New Delhi: The Odisha Cultural and Welfare Association (OCWA), a prominent pravasi Odia socio-cultural organisation released the 19th edition of its annual Odia magazine Utkal Gaurav at a well-attended cultural programme held at Subhadra Auditorium near the Sri Jagannath Temple in Tyagaraj Nagar here on Sunday.
The magazine was unveiled by Dr Ratnakar Sahoo, Professor of General Medicine and Principal of ABVIMS and Dr RML Hospital, New Delhi, who attended the event as chief guest, along with Dr Markanda Chandra Dash, Chief Prosthetist and Orthotist and Senior Manager at Northern Railway Central Hospital, who was the guest of honour. The release ceremony also marked the formal inauguration of the evening’s cultural programme in the presence of members of the pravasi Odia community from Delhi and NCR.
OCWA president Bijay Mohanty, along with Sandipta Rout and Prakash Prusty, joined the invited guests in lighting the ceremonial lamp. The programme was anchored by Tushar Mohanty, while Sandipta Rout, coordinator of OCWA, briefed the gathering on the organisation’s activities and its ongoing efforts to promote Odia language, literature and culture among Odias living outside the state.
Writers and contributors associated with Utkal Gaurav from the Delhi-NCR region were felicitated on the occasion for their literary contributions. The cultural segment featured Odissi and Sambalpuri dance performances by disciples of Guru Sremanta Mishra which were warmly received by the audience. Young artist Abhipsa Dash added to the evening with the rendition of Odia bhajans and a graceful Odissi performance, drawing sustained applause.
Addressing the gathering, Bijay Mohanty underlined the importance of preserving cultural roots among migrant communities. “The land in which we grew up, the language we first learned to speak and the institutions that shaped us are like the roots of a tree. No matter how far we go in life, we cannot remain human if we disconnect ourselves from these roots,” he said and appealed for greater solidarity among Odias living in Delhi, urging community members to stand by one another in times of distress.
Guest of honour Dr Markanda Chandra Dash spoke on the relevance of Jagannath sanskruti and assured his support to OCWA’s long-term goal of establishing a library and cultural centre in Delhi to serve as a hub for Odia literature and cultural activities.
OCWA acknowledged that the successful organisation of the magazine release and cultural evening was made possible through the collective efforts of its office-bearers and volunteers, including secretaries Prakash Prusty and Banoj Pradhan, chief coordinator Ajay Mohanty, convenor Bimal Prasad Samal, coordinators Pradeepta Bhuyan, Nayan Kishore Das and Hruday Ranjan Bhuyan, general secretary Sanjay Bal, treasurer Prashant Das, and members Prabhat Kishore Bhuyan and Nabaghana Dalai.
Founded in 1992 and formally registered in 2005 under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, the Odisha Cultural and Welfare Association has, for over three decades, worked as a platform for pravasi Odias in Delhi and NCR to celebrate and sustain their linguistic and cultural heritage through socio-cultural initiatives and community engagement.
