An odyssey with Odissi: Young Oriyas rediscover their roots

Ludhiana: The Oriya community association Utkal Samaj celebrated their cultural event ‘Utkal Divas-2019’ at the Lions Club on Sunday evening with much fanfare and fervour. More than 1,200 people from the community attended the event. Dancers from the Soch School of Creative Arts, New Delhi, presented world-famous Odissi dance items like Shiv Mangalcharan, Vasant Pallavi, and Moksha to enthrall the audience. All the 12 members who performed were non-Oriya.

President of the samaj, Saroj Khan Sahoo, said: “Utkal Divas plays a significant role in the lives of Oriya people settled outside Odisha, as those who have settled here have more or less forgotten our traditional culture, so this is the right way to revive it, and make them aware about Oriya traditions. Apart from this, we also observe Ganesh Pooja, Saraswati Pooja, New Year, and Jagganath Yatra celebration.” Rudra Mohanty, Prasant Nayak, and Smita Dora presented both classical and modern songs for the audience. Children of Utkal Samaj and lady members presented their dance performances Ganesh Vandana, Mahabharat, Sambalpuri, and a remix tune.

The event was well-attended and supported by Utkal Samaj vice-president Subhash Parhi, secretary Brajendra Singh, joint secretary Manoj Nayak, cultural secretary Tapas Mahakud, treasurer Sanja Swain, legal advisor Santosh Kumar Rath, founder-advisors Debashish Mohanty and SS Rath, and executive members Mrityunjaya Baral, Tapas Das, Alok Bhuiyan, Prakash Patra, Anil Gaud, Nilamani Rout, Ranjan Bhuiyan, NK Pradhan, Manas Das, Prabhakar Das (DGM of Punjab National Bank), and Vishwjit Satpathy (regional head of Union Bank of India).