Rajgangpur, Jan, 01:The 16th JharJhara Festival was inaugurated at the local football ground. Former State Minister and Rourkela MLA Sarada Prasan Nayak attended as the chief guest and officially opened the festival. Honored guests included local Tehsildar Jagabandhu Mallik and Rajgangpur Municipal Executive Officer Govind Dandasena, who participated in the inaugural ceremony.
The guests lit lamps in front of the Lord Jagannath idol, marking the beginning of the festival. The Paika dance was the main attraction of the opening ceremony. The festival started with Odissi dance performed by students of Nirmala English School under the direction of the Bulani group. Students of Aravind School performed songs of Utkal Janani.
Other cultural performances included Mayur dance by the Kala Mandir of Cuttack, Rajasthani dance, Haryana dance, and the Paika creation dance from Khordha’s Kalinga, which captivated the audience.
During the event, three individuals were honored by the chief guest: National hockey player Namita Tuspo, former teacher Dr. Sarojini Sahu, and former teacher Sanjita Mahapatra. A special attraction was the comedy performance by Sambalpur Comedy King Jogesh Jojo group, which drew large crowds. Various stalls selling household items and other goods were set up, allowing visitors to shop.
The festival was organized under the leadership of Festival President Anand Agrawal, General Editor Ashok Kumar Das, Executive President Ashfaq Ahmad, Vice President Ramesh Agrawal, and Cultural Editor Rajendra Kumar Behera, along with a committee of several members.