Bhubaneswar: Raja Parba is a vibrant four-day festival in Odisha that honours womanhood, fertility and agriculture. Central to the festival is the theme of revering adolescent girls as embodiments of youthful fertility.
During the four days of Raja, young girls rest from household chores, wear new clothes, avoid walking barefoot on the earth, and enjoy traditional rope swings (doli) while singing folk songs and playing games.
This age-old tradition finds a modern echo in the Odisha government’s ADVIKA programme to empower adolescent girls by unlocking the potential of those aged 10–19 years. It reaches them through life-skills education and awareness-generation sessions held every Saturday.
Run by the state Women and Child Development (WCD) Department, the scheme also envisions developing the capacities of ADVIKA adolescent girls as peer leaders in their communities.
In a boost to the ADVIKA initiative, the WCD department has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Birla Global University (BGU), Bhubaneswar, to strengthen the life skills, leadership and digital awareness of adolescent girls in the state.
As per the agreement, BGU will conduct a six-day residential training programme for 50 ADVIKA beneficiaries at its campus in Bhubaneswar. Another four-week community-based training programme will be organised for 50 peer leaders in Nimapada block of Puri district to equip them to guide and support adolescents in their communities.
Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the department Mrinalini Darswal and BGU Vice-Chancellor Kulbhushan Balooni signed the MoU on Thursday in the presence of senior departmental officials and university faculty members.
Speaking on the occasion, Darswal highlighted the need to equip adolescent girls with skills to navigate a digital and knowledge-driven world, make informed choices and become ages of change in their communities.
Balooni assured the university’s commitment to providing quality training and mentorship under the initiative.
