Rare honour for Utkal association as TN-Orissa bonds grow stronger

Chennai:

It was a dream come true for Utkal Association of Madras when they had the heads of Tamil Nadu and Orissa on a single dais on the 76^th founding day of Orissa.

N R Patnaik, secretary of Utkal association told Express on Friday that this was the first time during the Utkal Divas Chief Minister of Orissa and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu shared the dais highlighting the brotherly ties between the two states.

“Utkal Divas is celebrated on April 1 and we planned it on April 6. But the celebrations were postponed and now we have both Orissa Chief Minister Navin Patnaik and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa attending it,” said a delighted Patnaik.

The camaraderie between the states could be highlighted by the fact that the programme began with Tamil and Odia invocations. Three three eminent artists from Orissa, which included noted Odissi exponent Kum Kum Mohanty, Sudarsan Patnaik, the founder of Sudarsan Sand Art Institute and reputed dancer Aruna Mohanty were honoured by Jayalalithaa. Similarly, Naveen Patnaik honoured noted singers Vani Jairam, who won National Film Awards for best female playback Singer thrice and music maestro Ilayaraja.

Among the added attractions of the event was the lyrical dance form, which was enjoyed by both the chief ministers. The dance form depicts the sailors of Odisha bidding farewell to their brides before embarking on a voyage to distant Bali. This is celebrated even today on Orissa’s coastline as the Bali Yatra when married women float illuminated boats made from plantain peels, said an organiser.

Interestingly, the focus of the event had been the socio-cultural ties between Orissa and Tamil Nadu.

Speaking on the occasion, Tamil Nadu chief secretary and life member of Utkal Association Debendranath Sarangi highlighted the historical and close cultural ties between both the states from Chola era to the present era. Utkal association president Sri Khirod Kumar Jena highlighted how the Orissa community helped in boosting cultural and business ties between both the states. He also said inter-state marriages have boosted cultural ties between the two states.