Nabarangpur: The 90th Utkal Divas (Odisha Day) was celebrated with great enthusiasm by the Utkal Parishad in Nabarangpur. On this occasion, the officials of the Parishad offered floral tributes to the statues of eminent personalities in the town.
Following this, a formal meeting was held in the Trupti Sammilani Hall, presided over by Utkal Parishad President Vijay Kumar Chaudhury. Noted social worker Narayan Patra, as the chief speaker, highlighted the heroic tales of Odisha’s brave leaders. In his speech, he emphasized that Jagannath culture is what makes Odisha eternally memorable and revered.
Former Governor’s Award-winning educator Prabhasini Mohanty spoke about how the Odia language, literature, culture, and traditions have gained recognition on the global stage. The chief guest, distinguished social worker Jagannath Mahapatra, expressed his views that modern Odisha is still in search of its legendary figures like Gopabandhu, Madhusudan, Fakir Mohan, and Upendra Bhanja.
Renowned poet Jagadish Chandra Tripathy, while addressing the audience, praised the richness of Odia literature but also raised concerns about the growing influence of Western culture on Odisha’s social fabric.
Utkal Divas 2025
In his presidential address, Chaudhury stated that Utkal Parishad would extend its efforts to rural areas to preserve and promote Odia language, literature, and culture. He emphasized that the organization would work toward restoring Odisha’s past glory.
Film director Manoj Kumar Pattnaik introduced the guests and moderated the event. In his speech, he advocated for mandatory Odia signage in all shops and marketplaces and requested Utkal Parishad to implement an action plan for the same.
During the second session, former education officer Ramesh Takri remarked that Odisha’s traditions are deeply rooted and should be preserved for future generations.
Senior teacher P. Ravikant Raghuram praised Odia as one of the oldest and sweetest languages.
A poetry recitation event was organized under the guidance of playwright Jagannath Behera, featuring celebrated poets like Kanakalata Mahankud, Jahnavi Panda, Hrushikesh Das, Durga Pradhan, Harihar Nayak, Swarnalata Pattnaik, Vishnu Dutta Sethi, Devi Prasad Tripathy, Ravindra Pradhan, Debabrata Sahu, Prafula Puhan, Subash Bishoyi, Mitrabhanu Satnami, Prakash Samantray, Suprabha Panda, Hari Prasad Das, and Parshuram Sahu, who presented their self-composed poems.
Among other distinguished attendees were poet and advocate Ram Prasad Patra, eminent speaker Dr. Bijay Mishra, entrepreneur and Utkal Parishad advisor Devendra Pradhan, and editor Tapan Kumar Bishoyi, along with hundreds of Odia culture enthusiasts.
The event concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by senior poet and lawyer Purnachandra Mahapatra.
No responses yet