Bhubaneswar: Odisha capital will witness a string of events, ranging from cultural performances to food carnivals, with Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) planning ‘Ekamra Utsav’ from February 2 to 9, against backdrop of three-day-long World Odia Language Conference.
According to sources, the 8-day festival will celebrate the cultural richness of Odisha along with its linguistic heritage. The main event, Bhuban-E-Swar, along with food festival ‘Ama Byanjan’, to propagate regional Odia recipes, is being panned at IDCO exhibition ground, and ‘Lok Utsav’, a carnival, on major streets of the city from February 4.
The fest will feature prominent figures from Indian cinema and music industry. There will also performances by artistes of national repute. “The cultural night has been conceptualized as a musical extravaganza and festival with live music and band performances along with other performing arts. The event will also set the stage for bigwigs from the Indian Cine and Music Industry,” a BDA release said.
The urban body will be inviting innovative food trucks, representing different districts of the state, to participate in the event. The food area will be designed as a multipurpose destination for community gathering and will include an experience zone and flea market.
The Odisha government will be hosting the first-ever ‘Biswa Odia Bhasha Sammilani’ (World Odia Language Conference) from February 3 to 5 to strengthen and popularise the language. On January 11, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik unveiled the logo of the conference with the tagline ‘Language is the Future’.