Odisha’s R-Day tableau showcases maritime glory
Odisha Sun Times Bureau
New Delhi, Jan 26:
Odisha’s rich maritime glory in the past along with the Sambalpuri folk dance Dalkhai were among the colourful tableaux showcased during the 67th Republic Day parade on Rajpath at the national capital today.
The float presented the maritime activities and glorious tradition of Boita Bandana festival of ancient Odisha. It presented the Sadhava tradition in Odisha, who were great maritime traders and the tableau depicted their traditions. Life size fiber statues depicting Sadhavas with boxes (Sindhuks) meant for storage of goods and precious materials adorn this portion. The trolley portion carried the boat house and Sadhavas depicting life activities of trade.
A group of over 140 dancers comprising of school girls from Odisha danced to the tune of popular folk music.
President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and special guest on the R-Day parade French President Francois Hollande were among the dignitaries who witnessed the spectacular show.
Ancient Odisha, popularly known as Kalinga, was the epicenter of the inland and foreign trade and the tableau depicted that tradition.
Notably, the geographical setting of the state had supported the development of seaports like Tamralipti, Chelitalo, Palur, Pithunda along its coastline. The mariners of Kalinga were endowed with sound knowledge of navigation and had commercial, socio-cultural and political relations with South East Asian countries like Srilanka, Java, Sumatra, Bali, Borneo, China, Burma, Cambodia, Champa, Malaya and Thailand.
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