Bhubaneswar: Expat Odias from around the globe flocked to the US to attend the four-day Golden Jubilee convention of the Odisha Society of Americas (OSA) in Odisha Society of Americas, New Jersey.
Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia was present as the chief guest at the annual OSA event, which kicked off on July 4, to coincide with the auspicious day of Rath Yatra back home.
A Rath puja was organised to inaugurate the convention. Noted Odissi dancers also performed on the occasion.
According to the organisers, the event was attended by more than 2,000 people from 18 chapters, including from USA, Canada and international branches in every continent.
The OSA’s Golden Jubilee celebrations featured exclusive cultural programmes by more than 500 children and adults, and enlightening intellectual discourses by artists and luminaries from Odisha and North America on the fields of culture, education, science, technology, religion, medicine and entrepreneurship.
The participants also reminisced about OSA’s brilliant past, the achievements of its members, and also envisioned the organisation’s future in the hands of the next generation of Odias.
The convention team comprised more than 200 volunteers, who had worked tirelessly for more than a year to execute this large event successfully.
The convention also re-published all souvenirs from 1983 onwards in print and digital.
Seminars on healthcare and technology were also held.
Programme convener Uma Ballav Mishra said, “We delivered a memorable experience to our attendees at this convention. This event provided a lifetime opportunity to unite Odias across the world. We achieved our objective of inclusiveness. We delivered on our theme Bindu Bindu Misi Hue Sindhu (Many drops make ocean).”
OSA National President Lalatendu Mohanty said, “Everyone came, celebrated our culture and enjoyed our hospitality. We took this opportunity to honor our pioneers and engage our youth.”
