Bhubaneswar: The unique Raja celebration of Odisha transcended boundaries when Odias across the globe came together on a virtual platform to share the joy and importance of the festival.
Organised by Members of Odia Society of UAE, the global Raja celebration was held on Sunday evening where prominent Odias and those associated with Odisha art and culture joined.
The chief of Odia Society Dr Chandra Sekhar Khuntia and moderator Rajashri Mohanty set the ball rolling with a minute’s silent prayer in memory of those who died of coronavirus.
Raja wishes from Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Agriculture Minister Arun Sahoo were the highlight of the occasion.
Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration, Puri, Dr Kishan Kumar described the festival as a worship of Mother Earth.
Well-known writer Pratibha Ray said this is an occasion for invoking the mother power and we must remain connected to each other globally and forge ahead. People who forget their motherland and culture have no identity of their own and events like these keep people connected to their roots, she added.
Odia artistes from 11 countries presented the most popular Raja song ‘Banaste Dakila Gaja‘ to regale the participants globally. Odisha Film Development Corporation chairperson Kuna Tripathy requested people to preserve the unique culture and tradition of Odisha. Kalpana Bal, daughter of Bhajan Samrat Bhikari Bal shared the global platform with her daughter R J Swati.
Singer Arupananda Das regaled the audience with all-time bhajan hits. The global virtual programme was graced by participants from Georgia, UK, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia and Canada.
