Bhubaneswar: The ‘Nuakhai Paribar UAE’ celebrated the most prominent and popular western Odisha festival on September 15 amid great fanfare at SEE Institute in Dubai.
The hall in the institute was transformed into a microcosm of western Odisha with a huge display of its culture, language, handlooms, music and dance.
This was the 10th edition of the UAE Nuakhai Bhetghat, which started in 2014. It is the largest Nuakhai celebration held outside India.
While the venue was packed with people from all across the UAE, some families had come from neighboring countries like Oman to participate in the festival.
Consul General of India to Dubai Satish Kumar Sivan, attended the program as the chief guest. He said he was delighted to be a part of Nuakhai.
Eminent artist Archana Padhi and lyricist-singer Shashwat Tripathy performed at the event. International sand artist Sudam Pradhan caught attention of the audience with a live performance. He was honoured with the “Juhar Samman UAE”.
A live painting of Maa Samaleswari was done by Dubai-based accomplished Odia artist Mona Biswarupa Mohanty on the stage. “The Nuakhai Paribar has always endeavored to promote the art and culture of Western Odisha, and like every year, artists from Western Odisha were invited and honored, the organisers said.
The event began with a special aarti and puja for Maa Samaleswari, where the new grain (specially flown from western Odisha) was first offered to Godess, followed by Nuakhai greeting exchanges.
One of the highlights of the function was traditional western Odisha food, with Ambil being the sought-after delicacy.
A special team from Odisha Samaj Abu Dhabi performed a fashion show in Sambalpuri attire. A souvenir was also unveiled to mark the 10th anniversary of Nuakhai celebrations in the UAE.
