Gracing the festival as chief guest, eminent author Haraprasad Das said, “Even as Odia language holds 18th position as an international language, it is yet to make its mark as a global language. He added that we need to be aware of the state of our language and policy must be formulated accordingly.”

Chairing the inaugural ceremony, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Sabita Acharya said Odisha has been a repository of one of the world’s finest cultural heritages. The State has a rich artistic heritage and has produced some of the finest examples of Indian art and architecture. Besides, tribal culture forms an important part of the colourful spectrum of Odisha, she added.

Noted writer Nihar Ranjan Dash pointed out that one should be committed and devoted to one’s mother, soil, motherland and mother tongue.

Prof. Nishamani Kar stressed that Bharat, the mother the civilizations, is different from the rest of the world. He said spirituality of life in India is defined by Vedas, puranas and Upanishads. Prof. Kar said Odisha and the Odia Culture has a legacy to be proud of which has a vision to look forward to and a rich heritage to proclaim.

Madhusudan Padhi, former Additional chief secretary, Government of Odisha, said, “Language is a vehicle of culture and one must promote our language through programs like Utsav Odisha.”

In a plenary session titled ‘NEP: A tool to ensure national integration’, Prof Ashok Das, Vice Higher Education Council, Prof Navaneet Rath, Chairperson, PG Council, Utkal University, Prof Niranjan Padhi and Madhusudan Das, Special Secretary, OLL&C, Government of Odisha discussed the role of NEP as a tool to ensure national integration.

The event held at Panthanivas aimed to commemorate the legacy of the visionary leader, Biju Patnaik, and promote the rich culture heritage of Odisha. The event witnessed the presence of Chairman OTDC Dr. Lelin Mohanty, Managing Director of OTDC S.R. Jadhav, General Manager of OTDC Dr. Lalatendu Sahoo and all other officials of OTDC.

The art showcased a diverse range of artworks, highlighting the beauty of Odisha’s art and culture. Renowned artists from Govt. College of Art and Craft, Khallikot, Ganjam and Cuttack Artist Association beyond showcased their talent, adding a vibrant touch to the event.

In addition to the exhibition, a workshop was conducted, providing a platform for aspiring artists to learn and engage with experienced professionals. The workshop encouraged creativity and artistic expression.

The event was a grand success, drawing appreciation from visitors and participants alike. OTDC remains committed to promoting cultural activities that celebrate the essence of Odisha and its revered leaders like Prabad Purusha Biju Patnaik.

5T and Nabin Odisha Chairman Kartik Pandian on Monday visited the under-construction project and expressed satisfaction over the progress. This bazaar will be managed by Khurda Matrushakti Farmers Producer Company – formed by women SHGs, who will also be the shareholders.

“The bazaar being developed under the 5T initiative will be a boutique store showcasing rich variety of SHG products and will be one of the finest examples of women-led entrepreneurship,” Pandian said.

According to a CMO release, 1,000 farm and non farm products like hand-pound red rice, pickles from Berhampur, Kandhamala Haldi, honey from Nuapada, sabai products from Mayurbhanj , golden grass products from Kendrapara , phula Badi from Keonjhar will be put up for display and sale here.

It will also encourage big buyers to contact SHG producers. The release added that the bazaar will also find place in the tourism map of Odisha for authentic handmade products by women.

Maharaja Shri Dibyasingh Deva offering bettlenut, rice and coconut to Rajguru, Rajguru instructing the Brahmin community to perform all the rituals of the festival and the Yagya flawlessly, Brahmins commencing the event, invoking the Trideva, the vision of the Trideva – all this is beautifully portrayed by Manas Sahoo through sand animation.

He also shows the scene of the completion of the Yagya by Maharaj Dibyasingh Dev and the inauguration of the project of Srimandira Parikrama Prakalpa by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. This animation video is 3 minutes 39 seconds long and it took Manas Sahoo 15 hours to prepare it.

Began on 28 September, the workshop witnessed participation of more than 50 Saura artists to glorify their tribal art work in front of their own houses at Rejingtal village. It is believed that this painting tradition has been followed since the ancestral period by Lanjia Saura community who are the part of Odisha Tribal society.

The arts are done by the community to show respect and gratitude for their deities, forefathers and also for the well beings of their village. These Saura paintings flaunt the images of village agriculture, haunting, harvesting, hills and mountains, tribal life-style, their marriage and dance, worshipping of their Deities made up of Mud, different birds, animals and insects.

On the closing ceremony on Monday, Odisha Lalit Kala Academy felicitated all artists to encourage their artistic talent.

Addressing the closing ceremony, Commissioner-cum-Secretary of ST, SC Development, M & BCW Department Roopa Roshan Sahoo underscored the importance of documenting tribal languages, identities, and cultures. She assured the tribal community of the department’s unwavering support in creating interventions that will further amplify the production of indigenous knowledge.

Sahoo also proposed organising district and block-level writers’ conclaves in partnership with Special Development Councils (SDCs) to encourage grassroots tribal writers.

More than 80 writers and intellectuals representing diverse tribal communities, including Santal, Munda, Binjhal, Kandha, Saora, Desia, Kolha, Ho, Khadia, Juang, Gadaba, Bhumija, Orang, and Gond, shared their valuable manuscripts and insights. The event illuminated the potential for communities and the state to co-create transformative futures.

Director of ST & Member Secretary, ATLC Indramani Tripathy announced a groundbreaking digitisation initiative, which will not only encompass the manuscripts collected during the event but also those shared by the communities with the Academy in the future.

Inspired by the success of the Odisha Virtual Academy’s Utkal Prasanga model, the digitisation process will make these invaluable manuscripts available to the public domain, revitalizing and safeguarding indigenous languages in the process, he said.

Assistant Director of ATLC Samarendra Bhutia elucidated the ongoing process of digitising manuscripts contributed by writers from various tribal communities emphasizing the department’s commitment to languages and cultures-driven governance and highlighted upcoming interventions aimed at preserving the rich heritage of these communities.

Among others, Coordinator of SAMHATI Dr. Paramananda Patel, Deputy Director of SCSTRTI Santosh Rath, Research Assistant of ATLC Dr. Sanjukta Moharana, Panchali Sahu and Bhagyarathi Panda were present.

Organised by the Academy of Tribal Languages and Culture (ATLC) under the patronage of the ST & SC Development, M&BCW department, the event was attended by accomplished writers representing Santal, Bhumij, Munda and Binjhal communities.

Attending the inauguration ceremony, Roopa Roshan Sahoo, secretary, ST&SC Development, M&BCW Department, spoke on the objectives of the Writers Meet. The event aims at fostering direct interactions with tribal communities to understand their culture, art, science, languages, and sociocultural values, as expressed in the manuscripts created by tribal writers, she said.

Indramani Tripathy, Director, ST, and Member Secretary, ATLC, highlighted the government’s commitment to preservation and promotion of tribal languages and culture. Samarendra Bhutia, Assistant Director of ATLC, said the Academy has meticulously identified a substantial number of tribal writers with manuscripts in their respective languages.

The selection process is rigorous, guided by criteria such as cultural significance, linguistic importance, and the extent to which these works embody tribal knowledge. Manuscripts that meet these standards will have printed publications, while select pieces will be digitally preserved.

Damayanti Besra, a well-known personality in the field of education and writing, commended the government’s initiative for promotion of tribal cultures. Eminent writer Chaitanya Prasad Majhi also spoke. Sanjukta Moharana, Panchali Sahu and Bhagyarathi Panda coordinated the event while Paramananda Patel, coordinator, SAMHATI, extended a warm welcome to the tribal writers.

Every year India welcomes Ganapati during the 10-day Ganesh Festival. The one God that is very dear to Bollywood and its stars is Ganapati.

Most celebrities like Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, and many others bring the Ganesh Idol home and celebrate the festival in a big way and it is common for their friends and close ones to visit them for darshan.

On the first day of the Ganesh Festival, many celebrities including Sara Ali Khan, Ananya Panday, Janhvi Kapoor, Khushi Kapoor, Shanaya Kapoor were spotted visiting their friends Manish Malhotra for Ganesh Darshan.

Kartik Aaryan was spotted taking darshan of the famous Lalbagcha Raja in Mumbai. Koki shared a few clicks of himself with the huge idol of Ganeshji on his social media handle.

Veteran superstar Govinda and Southern beauty Pooja Hegde visited Shilpa Shetty Kundra’s home for Ganesh darshan.

The beautiful jodi of Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani also stepped out to visit their dear friend Manish Malhotra to celebrate the Ganesh Festival. Apart from Manish Malhotra and Shilpa Shetty Kundra’s residence, the celebs also made a beeline to be a part of the Ganesh Festival at Mukesh Ambani’s residence.

Boney Kapoor, Rashmika Mandana, Genelia and Riteish Deshmukh, Salman Khan, Fukrey actor Pulkit Samrat with Kriti Kharbanda, Navya Naveli and Agastya Nanda, veteran actress Rekha, Shraddha Kapoor, Ranveer-Deepika, Hema Malini and so many more were spotted coming at the Ambani residence.

Salman Khan also shared glimpses of aarti from his sister Arpita Khan Sharma’s home. The clip shows his parents doing aarti followed by Salman and his other family members. Telly stars like Hina Khan, Rahul Vaidya, and Anjali Arora also were seen welcoming Ganapati to their home.Shah Rukh Khan too welcomed Bappa at his residence Mannat and shared a glimpse of the idol on his social media handle.

Calling it an occasion of brotherhood and mutual harmony, the President prayed for the happiness and prosperity of the people of the country.

The CM wrote on X: “My greetings and best wishes to all on the occasion of the agricultural fair. May your life be filled with happiness and prosperity with the blessings of Maa Samleswari”

Nuakhai is an annual harvest festival of Odisha, which is known for celebrating 13 festivals in 12 months as said popularly in Odia ‘Bara Maasa re Teraa Parba’. The literal meaning of Nuakhai is ‘Nua’ means New and ‘khai’ means eating.

The agrarian festival is observed on Panchami Tithi (the fifth day) of the lunar fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada or Bhadraba (August–September), the day after Ganesh Chaturthi. It is celebrated with pomp and gaiety in several districts, including Sambalpur, Balangir, Bargarh, Sundargarh, Kalahandi, Deogarh, Jharsuguda, Boudh and Sonepur, where people worship their presiding deities as a mark of gratitude for bumper crops, good rain and favourable weather for farming.

Oral tradition of this festival dates back to 12th century when it was celebrated by Chauvan Raja Ramai Deo at Patanagarh in Balangir district of Odisha.

This year, the first harvested crop, ‘Nabanna’, will be offered to the goddess in Sambalpur at the stipulated Lagna (auspicious moment) between between 10.27 am and 10.42 am. Apart from the usual rituals, the celebrations of Nuakhai include wearing of new clothes, worshipping the presiding deity and having a sumptuous lunch with the entire family. The tradition of Nuakhai Bhet Ghat is observed with family members and relatives the following day.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Odisha government has declared a special local holiday for the day following Nuakhai on September 21 (Thursday) for Sambalpur, Bargarh, Balangir, Subarnapur, Boudh, Nuapada and Jharsuguda besides in Sadar, Panposh and Bonai subdivisions of Sundargarh

Delivering the lecture on ‘The Emergence of an Art Tradition from history,’ eminent writer, translator and expert on Odia culture, Asit Mohanty narrated several instances of his close association with Chandrasekhar Rao. He highlighted the interface between Odisha’s literary and art world.

Mohanty had played an instrumental role in the life of the artist from his initial Prajatantra days to the editing of Chandraayana, the autobiography by Chandrasekhar. In this journey, Asit Mohanty unveiled the literary persona of the visual artist and brought his love for literature to the public domain.

Chandraayan presented a cultural curve to the artistic practice that emerges from the layers of vernacular cultural identity and sense of history to visually address the contemporary and popular.

In his presidential address, noted academician Prof Pradosh Mishra explained the need for intellectual discourse to rediscover and engage with the rich cultural heritage of Odisha. He also emphasised on the regional artists and vernacular art history of Odisha.

The memorial lecture was organised with the support of Utsha Foundation for Contemporary Art, Bhubaneswar. Researcher and writer Sumitra Padhi proposed the vote of thanks and coordinated the program.