Culture, tradition come alive as Odias celebrate Utkal Dibas in Oman

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Apr 21:

With an effort to keep the culture and tradition of Odisha alive, members of the Odia Wing of the Indian Social Club Muscat celebrated Utkal Dibas recently in Oman.

Expressing the spirit of patriotism and fellow-feelingness, over 500 Odia members residing in different parts of Oman gathered at the Indian Embassy and wished wellbeing and prosperity to one another and strengthened their bond of friendship.

Utkal Dibas is celebrated on April 1 in Odisha to commemorate the formation of the state as a separate province on April 1, 1936. After losing its complete political identity in 1568 following the defeat and demise of the last Hindu king Mukunda Dev, efforts resulted into the formation of a politically separate state under British rule on linguistic basis on April 1, 1936.

Addressing the gathering, His Excellency Indramani Pandey, Ambassador of India to Sultanate of Oman, appreciated the efforts of Odia community members for their involvement in various social and cultural activities in Oman.

“I am extremely happy to understand that Odia members are doing their best to promote their culture in Oman and are involved in many social activities to extend helping hands to the needy,” he said.

Pandey reminded that Odissa was the first state that was created on the basis of language followed by other states in India.

Odia Wing convener Dinabandhu Samal spoke about the glorious history of Odisha and enlightened everyone on the recent developments in the state.

He appealed to every Odia residing in Oman to teach Odia language to their children and urged all to raise fund on regular basis to help the fellow Odia blue collar workers who are in the need.

Renowned filmmaker and founder of Odia Wing Akshaya Kumar Parija exhorted everyone on how the tiny Odia community has evolved to be such a grand one which was created around 15 years ago with just a few people.

Appreciating fellow members, he said that Odia members throughout the GCC countries are known for their hard work, honesty and sincerity.

Among eminent personalities in Oman who were present on the occasion include Indian Social Club Chairman Dr Satish Nambiar, Al Hayat International Hospital Founder Dr KP Raman.

Various well known personalities from Odisha who were present on the occasion include Odia playback singer Tapu Mishra, film director Pratap Kumar Jena, famous comedian Guddu and stage anchor Biswajita.

They enthralled the audience with their heart-thrilling performances.

Various cultural programmes were too organized to mark the occasion.

An Odissi dance choreographed by Krupanjali Mahapatra and another Sambalpuri dance choreographed by Abdul Javed Khan were organised as part of the cultural programme.

The famous Akbar Birbal drama with a modern twist directed by Twinkle Nanda was also staged. Eminent Odia novelist Fakir Mohan Seanapati’s play ‘Rebati’, a drama on girl education directed by Subhraj and Twinkle nanda was one of the main attractions of the evening.

Odia Wing co-convener Debasis Hota thanked everyone for being a part of the programme.

At the end of the programme, authentic Odia cuisines were served to all to give the event a home-away-from-home feel.