Sambalpur: This year SitalSasti jatra will be normal, Organizing Committee is set up
Sambalpur: The 400-year-old Sambalpur festival SitalSasti has not been held for the past two years due to corona pandemic. The wedding of Mahadev and Maa Parvati was held, but the sitalsasti procession did not take place. No such exception has been made in the long history of the sitalsasti jatra. The Sitalsasti is linked to the history, culture and traditions of Sambalpur and all over Odisha and cannot be postponed for long. So from this year onwards, Organising committees are being set up to organize regular Jatra again. It is learned that all the organizing committees have started preparations for this. The Sitalsasti Jatra Joint Coordinating Committee, which consists of three committees, Nandapada, Jhaduapada and Mudipada, has recently applied for the set-up of Meena Bazaar on the Ph.D Ground.
On May 3, Akhya Tritiya sitalsasti thal will rise. From that day on, the preparations for the SitalSasti will begin. So for such a big festival, it has to be done informally in advance. Preliminary talks have already been held between the organizing committees in that order. They have decided to meet with the district attorney’s office to discuss the matter. Although the SitalSasti is a very ancient and grand festival, in recent years it has been alleged that it has not received the necessary support from the district administration and the government.
For the past few years, nominal financial grants from the Devotional and State Culture Departments to the SitalSasti Committees have not been received on a regular basis. Despite repeated requests from committees to increase funding, this has not been accepted. For the past few years, the local administration has been accused of not paying enough attention to SitalSasti and not meeting with Organizing committees. Meanwhile, the newly built flyover has become a permanent obstacle in the way of SitalSasti. Income reductions and increased spending are gradually shrinking SitalSasti Jatra. So after a gap of two years, the people of Sambalpur are waiting to see what the SitalSasti Jatra is expected to be like in 2022.
