Gajapati Utsav begins at Parlakhemundi

PARLAKHEMUNDI: Much awaited Gajapati Utsav again cheered up the people of Gajapati district as it was formally started here from Sunday. State Revenue Minister Suryanarayan Patra inaugurated the festival of joy with the presence of hundreds of audiences at the stadium here.

Patra while inaugurating said the culture, tradition and heritage of the district created a special place in the heart of the State. The guests of the inaugural function recollected the memory of Maharaj Krushna Chandra Gajapati of Parlakhemundi and his immense contribution for the independence of the country and for the special State of Odisha in 1928.

The students of a local music school sung the opening song of the festival. The first evening of the Utsav was dedicated to Shyamsunder Gantayat who had attended the Round Table Conference at London during India’s freedom struggle.

The Eastern Zone Cultural Centre from Kolkata performed ‘Raibansh’ dance, while the troops from Jharkhand performed Paika dance on the stage. Among other local dance groups, tribal dance troop from Raigarh panchayat, Suman dance group from Kasinagar and Nataraj dance group’s Kuchipudi and Prahlad artists presented their performance on the stage.

Hundreds of visitors from neighbour districts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha enjoyed the evening and the festival. Among others, School and Mass Education Minister Rabi Narayan Nanda, Parlakhemundi MLA K Narayan Rao, Mohana MLA Chakradhar Paika, Zilla Parishad chairman P Lata, District Collector Basudev Bahinipati, Gajapati SP Charansingh Mina, Parlakhemundi Municipality chairman P Krishna and Additional District Magistrate Sunil Nayak were present.