Decorated paan on display and (below) participants at Ekamra Haat in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, April 17: Young girls and women from across the state battled it out in the three-day finale of the Shrestha Odiani contest held at Ekamra Haat.

Sambhabana, the organiser of the event, came up with a few interesting traditional rituals in the contest, which are slowly fading.

The first of the three-day competition was the favourite among all the food lovers, who got a taste of the delectable pithas prepared in grandma’s style.

Coconut, cottage cheese, cardamom and various other ingredients turned the competition into a yummy affair. A plate full of paan, all dressed in ground catechu bark, coriander seeds, lime paste and cardamom was the main attraction of the second day. The paana bhanga competition attracted around 40 participants.

In the evening, participants of all ages gave a tribute to singer Trupti Das, by singing some of the popular numbers of the veteran singer such as Aa baula bahu bahu ka, Baula ki kahibi, Mo kola to jhulana and many more.

“I have participated in almost all the contests. My grandmother and mother were very particular about these rituals and I have learnt by watching them. I had also participated last year and this year I took part in jhoti, paramparik sangeet, rasoi gyaan. It was fun,” said Subhashree Patnaik, homemaker.

The final day saw a conch shell blowing competition and traditional beshabhusha (attires and adornments) and rasoi gyaan (cookery). Participants dressed in authentic Odissi handloom and customary jewellery showcased the cultural heritage of Odisha. Even the young audience cheered for the contestants who competed with each other while performing various rituals of the state.

“I had heard of the contest earlier and this is the first time I am watching it. I got to know about a few of our rituals which I had never heard before such as kaandana and daag-dhamali,” said Sharmila Panda, school student.

Odissi dancers Itishri Mohanty, Pallami Mandal and Debabrat Das were the jury members at the event. The names of the awardees will be declared on April 28 that coincides with the birth anniversary of Utkal Gauraba Madhusudhan Das.

“It is the eagerness and enthusiasm of the participants that encourages us to keep the competition alive. There are many participants who have been competing for several years now and every year they participate not to win the crown but to uphold the age-old traditions,” said the cultural secretary of the organisation, Santosh Kumar Das.