Three Days in
Doral Forrester
Niranjan
Mishra, Subdury, Canada
Arrival : June
3 evening:
Amidst uncertainties of the travel formalities and other
commitments, we chose, at the last minute, to proceed to the 34th OSA
Convention in New Jersey.
As we entered the Doral Forrester Convention Centre, the sylvan
beauty of the quiet and magnificent landscape created an impression that the
Conveners have chosen the best place on earth. Views of the Pipli art,
hanging bells, light shades and long banners, made us feel as if we are
visiting Convention in Orissa. Durga (Mishra) as usual in any NJ Convention,
was the first person to meet, he greeted us with his characteristic
smile. Jitu and her sister standing beside made me feel nostalgic about
Rourkela (REC) where they grew up and shared many social events and cultural
programs with their illustrious parents. Oriya friends, old and new, many whom
I didn't know, started arriving, Dr. Routray from the UK, arrived and we
shared many lost memories. Complimentary Dinner was served for all
registrants. Food was great, hospitality was wonderful, and the touch of
at-home given by Lucy and Chitta, Dhyana Ranjan and Pitambar, made us feel
that we are guests to our old friends; we are not merely registrants in a
Convention. The delicious dinner was followed by an Oriya Movie: AMADA BATA.
We couldn't have Mehfil in the evening, there were technical snags
and well as lateness in setting it up. The hallway was crowded, a feeling of
warmth, and friendliness pervaded everywhere. We looked forward to July 4:
events and activities.
July 4
It was nice to know the Hotel serves the morning breakfast: the
breakfast was good. Due to lateness, we missed Jnana's ( Dash) Satsang:
Inauguration Function started with impressive invocation by our young artists,
the lyric featured the glories of Orissa, the music was great. Ambassador
Lalit Mansing, in his historic speech, touched the hearts of those who
attended the event: I have heard him many times, but the speech he delivered
was an eye opener to all of us. He made us feel that dreaming of the
glories of the past and getting into deep slumber without hard work,
dedication and commitment would take us nowhere. He asked for a soul searching
why Hyderabad, not Bhubaneswar could be called Cyberbad. He questioned
the strength of the Orissa army not being tested in battle for many centuries,
though glorified time and again. He suggested to honor Oriyas in annual
conventions: to commemorate and at the same time honor the achievements and
accomplishments of Oriyas through awards such as Padmavati (music and art),
Madhussoodan Das (industry and entrepreneurship), Gopabandhu (humanitarian)
awards. He felt Oriyas, most times, fail to recognize their own brothers and
sisters. "Bhoke Oriya Nida Jai: and "Khai Soile badhai Ayu" are
dhagas he recited to imply that Oriyas are prone to deep sleep and nice
dreams. In my view, he called spade-a-spade, and all his remarks are
pragmatic. I am looking forward to have Mr. Mansing's speeches in OSA
conventions be achieved and put together for future reading. (In fact, the new
Executive is committed to working on such an archival process). Consul General
Parmathes Rath, as Guest Speaker, gave an impressive account of his
involvement with Oriya entrepreneurs.
Professor Richard Schweder of the University of Chicago, spoke on
his experience in Orissa, with the family of Late Nilamoni Senapati (ICS), and
life in Tanka Pani Road. (After the lecture, I had a private conversation, and
he was surprised that I am from the same village, where he stayed for some
time in Prafulla Mishra's house in Jigni PatPur. We shared some thoughts). His
recount and analysis of Oriya living, anecdotes, age-old traditions ; all
brought us home with memories of Bhuabaneswar in particular, of
Orissa in general.
What need not be taken lightly is that he was dismayed to see the
beauty and tranquil environment of KedAra Gauri being ruthlessly destroyed by
high rise buildings, and we are all silent oberververs of a culture-in-decline
(decay?).
(Privately he asked, "Is there anything that could done to
correct the situation?". I had no answer). Professor Jiten Mohanty,
in his key-note speech, made an impressive documentation of his eventful life,
of how much he missed Orissa in foreign lands, as he moved from country to
country, and continent to continent. His feelings of nostalgia, reminiscences
of the distant past, of his village and people, of his visit to the Puri
Temple, and of all those he misses every moment in his life, as documented in
his autobiography, touched our hearts. He was emotionally moved during the
speech, he spoke from his heart. This was a lecture I will never forget.
The inaugural function was concluded with an impressive Odissi
Dance by Surama Panda.
We had a delicious lunch; with excellent menu on the table
The afternoon sessions included" Orissa'a usable Past: Vision
of the Future" with Professor Somanath Mishra, identifying the vision
for a future.
The Women's Seminar (as my wife told me) was very well
conducted and provided an opportunity to share many valuable thoughts.
Dr. Sitakanta Mohapatra's visit was a pleasant surprise, we spent
some nice moments with him.
Tribute to Khoka Bhai was very well presented. This was the best
honor we could give to our great Oriya lyricist, composer and singer.
The Youth cultural program was overwhelming, both in quantity
and quality: enthusiasm ran high, and we all felt that it's not an OSA
cultural forum, it looks like an Odissi Festival.
Subrina biswal award, facilitated by Sri Gopal Babu, announced in
clear Oriya, was very exciting
The Dinner that followed was very good Dinner time socializing
was great, we met new friends, and refreshed our memories
with old ones. Minu appeared from nowhere and asked "Are you performing?
At least a floor dance?". Sadanand (Barik) recognized me from
my voice: we met after a span of 35 years.
The Cultural program included a unique venture to include artists
from various regions including Canada: it was the six-seasons story, featuring
Kali Babu sweating heavily in scorching sun in Summer in Orissa,
and followed by many artists depicting seasons and stories appropriate with
the theme The Patent Medicine one-act play, musically set by Late Akhsya
Mohanty, was a hilarious drama. It was very effective ; SulochanA
Devi's (LatA nAni) "chhAnchuni pAhAra" to Chandramoni Babu
(Manoranjan Babu) was the right dose, as we all found next day Manoranjan
Babu dressed with a Zamindar's outfit was strolling in the hallway in a very
relaxed (reformed?) mood ?
Mohammed Sikandar Alam, and his daughter Nazia presented high
class Oriya vocal songs.
Following late night snacks, the Mehfil included, among other things,
a pAlA, led by Pitambar (Sarangi), it was very nice of the team to
include me as guest artist in the last minute. I enjoyed sharing a pAlA,
that I performed last time in 1968 at Rourkela.
July 5:
Morning session on Bhajana was getting late. Jnana (Dash) initiated
us into a meditation session and taught us the significance of 20/20/20.
Devaki Babu recited beautiful Bhajanas and created a blissful environment.
The Kavita Utsava led by Bigyani was superb: all discussions and
deliberations were in Oriya (except of course where English poem
translated into Oriya was needed), Mrs Prativa Satpthy's speech was
encouraging. Recitation of old poems and original 
ones
by readers took us back to our native land and sometimes to the rural settings
in Orissa; some brought light into the realities of life we face everyday. The
session left behind lasting impressions. Congratulations to Bigyani for her
hard work.
Concurrent events for youth kept many busy. Seminars on various
issues kept people tied up.
Time was moving fast.
REC:NIT (Rourkela) alumni met : Ashutosh Babu (Dutta), with his
charismatic leadership, provided all facilities, Professor Somantah Misra,
long-time Principal of REC (now retired) was the Guest of Honor. He gave an
overview of the REC being named National Institute of Technology, and the
challenges ahead. Laxminarayan, Jnana and myself were the panelists. It was
impressive to see many new faces, most of them young and determined to
help REC-NIT in developmental plans and projects. We, on behalf of REC Alumni
body, thank the 34th OSA Conveners for providing such a facility.
.
Orissa Foundation forum was the most eye-catching seminar and best
managed.
The cultural program in the evening, Sikandar Alam and Nazia's
songs of the past and Classical ones, kept all of us busy.
Mehfil:
The mehfil in the second evening had an overwhelming
participation by youth and children , primarily in dances. Many little
children stayed late night, sleepy but not tired ,still ready to dance. To
Little Natasha Mohaptra! prodigious dancer! we will never forget your
dances.
I presented an episode from the mythological drama "Chakree" in
dedication to my long-time friend Kashab (Dwivedy). He was co-actor
with me in this opera in Rourkela 35 years back. Keshab and his wife
Bidyut silently enjoyed the fun. We were taken back to our youthful days.
Mehfil was concluded at 3.00 A.M:
Going Home:;
morning of Junly 6:
Morning breakfast gave the last few available hours to say
"good-bye" to each other.
OSA executive had a business meeting.
Last minute sharing of thoughts was visible as friends with
identical missions sat together and planned for the future; where to meet
and when, what to do for Orissa and the OSA.
During the eventful three-day sojourn, I met many
friends, discussed with with Ranu (Mohanty) about her
philanthropic mission, Subhas Bhaina (Mohapatra) about Agriculture
in Orissa, Anadi Bbau (Naik), thoughts on rural upliftment, Sushree
Sangita and Kishore (Kar) on Odissi Dance and music, Devi Babu,
Sitakantha Bhaina, Amulya Babu, Manoranjan babu, Dhirendra (Kar), Sukanta, and
many more.
It was a pleasant reunion.
We saw Digambar Bhaina (Mishra) desperately attempting to reruit
persons for blood testing for a good cause: (bone marrow transplant to
Mr. Mohaptra).
Activities were many, topics of discussions numerous, but the goal
was one; "We may not be able to do great things, but we can do small
things with great love" (Mother Teressa),for Orissa and Oriyas, in
many areas, in many ways.
As we have to travel 16 hours on road to the far North in
Canada, not much time left to say ;good bye to each other, nor words to
express how much we enjoyed the 34th OSA Convention; we prepared our return
journey home.
I didn't have much time to say "good bye" to Dr. Patra
who came from Singapore.
All that I could say to Saradindu Bhaina, and Lata Nani "
You have done a wonderful Convention, our three-day stay in Doral
Forrester will be remembered for ever, I just don't know how to
thank you".
Our thank you note to Joy Gopal Babu (Mohanty) : you have
done a wonderful job!
There are so many to thank, their countless hours of hard work, cannot
be compensated just by a "Thank you".
We brought home many sweet memories to treasure for long time.
We promised to our Oriya friends, old and new, that we will meet,
some day, somewhere.
OSA convention is becoming more and more attractive, friendly and
eduactional, and the philanthropic component matches well with cultural and
social components. The 34th OSA convention has been so successful and
reached heights that it will be a challenge for future Conveners to attain.
But we can always look forward and move up.
Lot can be said, but your patience may run out; the posting is
long.
This posting is for those who attended, and like to keep things in
memory; again for those who couldn't attend, and hopefully will plan to attend
in future
A special note:
The General Body has approved a $200/ discounted (normally $300)
life membership till December 31, 2003.
We urge that many consider joining the OSA as life members and take
advantage of this offer.
Dr. Routray (UK) extended invitation to attend the 25th Year Silver
Jubilee Celebration hosted by Oriyas in the UK during the last week of August
2004 (something to consider to attend).
Friends:
Going to the OSA Convention is our pilgrimage. OSA Convention is
a shrine, with Lord Jagannath calling us to be near Him, near the land,
the people He loves and cares; be it at home in Orissa or in a site the
self-exiled Oriyas chose to be together.
Meeting Oriyas in the gathering like this is associating with
Bhaktas in a Satsang.
Again and and again, we sing together the Glories of the Lord: JagannAtha
SwAmee, Nayana Patha gAmee, Bhavatu me;
Jai JagannAtha
Jai Utkala
Niranjan Mishra
Life Member
Yes, it was a MELA
Dr
Srigopal Mohanty, Canada
Yes, it was a MELA, the mela we eagerly wait for a year to attend. As a
little boy in my
village, we spent the whole day watching our bullock cart to
be ready to take us to ALANGA MUNI MELA (near Shanti Mishra's village) during the Makara Sankranti time; I would
sit snugly with my mother, aunts, brothers, sisters and cousins; the excitement goes up
when the bullocks are yoked and finally the cart moves. Later when I grew up,
I would prefer
to walk the entire distance of three and a half miles to prepare myself for taking my role in the
family and in general in my little community, but I must go to the mela. A mela could be at any
time of the year and
at any place. A mela - the people, colour, sound, food,
fun and above all a fare like atmosphere. Yes, OSA Convention provides it all. And this year it was no less.
A wedding ceremony or any ceremony as a matter of fact - the relatives
from far and near
gather together to reaffirm the ever-longing bonding. A
greeting smile to behold the faith of closeness and a sense of sadness wallowing over at the time of departure.
Decorated halls, women in brilliantly coloured attire and vying jewellery, sumptuous food,
entertainment programs of music and
dance and above all time to exchange titbits of no consequence
but of immense linking values. In such ceremonies, we as kids used to meet some of our
village relatives - apa,dada, khudi,mausa, mausi and their children – often with innocent curiousity. OSA
Conventions are ceremonies after all. And this year was no less.
A convention or conference to share ideas and information and to engage
in dialogues
on contemporary issues; people run to attend sessions, talk on one-to-one
basis in some corners, and seriously participate in discussions. There is an intellectual dimension
within me which gets expanded in such occasions. Indeed any OSA Convention is a convention in that
sense. And this year it was too. A festival of cultural programs showcasing artists of all kinds on the
stage; a feast for
eyes and ears; songs, dances, skits and what not; enthusiasm
mixed with apprehension of an artist, an audience's stealing wish
not to miss anything and to savour every variety of RASA emanated from the artistic presentations and a late
night JATRA environment with half asleep children on
parents' shoulders. Staying awake whole night to witness jatras, we used to jockey around for a
sitting position near the ustad (the director) so as to watch his motions to others, prompting,
his singing
styles and others in action all of which we could copy later in our
little shows. There
it is always in OSA Conventions. And the night prolonged the same way
this year as well. A potpourri of all varieties; yes, it was, has been and will be. OSA
Convention has
evolved to accommodate various features of our interests and traits.
A small group of people, that is those from Orissa, dispersed over thousands
of miles finds the Convention providing an optimal solution to individual's quest of being close to each other.
It is like opening the family picture album and adding a few more pictures.
Meet the smiling faces of Jayanti Mohapatra, Shanti Mishra and Durga
Mishra at the
registration desk; there at the entrance patio of the Conference
Center see Arun Das (Mantu) with his son Ankur hanging the Pipili appliques; in the big hall the make-shift
stage is getting ready for the coming days of celebration. Cars rolling on to the entrance
door at frequent
intervals; known and unkown people approaching in waves; greet some friends and families with
oblong tired-looking faces after a long day's drive. They all have come with expectations.
The organizers are
determined not to dissapoint them. "Hey, Subhas Babu...","anu,tama
sahita gotie kath thila...","namaskara..." - the expressions
of long awaited meetings, the desire to meet new faces, all coming
to fruition and leading to unbounded joy and exhileration. The loud noise
became noisier as the July third night was maturing. The restrained excitement got loose to become bursting
laughter and in no time the place became a little Orissa out of Orissa. For
many that was their satisfaction.
July 4 - a Nation celebrates. Within that cosmos, a subgroup was celebrating
at the OSA Convention. Its inauguration ceremony was one which no
one wanted to miss. The
opening song was in Oriya, in praise of Orissa, sang by five young
men and five young ladies. They might have been in any profession, IT, Engineering or Management, but they
wanted to participate. There were four speakers, each focused on particular aspects of Orissa.
Lalit Mansingh, the Ambassador and Pramathes Rath, the Consul General spoke on the theme of uplifting Orissa from
its present deplorable
situation. Lalit Babu gave three modest suggestions to NROs: invest
whatever limited resource one has or join in some development projects, associate with educational or
professional institutions to improve
present state of affairs and recognize the contributions of NROs. Philosophy
Professor Jitendra Nath Mohanty emphasized the importance of the
language and culture of a group in its progress, more so when confronted with the onslought of globalization. On
the other hand,
Professor Richard Shweder who spent time in Bhubaneswar on several occasions,
spoke on cross cultural differences. In this context, his last anecdote was very heart touching. It was like
this: A couple finding the father old and invalid decided to carry him in a basket to Puri Bada
Danda and
leave him there to breathe his last breath. Their son overheard the conversation.
When the due day came, he suggested to the father to make sure of bringing the basket back which would
be needed to carry the father when confronted with the same predicament. Sometimes I look for such
nice stories
to tell the children to inculcate certain values.
No Oriya function is complete without an
Odissi dance. This time it was none other than Surama
Panda of OSANY who performed in the ceremony. Either my emotion
or habit arouses a certain subtle feeling within me when I hear that unique enchanting music in Odissi at the
beginning of any performance.
Mind you, this kind of music was not there originally. The great
pioneers of Odissi reconstructed it. I must recognize here the genius Late
Bhubaneswar Mishra. Well,
time to recognize our young talents. They came all the way with their
parents just for this opportunity to present whatever they have learnt. The presentation was a mixture of all kinds -
songs, folk and classical dances,
dance medley, a recitation of sanskrit prayers. The boy
who recited Sanskrit slokas spoke in clear Oriya. I was thrilled. Yes, there
were Odissi items and a plenty of them, Sambalpuri dances, a dance based on Odissi style. Hello everyone there,
did you miss that six year old girl Ananya Kar on the stage? How could you if you were in the
audience. Have you
noticed her lasya in Odissi and her movements as if she was born as a dancer? Where else I could have met
her except in a Convention?
Now the evening time
for adults - every evening opened with an Odissi item, the first night by Rajashree Behera and
the second by Pallavi Das. Oh, no, Odissi again - murmuring voices echoed. My friends, anything
good that you
would like to savour or admire goes through a long process. If Bharat
Natyam has reach
ed its apex and glory, it is because of the appreciation
and criticism it
receives from a vast number of patrons who can sit hours to watch.
Soon came the
opportunity to pay a tribute to the legendary giant Akshya Mohanty,
the pioneer of Oriya pop music - a documentary produced by Arun(Mantu) Das. I know him since sixties. He
is rare among us with his artistic creativity. Then followed OSANY's own production to pay the
tribute, based on
Akshya Mohanty's musical rendering of Fakir Mohan Senapati's
" Patent Medicine". Whose voice in the background was this for
introduction - again
our Mantu. I did not know Mantu, you write. Sounds like poetry
with romantic touch. And your deep voice. But the audience roared with laughter because of the superb acting of
Manaranjan Pattanayak as Chandramani and Lata Misra as Sulochana, the wife and their coactors.
Both of them
have an inborn passion for acting, specially in that type of roles. OSA
remembers three more illustrious sons of Orissa, Manamohan Choudhury - a
public figure, Guru Pankaj Charan Das - the so-called Adi-Guru of Odissi, and Gopal Chhotray - the notable
playwrite. You may find more in the Journal under "Tribute".
Night moved to give the audience an opportunity to listen to our
Sikandar Alam
and his party from Orissa. Alam's songs soothed the ears of oldies- remember
the good old college days. Yet, you cannot pretend that you did not
notice his daughter. Her voice was a prize to listen to. I assure you she
could, one day, be counted at all India level. The night was becoming heavy - start of Mehfil, a traditional program at
each convention. the
stubbo
rn visitors refused to accept anything but keeping
their eyes wide open at that late hours and were deligted to see the PALA presentation by Pitambar Sarangi and
party. Now the
drooping eyes led the dragging feet to the assigned room. And alas!
there is some time left at least to lie down. "No, no. We should go
to Kuni's room. I
told her so. By the way, where are the children?"
July
5 - another day and another morning. A day devoted for youth sports, seminars
and Oriya poem recitation and the General Body Meeting. Afternoon for Pramode
Patnaik's Memorial Chapter Competition; another evening of cultural program culminated by another round of
Mehfil. The
ORIYA KABITA ABRUTI session took me back to my school-college days.
Bigyani Das is really a leader in our small community. Everyone spoke Oriya and only Oriya. Bigyani's introduction
was colourful. Was there any apathy at that early hour of the morning? Rather, there were
plenty of listeners.
The guest from Orissa, Prativa Satpathy, made us aware of the recent contribution on topics
related to women and by women. The seminar on developments in Orissa, organized by Debi Mishra,Orissa
Foundation, showed a
sustained deep interest in Orissa's development and progress
by several groups and individuals of NROs. Action Orissa's representative Jnana Dash's crisp presentation on IT in
Orissa(mainly at
Bhubaneswar) and the future plan, was contrasted by the
notable social
worker, Ranu Mahanti's challenging experience in rural area and followed
by SEEDS spokesperson Lalu Mansinha who narrated the ups and downs of experimenting
with the concept of sustainability. Previous day, there
was a Women's Forum conducted by Ranu. Experience of raising
children was shared by two mothers who were born in Orissa and two who were born here.
Hey, Bigyani again at the Chapter Competetion representing Washington
Chapter- she is
indeed versatile. But the presentation " ama gaan daktarakhana" by Michigan Chapter was
judged to be the best. My goodness! They all write their
scripts and act. Talents galore - they are all young. In the evening program, I must mention Lata Misra singing Odissi. Excuse
me, where do you get
your energy, Lata? You were in charge of Cultural events,
a most demanding job to account for about twelve hours of stage presentation, you coordinated all OSANY's
presentation and you acted previous night and
now you are singing and that too, Odissi? Rina
Patnaik performed a kathak dance. She was as usual marvellous. In the previous
night, she and her party from Toronto
presented the rainy season in dance form as part of six seasons.
Congratulations to you all for receiving the award. The
Kwali group in colourful authentic costumes, suddenly turned out to be those on the stage in the opening song. Young
professionals. Tired, exhausted. Remembering the plants to be watered. Only those who
would not leave a
moment to themselves, lest they might miss much lingered on.
There you see Bijoy
Misra managing the stage with the assistance of Surya Misra for the entire duration sitting on a
chair in a 3 ft by 3 ft space gulping
water and water. Tirtha and Eva on light and sound faithfully doing
their job. You can hear Tirtha's announcements occasionally to realize what a deep voice he has. What
about food? Superb in quality and variety. Thanks to the planning of Dhyanaranjan Pattanayak. As you enter the
dining area, the volunteers are all eagerly ready to feed you. The face of Chitta Das
particularly,could not be missed. Neither
one could miss Lalit Mansing. After inauguration he had to leave to
attend other official duties, but was back on July 5. Sitting silently and probably reminiscing his days in Orissa,
he shared the Oriyaness that we all possess. There was joy and there was satisfaction.
The Journal - it is big. More want to write and more and more! Oriya
Section has increased
too! The Directory which one likes to have as a prize possession even you may have web page of
addresses - good taste. Pradyot Patnaik, the Editor looked all lost after the last moment's hard
work and pressure,
but was still smiling. The directory - a Canadian contribution of Hara Padhi and Lalu Mansinha;
Hara chased a lot of people to make it as complete as possible. Cheers! The
person behind the entire show was our friend Saradindu Misra. He was supported by Joy Gopal Mohanty and a vast team of
voluteers. OSA's continueity
is mainly through the volunteering efforts by a band of dedicated
workers. The Convention has been a must due to these people.
This is not true this year only but over other
years. We salute to you Saradindu Babu and your team members and by doing so we recognize the
contribution of a
generation of volunteers. No awards would be enough -perhaps it would not be
necessary to grant one. Nevertheless, it is our sincere admiration and the individual's
genuine inner call that inspire one to volunteer. Time to pack up for return journey. Not quite.
On July 5, the zeal to meet was
not yet diminished. Action Orissa and the new OSA Council headed by Laksh
mi
Narayan Bhuyan had to meet - one to continue its work in Orissa and the other to initiate action here. I was
there in both. Both have new initiatives. The first one is working on a targeted project of transporting
books to Orissa, most possibly to Ravenshaw College and the second
one in delegating responsibilities to a number of committees on various aspects of OSA activities. Finally we left. The place looked barren. The glamour and noise waned
away; the place
looked ghostly. Yet, the hope to return was newly seeded - another
year and another Convention. According to Bijoy Misra (who almost sat in a suffocated corner for half a day
everyday), this is an annual pilgrimage
. It is a privilege and it is a duty.
Tuesday
July 8, 12:03 PM
Oriyas reflect on native land's
plight at U.S. meet
By Gloria Suhasini, Indo-Asian News
Service
New York, July 8 (IANS) Classical dances, musical performances,
poetry readings and some introspection on the poor state of their native land
marked an annual meet of Oriyas in America.
The 34th convention of the Orissa Society of the Americas (OSA),
one of the oldest federations of Indian American associations, was held at
Doral Forrestal Centre in Princeton, New Jersey.
About 800 people, belonging to approximately 300 Oriya families,
participated in the convention, according to Saradindu Misra, convenor of the
three-day event. This year's convention was organised by OSA's New York
chapter.
"We had people from all over America and also from Canada and
U.K. at our convention," Misra said.
Two sons of Orissa were the chief guest and guest of honour at the
convention --Indian Ambassador Lalit Mansingh and Consul General in New York
Pramathesh Rath respectively.
Mansingh expressed his concern over the poor state of Orissa's
economy, despite the abundance of its mineral and water resources. He quoted a
saying in Oriya, which means "if an Oriya is hungry he goes to
sleep" while the rest of the world is progressing.
"Get rid of hunger, and we will catch up with others," he
said.
The theme of the convention was "OSA in the New
Millennium". The convention discussed how the state could be rejuvenated.
OSA president Shanak Patnaik said: "The best thing about the
convention is the opportunity to meet old friends and make new ones."
"We are conscious of the present condition of our cultural
heritage in Orissa, its glorious past and its rich cultural pageantry...Orissa
must face its problems squarely by living in the present and plan to execute
its vision for the new millennium," he said.
Cultural programmes depicting the traditions and heritage of the
state were held starting from the first evening. An Oriya movie, "Amadabata",
was screened, followed by dinner.
Guest speaker professor Richard Shewder of Chicago University, who
has been associated with Orissa studies for nearly 35 years and is an esteemed
scholar of the state's culture and heritage, spoke on the significance of the
rituals and traditions of the villages of Orissa.
Young delegates of the convention gave cultural performances,
including dances in odissi, kuchipudi and kathak styles; tabla and poetry
recital, on all three days. A fashion show and competitions for children were
also held.
The convention featured the exhibition and sale of paintings,
jewellery, and costumes special to Orissa. Travel and tour organisers put up
stalls at the convention.
Awards were presented to dignitaries.
In
this issue of Utkarsa the contents are: