Book lovers throng a kiosk at the Sambalpur Book Fair held at the PHED ground in the city on Monday. The fair, which had earlier been held at the Gangadhar Meher University ground, shifted its venue this time.

“We were apprehensive of the fact that the venue shift would result in lesser footfall. But surprisingly, it is drawing more people than in previous years,” said organising committee member Sukanta Kar.

“There are around 150 kiosks with works of authors from around the world. The publishers and book sellers rank the fair as one of the best such events in the state,” said Kar.

Hundreds of book lovers, including youngsters are seen thronging the stalls. Books on various topics such as literature, science, technology, law, religion, biographies, competitive exam guidelines, dictionaries and many other subjects are available at the  fair. Children’s books are a hit at the fair.

The fair, organised by the Society for Education, Tradition and Unity, an umbrella organisation of intellectuals in the city, will conclude on Friday.

Text by Subrat Mohanty
Telegraph picture

 

Science to rebellion, it’s time to catch a glimpse

Students from various colleges take part at the inter-college science exhibition in Bhubaneswar on Monday. They came up with innovative projects on numerous topics, and most of the models were on alternative solutions to the problems of energy and pollution.

Chinmay Chiranjiv and Akash Kumar Nayak from Mothers Public School came up with what they called piezo electric tyres. “There is now a huge demand for hybrid cars and many varieties of electric cars are currently available in the market. However, these vehicles consume a huge amount of electricity,” said Chimany.

“We have come up with a concept of piezo electric tyres that automatically charge the cars when in motion,” said Akash.
Kalipada Chatterjee and Satyabrata Mohapatra from Basic Science College have designed an E-Cruizer.

“E-Cruizer is a bus that uses battery which gets recharged from wind energy. As the bus moves, miniature windmills installed on its top generate power. This system of recharging is cost-effective and an all-weather system,” said Kalipada.

Prateek Pandav and Sankalp Hota from DAV Pokhariput have devised a model that uses properties of magnetism and simple mechanics to generate electricity for homes. This minimises the dependency on traditional electricity.

Visitors at an exhibition documenting the Paika rebellion in the state, in Bhubaneswar on Monday.

The state government has planned year-long celebrations to mark 200 years of the rebellion next year. A preparatory meeting on this was held at the Odisha State Archives on Monday in presence of historians.

Culture and tourism minister Ashok Panda said the government would initiate steps to make it recognised as a national event. Around Rs 6 crore would be spent on the infrastructure development of Khurda from where the rebellion originated. “The Barunei hills and Khurda fort will see conservation.

A special event will be organised in the district. We will develop the place as an enviable tourist destination,” said Panda.

Plans are also on to make a short documentary film on the Paika history. Based on the records available in the archive and the papers presented in the workshops, a volume on Paika rebellion will be published in Odia, Hindi and English. “Research has already begun. We are talking to scholars and gathering as much as information we can. A research team has been formed,” said Bhagyalipi Malla, the superintendent in charge of the archives department.

Artistes perform at the Rajarani Music Festival on the temple premises in Bhubaneswar on Monday.

The three-day classical music event is regarded as the foremost annual musical soiree that gives a perfect platform to the best of talents from all over the country.

Known for her mellifluous voice and tremendous grip on the intricacies of Odissi music, Bhanja rendered devotional compositions dedicated to Lord Jagannath and Lord Shiv. She also sang some traditional Odissi compositions. The renowned Wadali brothers — Puranchand and Pyarelal Wadali from Amritsar — added Sufi colours to the musical evening. “It was a wonderful experience to perform in this ambience. The spiritual environment added to the soulful words of the age-old Sufi songs that we presented to all the avid listeners here,” said Pyarelal Wadali.

Prominent musicians such as renowned santoor player Pandit Shivkumar Sharma and Hindustani vocalist Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande as well as popular and young faces such as Carnatic vocalist T.M. Krishna and sarod-playing duo Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan will also perform at the musical extravaganza.

Text by Priya Abraham, Anwesha Ambaly 
and Namita Panda
Pictures by Sanjib Mukherjee