Kolkata/Bhubaneswar: Odias at Kolkata Welfare Association, popularly known as OAK, on Wednesday announced to hold its forthcoming annual event ‘Vande Utkal Janani-2018’ on April 15 to celebrate the foundation day of Odisha.
“OAK started its journey four years back with a small Whatsapp group having 10 members only and now we have more than 600 members from different field staying in and around Kolkata. Since last three years we are organizing our annual programme ‘Vande Utkal Janani’ to celebrate the foundation day of Odisha. This year, we have decided to organise the event at Science City Auditorium on April 15 in a bigger way,” OAK secretary Pradeep Mohapatra said.
“Rituraj Mohanty of India’s Raw Star fame and popular Odia singer Ashima Panda will perform during the event. We have also decided to showcase the cultural heritage of Odisha on the soils of Kolkata through this event. Jodi Sankha-Double Conch and Ranapa folk dance troupes have also been invited to perform on the occasion,” he said.
To begin with, a Talent Hunt Competition was organised at Satyajit Ray Film Institute in which more than 100 children and couples participated. The kids competed in singing, drawing and dance competitions, among others, and the couples participated in ‘Best Looking Couple’ contest, he added further.
OAK president Guru Prasad Pattanaik said, “This function of OAK is being held to remember the foundation day of Odisha when it was carved out of the combined Bengal-Bihar-Orissa province and became a separate state on April 1, 1936. The entire OAK collective in Kolkata on this day will pay tribute to the legends and renowned personalities who fought for Odisha.”
President, ladies wing of OAK, Hasita Pattnaik said, “This year, the ladies wing of OAK has taken the responsibility of conducting the Talent Hunt Competition and other cultural programmes. We are quite confident about the grand success of our annual event.”
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