Ever Watched Drama In Santhali, Desia, Ho or Mumndari? Head to Adivasi Mela Ground In Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: The Adivasi Mela Ground in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar will turn into a cultural kaleidoscope from February 3-5 with a Multilingual Drama Fest.

The three-day fest at Exhibition Ground in Unit-I will host theatre groups performing in Santhali, Desia, Ho and Mumndari languages. It will also have the Scheduled Tribe Drama Day where half the participants will be women from different tribal groups of North Odisha and South Odisha.

February 3: Aya Baba Gayan Semled from Ulidihi in Udala block of Mayurbhanj district will stage a Santhali play and Koraputia Desia Dramatic Club from Koraput district will stage a drama in Desia.

February 4: Pandit Lokobadra Dramatic Club of Balibhoi in Karanjia from Mayurbhanj district will stage a play in Ho and Baba Chintamani Dramatic Club from Astajharana in Badasahi block of Mayurbhanj district will stage a drama in Mundari.

February 5: Maa Biratpat Tayanburu Gangamandil Dramatic Club from Khadiabasa near Udala in Mayurbhanj district will stage a drama in Mundari.

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“Odisha is home to 62 tribal groups and 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). There are 21 tribal languages in Odisha and thus the State Government wants to preserve, promote, develop, disseminate, and safeguard the tribal languages and dialects. This multilingual drama fest is a step in that direction,” Commissioner-cum-Secretary Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes Development Minorities and Backward Communities Welfare Department Roopa Roshan Sahoo said.

State Language Coordinator at SC, ST Research and Training Institute Paramananda Patel informed 22.85 per cent of Odisha’s population belongs to tribal communities and there are 21 tribal languages and 74 dialects spoken. “We have found that the tribal life is an encyclopedia of various dance and music forms and also their dramas/plays are based on lyrical notes. As their shows are far away from the usual modern adaptations of our mainstream plays in other modern Indian languages, we can enjoy the classical and ethnic-cum-indigenous touch in their dramas.The multilingual drama festival is an occasion to celebrate diversity,” the well-known linguist and expert on tribal culture added.

The fest is being organised on the sidelines of the first World Odia Language Conference (WOLC) in Bhubaneswar, starting February 3.