Odisha Tableau For Delhi Republic Day Parade Rejected Again; BJD Voices Protest

Bhubaneswar: The hopes of millions of Odias came crashing down after Odisha’s tableau proposals for the Republic Day parade in New Delhi were rejected by the selection committee.

The Republic Day parade on the Rajpath offers an opportunity to the states to display their art and culture through tableaus.

For the 73rd Republic Day, Odisha had sent five representations which include the Paika Bidroha, the 1817 war of independence; life and times of Jayi Rajguru (Jayakrushna Rajaguru Mohapatra) and Chakhi Khuntia; hockey infrastructure in Odisha and how Odisha is working to develop hockey and the vast development that has taken place in the state over the last 20 years. How Odisha has been successful in disaster management in particular.

Of all the ideas, Paika Bidroha was selected and made it till the third round where it was rejected by the selection panel.

Raising questions over the selection process, BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said the tableau sent by Odisha in the past have been appreciated and some have even won awards but denial this year, that too in the third round, without citing any reason has hurt the sentiments of Odias worldwide, he added.

Mohanty said the party would protest at the appropriate forum.

Alleging partiality, Mohanty said the Centre ha been accepting Gujarat’s proposals continuously for the last five years while Odisha’s  proposal has been rejected without sufficient grounds.

Throwback

Odisha had first sent its tableau for the Republic Day Parade at Rajpath in New Delhi in 1952. The next participation was in 1973 with the tableau representing mass movement of princely states. This was followed by Bali Jatra tableau in 1985 tableau. The next was four years later in 1989, followed by two successive participations in 2006 and 2007 (Odisha won first prize), then in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017
and 2020.