Malayalee and Tamilian residents celebrate New Year in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph picture and picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 23: Festive mood reigned at the community get-together of Malayalee and Tamilian residents of the city in two events recently.

The Kerala Kala Samiti hosted a grand annual day at the Bhanja Kala Mandap, while the Bhubaneswar Tamil Sangam saw a gathering of Tamil speaking Odias from all over the state during their Pongal celebrations.

Artistes from Cochin and Bhubaneswar showcased dance performances on retro and new Malayalee songs.

Many artistes also rendered hit film and traditional songs.

There was also a series of comedy acts and drama that entertained the viewers. Apart from the cultural show, there was also celebration of New Year and Christmas with a Santa distributing chocolates to kids.

The members of the samiti also raised funds to contribute to the chief minister’s relief fund in order to help victims of the devastation caused by cyclone Phailin.

“We organised the mega cultural event that showcased performance of cine artistes and members of the samiti to get more and more audiences to buy tickets of the programme so that our community could help in rehabilitation of the cyclone victims,” said M. Soma Balan, vice-president of the samiti.

The Kerala Kala Samiti was founded in 1966 to promote interaction of the resident Malayalee community people and to create better understanding and awareness of Kerala culture among the people of Odisha, said a member during the event hosted on Sunday.

On the same day, Tamilians, too, came together to celebrate Pongal.

Over 200 members from all over Odisha gathered at the Bhubaneswar Tamil Sangam in Nayapalli.

From preparing the sweet pongal and worshipping the Sun God for good harvest, to creating beautiful designs with floral petals and colourful rangoli or kolam on the floor, the women taking part were busy with various activities. A few competitions were also hosted among the ladies.

Many activities and programmes were organised for the children as well including games such as blowing balloons, musical chair and so on. Many members of the community also performed dance on Bollywood and Tamil film songs as well as Odissi.

“We usually observe Pongal, that coincides with Makar Sankranti of Odisha, on the nearest Sunday so that there is maximum participation and it feels like a mini Tamil Nadu in Bhubaneswar,” said TBT Ansari, vice-president of the Bhubaneswar Tamil Sangam.