different sections of the society. Artists from Odisha who had flown to the capital and spell-bounded the audience with their performances and gave a perfect end to the celebration.