Non Resident Odias in Netherlands Celebrate Raja

Amsterdam: Odia Socio Cultural Association, Netherlands (OSCAN) recently hosted Raja festival with pomp and splendour. The ceremony venue Historic Hall, ‘Spirit of India’ in the city of Utrecht was decked up befitting the grand occasion and wore the look of a mini Odisha.

Hundreds of Odia families along with their friends, relatives and well-wishers living in different parts of Netherlands came together to participate in the event. The Odia community in Netherlands had a special reason to go for a massive celebration because Raja Milan was being observed offline after a gap of two years.

The festival was inaugurated by lighting of the ceremonial lamp by chief guest Puneet Shukla, Country Head of Infosys, Netherlands. In his speech Shukla showered praise on OSCAN for its endeavours in promoting Odisha’s art and culture in Netherlands.

In a video message streamed during the function, World Odisha Society chairman Kishore Dwibedi also lauded the efforts of OSCAN.

The highlight of the festival was a colourful cultural jamboree presented by men and women members of OSCAN alongwith their kids.

The festival was smoothly managed by OSCAN’s team including president Saswat Padhi and senior members like Paritosh Mohapatra, Sushil Das Mohapatra, Lopamudra Nayak, Aurobindo Ghadai, Debadatta Dash, Deepak Parida, Leoshree Mohapatra, Somnath Lenka, Anshuman Mishra and Suvendu Acharya.