Odisha Samaj United Arab Emirates to celebrate Utkal Divas on April 28

Ayaskant Das Published On : Apr 18, 2017 at 9:47 PM

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar/Dubai, Apr 18:

Odisha Samaj United Arab Emirates (OSUAE), the largest organisation of Non-Resident Odias in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is organising its ‘Utkal Divas’ celebrations – ‘UTSAV-2017’ on the April 28 in Dubai.

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A part of Dubai will be transformed into a ‘Mini-Odisha’ on that day. The evening which promises to witness an explosion of Odia culture, music, songs, dances etc. will start with an invocation to Lord Jagannath. It will be followed by the singing of the iconic Odia patriotic poem written by Kantakabi Laxmikanta Mohapatra – ‘Bande Utkala Janani’. Odissi dance performances and performances by non-resident Odia children on traditional Odia songs will be among the several highlights of the program. A sumptuous dinner comprising of several Odia delicacies will follow. Huge turnout is expected at the celebrations apart from special invitees from neighbouring countries are also likely to join the festivity.

While Lok Sabha MP Baijayant Panda will be the chief guest, the Consul General of India, Dubai Vipul will be the special guest.

On this occasion, OSUAE will be releasing its annual souvenir cum magazine (bilingual-in Odia and English) that will contain literary contributions from the members of the Odia community of the UAE about Odisha and its personalities, among other topics.