Nabarangpur: On the occasion of Odia Paksha, a cultural program titled ‘Ama Ruchi Ama Khadya’ (Our Taste, Our Food) was held at the premises of the District Collector’s office. The event celebrated traditional Odia cuisine, highlighting dishes that are not only healthy but have been part of Odia households for generations and are now fading away from regular kitchens. The initiative aimed to revive and promote these traditional foods.
Additional District Collector (Revenue) Biswajit Barman attended as the chief guest. He emphasized that the program’s main goal is to bring back and popularize long-lost Odia traditional dishes.
On the stage were several dignitaries, including CDEO PVV Ramana Rao, CDVO Radheshyam Laik, DSSO Sudhanshu Patra, DSWO Daupadi Kahar, DIPRO Manoj Kumar Behera, Tehsildar Bailash Tripathy, and DC Harijan, among others.
As part of the event, women self-help groups and individual participants from the district set up 11 stalls for non-vegetarian and 13 stalls for vegetarian traditional foods. These dishes were judged by a panel who visited each stall and scored them based on taste, authenticity, and presentation.
Traditional dishes displayed included chakuli pitha, chandrakanti, mandia jau (ragi gruel), kangu khiri, manda, boiled kandula (a type of lentil), kakara pitha, arisa pitha, handi mansa (slow-cooked mutton), and crab curry, among others.
Winners in the vegetarian category were:
1st Prize: Maa Saraswati SHG from Nandahandi
2nd Prize: Maa Manikeswari SHG from Tentulikhunti
3rd Prize: Smita Nayak
Winners in the non-vegetarian category were:
1st Prize: Hemaraj Dandasena
2nd Prize: Amrita Bhushan
3rd Prize: Parbati Nayak
All participants were awarded certificates by the dignitaries. The District Culture Department and the Social Welfare Department staff played a key role in the successful implementation of the event.
