Play State Song ‘Bande Utkal Janani’ With Due Respect, Odisha Govt Tells Officials

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has directed the district officials to ensure that state song “Bande Utkal Janani” is played with due respect during the celebration of Utkal Divas on April 1.

In an official letter to the district collectors and SPs on Saturday, the Odia Language, Literature and Culture department stated that the poem, “Bande Utkal Janani”, written by poet Laxmikant Mohapatra was accorded state song by the government in 2020.

Following this, the Information and Public Relations department had issued a notice to all concerned about how the song would be played detailing the tone, tune and duration during official functions. “Unfortunately, it has come to the notice of the Culture department that the state song is disrespected and not played as per the directions by institutions, groups and individuals,” the letter stated.

Considering this, the Culture department directed the collectors and SPs of all districts of the state to strictly ensure that all parameters are followed while playing “Bande Utkal Janani” in official functions and programmes.

It may be noted that Utkal Divas is celebrated across the state on April 1 to commemorate the formation of Odisha as a separate province on this date in 1936.