Group dance, drama and magic show marked the Utkal Diwas organised by the Odia Samaj at the Community Centre main hall, BHEL Township, here recently.
Utkal Diwas is celebrated to mark the special statehood status accorded to Orissa. This was the first time that the Odia Samaj here celebrated the day.
The programme commenced with the invocation song Bande Utkal Janani , followed by Odissi dance which was dedicated to Lord Jagannath. A group of children performed dance to the beats of ‘ Dola Re ' that surely served as a good start.
Dr. P.K.Rath, eminent pathologist of the city, was the chief guest. In his special address, he reflected the importance of living together in a society. Every one should strive for maintaining unity, he said.
P. C. Panda, president, Odia Samaj, D. K. Bhuyan, its vice-president, C. Jayadevan, general manager, BHEL and president of the Kailasapuram Club, and G. Ramakrishna, general manager, BHEL and president of the Community Centre, spoke on the importance of the day.
In the cultural programmes that followed, Sumitra Behera, Mamata Panda and Radha Mishra, all members of the Samaj, performed a dance for the well known Odia song ‘ Mora Mana Udi Jaere '. The song sort of had an infectious rhythm and the audience started to clap and cheer.
Then it was the magic show by Gajendran and Master Aryaman Panda.
This was followed by staging of a comedy drama named ‘Swayambara'. Pati and Promod Sahu and his team, with their brilliant acting, made the show a lively and absorbing one.
