Nabarangpur, Jan, 01: A preparatory meeting was held at the Gundicha Temple for Pushpunei Festival-2026. The meeting was chaired by former Mayor Subas Chandra Sur.
Attendees included Dabugaon Sangita Tripathy, Kaushalya Pradhani, Nagar Congress President Pradeep Sahu, Block Congress President Abdul Firoz, District Bar Association President Sirajuddin Ahmad, advocates Ram Prasad Patra, Dillip Hota, Mitu Patra, MLA Manohar Randhari, DCO Ghasia Harijan, former MLA Sadashiv Pradhani, former Zilla Parishad President Manjula Majhi, Ratan Majhi, Lalit Mohan Nayak, Raj Purohit, Narsingh Tripathy, teachers Samaresh Gantayat, Srikant Panda, Sanjukta Panda, Ganesh Das, Satyavadi Shadangi, Durga Pradhani, folk musician Anand Das, Ninibabu Tripathy, comedian Pavitra Kachim, dancer Mili Majhi, Kinnar Sangh editor Chumki, flutist Murali Pattnayak, Sanuj Patra, Shubham Chaudhury, Arvind Tripathy, Shivram Raju, Devi Tripathy, Ravi Pattnayak, Devi Prasad Singh, Akhil Bhatt, Ganesh Pattnayak, and Samar Dhali. They all provided suggestions and feedback during the meeting.
The poster and stage artwork demo for Pushpunei-2026, created by artist Subrat Art, was unveiled during the meeting.
The festival will be celebrated from January 3 to 5 at Puruna Mandei Padia (Police Padia) with cultural programs starting at 6:30 PM. On January 3 at 4 PM, a ceremonial procession (Chherchhera Shobha Yatra) will begin from Jagannath Temple and reach Padia.
The festival will feature performances by over 60 tribal dance groups, and various stalls will be set up. Additionally, live streaming will be done on YouTube, showcasing the performances of skilled artists who have earned recognition in different art fields. The meeting was conducted by organizer Muna Tripathy.