International Kids Mangaluru: Odia Community celebrates Utkal Divas, Odisha Statehood

Bellevision Media Network

Mangaluru, 02 Apr 2017: The Mangaluru Odia Cultural Association (MOCA) organized the Utkal Divas Celebration on Saturday, April 1. The Day was celebrated to commemorate formation of the Odisha state as a separate province on April 1, 1936.

 

The venue of the event was Rotary Bal Bhavan, Gandhi Nagar, Mannagudda, Near Mangala Stadium, here.  Nearly 300 Odia people participated in the event.

 

 

P C Parida, chairman, New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) was the chief guest of the occasion. The programme commenced with an invocation prayer to Lord Jagannath and then the state anthem of Odisha, ‘Bande Utkala Janani.’

 

MOCA general secretary and Indian Association of Physiotherapists president Dr Umasankar Mohanty extended hearty welcome to the gathering of Odia people for the Utkal Divas celebrations happening for the First time in the city of Mangaluru.

 

He said, ‘We are proud of our heritage and culture because of Lord Jagannath, Puri; Konark Temple and famous Odissi dance.’ He emphasized all Odia people to contribute more for welfare of Indiaciting inspirational quote of  Utkalamani Gopabandhu Das, ‘May my body unite with the soil of the country, and my country men progress walking on my back.’

 

P C Parida extended hearty welcome to Odia brothers and sisters. He congratulated the members of organizing Committee for forming the association. He said, ‘Mother tongue connects individuals and we must unite to help each other.’ He sought blessings of Lord Jagannath to continue the social welfare activities.

 

Gaurang Swain, chief finance officer, Special Economic Zone( SEZ), Mangaluru said that its good to see brotherhood of the Odia community of Mangaluru. He said, ‘We look forward for more such activities.’

 

MOCA president Dr Ramesh Chandra Sahoo, said that his dream of forming Mangaluru Odia Association has come to a reality. It took several years to form a formal Odia Association. He said, ‘Coming together is beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.’

 

MOCA treasurer and Mangaluru – Air India service engineer Sarbeswar Malla welcomed the gathering. The children and members performed Odissi dance, sambalpuri dance, skit of ‘Dharmapada,’ folk songs of Odisha.

 

During the cultural programme Akshaya Kumar Sahoo, director of finance, ONGC-MRPL distributed certificates to the children for their colorful performances.

 

Shantanu Kumar Das, DGM (company secretary), Corporation Bank Corporate office; Subrata Kumar Das, manager, The New Indian Express, Mangaluru; Captain Sanjib Kumar Dash, pilot, New Mangalore Port Trust; Gopal Krishna Sahu, senior officer, Ambuja Cements Limited, Mangaluru; Dr Bibhuti Bhushan Das, Assistant Professor, civil engineering, NITK, Suratkal; Dr Kausalya Sahoo, Professor of pathology, KMC, Mangaluru were present.

 

Kalyani Mohanty, lecturer of physics, Canara PU College and Sunita Sahu compered the programme.

 

 

About Odisha (Utkal): The Soul of Incredible India

Odisha has been rightly regarded as a land of myriad marvels and is one of the oldest civilizations of the world. Odisha is mainly known for its rich culture and the enormous number of ancient temples. The best known of these are the Jagannath Temple, Puri, Lingaraja Temple at Bhubaneswar and the Konark Sun Temple.

 

Odisha’s art and crafts offer visitors an indelible experience of its cultural heritage. The traditional colorful and flamboyant traditional pata paintings, silver filigree and stone carving are just mesmerizing. The world famous Odissi dance known for dexterity of finger and eye movements originates from Odisha.

 

From the soil of Chandipur, Odisha the nuclear capable missiles Akash, Shaurya, Agni, Prithvi and just recently Barak 8 have been tested. The Integrated Test Range missile testing facility is located at Chandipur, Odisha plays a major role for safeguarding India and making our country India proud.