Cuttack: Dussehra immersion procession created a history in Odisha's silver city Cuttack with a remarkable participation of women in the event to bid farewell to Goddess Durga following 4-day grand annual festival. 

More than 400 women from two Puja Committees, Bidanasi and Nayak Sahi, joined the immersion procession, setting a new tradition in the city’s cultural celebration.

The initiative stemmed from Sambad’s special programme “Shakti Rupena Sansthita”, a unique quiz competition organized exclusively for women from various Puja committees across Cuttack. During the programme, guests had appealed for greater women’s participation in festive activities, an appeal that was promptly taken up and implemented by these two Puja mandaps.

The sight of such a large number of women leading and participating in the procession surprised and delighted city residents.

Speaking at the celebration of Shakti Rupena Sansthita held at Sarala Bhavan with support from Metro Group, Prabhat Tripathy, former MLA and Secretary of Cuttack Mahanagar Puja Committee, said, “It is heartening to see our call for women’s participation being acted upon so quickly. This is just the beginning, and we will surely see greater impact in the coming years. The involvement of women will also encourage young men to conduct the immersion procession in a more disciplined manner.”

Bidanasi Puja Committee advisor Tukuna Senapati said the inspiration to include women came directly from Sambad’s programme. Women took the lead in the immersion procession alongside committee leaders including President-cum-Secretary Shibendra Behera and other office-bearers. Similarly, Nayak Sahi Puja Committee Secretary Deepak Kumar Dash shared that after discussions following the programme, they decided to involve women this year. All participating women were felicitated with traditional scarves and flower garlands.

This emotional participation even brought tears to many women as they were asked to conclude their journey at Buxibazar Square. Committee leaders including President Amitabh Nayak and Vice-President Bijay Mahapatra guided the initiative.

It may be noted that in the run-up to Dussehra, Sambad had organized the Shakti Rupena Sansthita quiz exclusively for women, where over 1,000 participants from 97 Puja committees took part. The grand finale held on September 26 saw more than 300 women from 17 committees. Eastern Media Limited Chairman Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, attending the event, had emphasized that empowering women in such festivals would pave the way for a de-addiction movement in society.

Yesterday, with hundreds of women joining the immersion procession for the first time, that vision has begun to take shape, adding a new chapter to Cuttack’s Dussehra traditions.