Bhubaneswar: All government employees in Odisha’s Bargarh & Sambalpur have been asked by the district administrations to wear Sambalpuri clothes on August 1 on account of ‘Sambalpuri Din’, celebrated in memory of late Guru Satya Narayan Bohidar, who contributed immensely to Sambalpuri culture.
“I am to intimate that in different parts of western Odisha, the people are celebrating August 1 as Sambalpuri day in order to promote the rich Sambalpuri cultural heritage. The administration has also decided that the entire official and their staff in the district would wear Sambalpuri dress on August 1 for establishing the cultural identity of this region,” Bargarh district collector Monisha Banerjee wrote.
Sambalpur Collector Ananya Das has also issued a similar order for the government employees in the district.
Meanwhile, preparations are on in full swing to celebrate the day in Bargarh, Sambalpur, Balangir, Rourkela, Sonepur, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda and Hirakud. Paschimanchal Ekta Mancha is holding cultural programmes at more than 30 places in the western parts of the state while many institutions are also organising events to mark the occasion.
Born on August 1, 1913, at Sonepur, Satyanarayan Bohidar is known as the pioneer of Sambalpuri language and grammar. He was a teacher at Chandrasekher Behera Zilla School and had written many popular Sambalpuri poems. ‘Sambalpuri’ today is not confined only to the unique handloom that the local artisans weave but has established itself as a vibrant language enriched with the culture and traditions of the region because of his contributions.
