Sambalpur: Sambalpuri Day took the form of a public festival
Engaged in dancing, Singing, eating, roaming
Sambalpur: Since 2013, a public festival has taken the form of ‘Sambalpuri Day’ which is celebrated on August 1st on the occasion of Guru Satya Narayan Bohidar’s birth anniversary. While it was raised with great fanfare in Sambalpur, the city of culture, it is being celebrated with enthusiasm in various corners of Western Odisha. This year, while the program was organized by the Department of Information and Public Relations in the capital Bhubaneswar, the official directive regarding the program in districts like Sambalpur, Bargarh, Subarbanapur has given this festival a kind of official recognition. Sambalpuri Day has been celebrated simultaneously in more than 20 places of the state with the main program in Sambalpur on behalf of the Western Ekta Manch. Similarly, Sambalpuri Ekta Manch organized it for the first time in an interesting manner.
Since it was closed for 2 years due to Corona, there was an unprecedented enthusiasm among the people regarding the Sambalpuri Day program organized this time. Weeks before the Sambalpuri day, the people of Sambalpur started wearing only Sambalpuri clothes. On the day of the festival, from the morning the baby to the old man, was seen in Sambalpuri attire. Many people have made new designer Sambalpuri clothes for this day. From 2 o’clock in the day, both the places of celebration, Jail Street-Nelson Mandela Street, and the Town Hall area were crowded. By 4 pm, the streets were overcrowed.
Despite the heat and humidity, thousands of men, women, and children participated. There was a fair of Sambalpuri culture. Everyone was engaged in dancing, singing, cultural programs and food from 2 am to 10 pm. The cultural program included the Jail Street-Nelson Mandela Street Main Street and the Town Hall Square Duluki. Abhilipsa Panda, the singer of the super hit song ‘Har Har Shambhu..’, who participated in the Sambalpuri Ekta Manch program, became the main attraction. As soon as she sang ‘Har Har Shambhu’, the audience went wild. There was no space to listen to her on the streets, while the newly constructed flyover was thronged with spectators. Apart from this, actor Manoj Mishra, Dance Deewane finalist Prateek Nayak, singer Uma, Shantanu attracted key people. Similarly, artists from various districts from Kalahandi to Sundergarh performed folk songs and dances in the program of Western Unity Stage. Rangavati singer Padmashri Jitendra Haripal, singer Krishna Patel were the center of attraction.
Various stalls were set up at both the venues. Various Sambalpuri delicacies like chaulbara, rasbara, letha (ambil), mudi and ragchana, suji halwa, etc. were distributed free of cost. Apart from this, various types of food like Manda, Kakara, Arisa, Sarastia etc. were sold in the stalls. There was a fair of Sambalpuri clothes, Sambalpuri books etc. People enjoyed food like chat, gupchup, jhalmudi etc. There was an exhibition of paintings, rangoli etc. A Sambalpuri poetry festival was held. Selfie stands of Sambalpuri frames were installed at the venue.
Program organized by Western Unity Forum under the leadership of Bhavani Bhoi, Manas Baxi and Dr. Pramod Rath, IIM Director Prof. Mahadev Jaiswal, District Collector Ananya Das, SP B. Gangadhar attended as guests and awarded ‘Guru Satya Narayan Bohidar Sambalpuri National Honor’ to Bhagwat Pradhan, a teacher of Bargarh district pottery. Padmashree Jitendra Haripal, Krishna Patel, former Vice President Dr. Raseshwari Manigarahi, BJP district president Siddharth Das, BJP district president Girish Patel, former town mayor Siddharth Saha, Sammanchal Khatei were present as chief guests.
Similarly, in Sambalpuri Ekta Manch program organized under the leadership of Sameer Ranjan Babu, District Collector Ananya Das, SP B. Gangadhar, Manoj Mishra attended as guest. Musician and former Sathya Trophy player Arun Prasanna Seth, Sambalpuri singer Dilip Bagh, Dance Deewane finalist Pratik Nayak and Miss India Planet Vijayini Anwesha Aditi Mohapatra were felicitated.
