By Our Correspondent
SINGAPORE: Odias in Singapore celebrated 89th Utkal Divas with much pomp and splendour recently. Hosted by Odia Society of Singapore (OSS) with the support of Indian High Commission at Singapore, the Gala Festival witnessed the showcasing of essence, excellence and fragrance of Odisha.
The ceremony venue at Grassroots Club Auditorium was decorated aesthetically and elegantly to mark the grand occasion. Wearing the glitzy and glittering look of a Mini Odisha, the entire ambience was agog with Festive fervour. More than three hundred Odias and Odisha lovers attended the Mega Event alongwith their family members. The sole purpose of the massive celebration was to project, promote, propagate and popularise Odisha’s rich art, vibrant culture, lofty tradition, lavish cuisine, enchanting tourism and incredible craftsmanship among the non Indians.
The programme commenced with the recital of Odisha’s State Anthem, ‘Bande Utkal Janani’. The Festival was inaugurated by the Guest of Honour High Commission of India to Singapore H.E. Dr Shilpak Ambule by lighting the ceremonial lamp placed in front of the Idol of Lord Jagannath on stage. Dr Ambule was felicitated with Odisha’s traditional Uttariya and Flowers bunch by the President of OSS Subrat Nayak and Secretary Hemanta Rout. Delivering his speech Dr Ambule elaborated on the robustness of Odisha’s age old cultural heritage. He lauded the noble efforts of Odia Society of Singapore in exposing and espousing the golden facets of Odisha in this foreign land.
The highlight of the much acclaimed celebration was presentation of a spectacular cultural extravaganza by upcoming and established artistes. Recital of Odissi Dance, staging of Ramayana play by small kids and performance of sambalpuri and ollywood contemporary numbers were quite entertaining and highly appreciated by the audiences. The peak point of the supersonic show was the melody session presented by star singers from Odisha Pradip Palai and Pragyan Hota. The Celebration also included a colourful exhibition of Odisha’s famous handlooms and handicrafts materials at the venue and was a major attraction point of the visitors.
The prizes were distributed among the winners of Badminton Tournament, Chess competition, quiz programme and Youth Achiever Title during the meeting. The unique and memorable Fiesta concluded with the presentations of Odisha’s Patta chitra paintings and Jute bags embroidered with Pipili’s applique works to all the participants as door gifts. Ace Anchors Aditi Mishra and Abhishek Routray Conducted and presented the full Programme in a smooth and seamless manner.
The entire arrangements of Utkal Divas celebration were well managed by the spirited team of OSS, which include President Subrat Nayak, Secretary Hemanta Rout, Vice – President Rupak Sahu, Assistant Secretary Lopamudra Behera, Treasurer Sanjib Sahoo, Assistant Treasurer Soumya Pal, Executive Committee Members Swagatika Biswal, Dharma Niranjan Acharya, Dinesh Mahapatra, Lagnajit Patnaik, Niranjan Biswal, Prasanna Kumar Jena, Promod Sahoo, Ranjit Sahu, Sitansu Garnayak, Someswar Sharma, Auditors Ranjan Sahoo, Tirumula Patro, Advisors Alok Panda, Sarat Mohanty, Subhadipta Tripathy, Basant Dash and Sabyasachi Mishra.
