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| Girls play dandiya as part of the nine-day Navratri celebrations. Picture by Uma Shankar Dubey |
The Gujarati Bhavan in Golmuri was the centre of attraction during the nine days of Navratri.
The girls, attired in chaniya cholis in vibrant shades and spotless white choynis, performed dandiya and garba raas (dance) with perfection.
Innovation was the buzzword this season. Gujarati women gave final touches to their respective dance sequences. “Once a year we get a chance to display our skill on dandiya. Over the years the Navratri celebration at Gujarati Bhavan has grown immensely popular,” said an organiser.
Children also took part in the celebration and showcased their skill in dandiya and garba raas. Free-style raas was also organised to add colour to the event.
Long after the dhak beats receded across the riverbanks and shanti jal was sprinkled at various puja pandals after the idol immersion, it was time for the grand finale, which culminates in Bijoya greetings. To celebrate the peaceful conclusion of Durga Puja, the members of Central Durga Puja Committee also organised a vijaya milan at Utkal Association, which was attended by various Durga Puja committees of the city. Central Durga Puja Committee general secretary Ram Babu Singh congratulated the puja committees for their cooperation. He said the office-bearers and volunteers of puja committees had carried out their duties by being alert and careful throughout the festival.
Schoolchildren in colourful costumes regaled the audience with their dance performance at Sharadiya Utsav organised by the Tinplate Evening Club recently.
The children danced to the tunes of Bengali poems sung by a group of women. “The purpose the dance programme is to inculcate in the children the importance of Bengali. Western influence has made most of the children forget their mother tongue. We think the programme would have a positive effect on the children,” said Tinplate Evening Club secretary Prabir Kumar Roy.
The participating children presented Mahisasur Mandini and other dance sequences. Students of Little Flower, Hill Top Tagore Academy and Blue Fairy Model School participated in the programme.
Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) organised a seminar in the city recently to mark the conclusion of its Swadeshi Week.
Issues related to the swadeshi movement was discussed at the meet. The seminar was co-ordinated by Jagdish Prasad Mishra, a senior member of the state unit of Swadeshi Jagran Manch.
In his speech, he highlighted the effects of foreign products in India and said that it could be countered by adopting the path of swadeshi. The manch members also expressed their condolences on the demise of Swadesh Kumar Prabhakar, a social worker and president of Tulsi Bhavan Committee.
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| The power substation in Harmu |
There is good news for the power-starved residents of the capital.
On Wednesday evening, chief minister Arjun Munda inaugurated the 33-kva underground power supply cable and streetlightson Harmu bypass road.
This would hopefully ensure better power supply to one part of the city, which has been faced with severe power shortage.
Munda said work on the underground cable electricity supply in the remaining seven parts should be completed by November 15.
These underground cables would also prevent power theft, according to officials.
