Jhoti Chita and Muruja-Folk Art of Odisha

The rich art of tribal Odisha has an extraordinary charisma. Beautiful to look at, these have intricate designs that are woven by combining several designs together. The jhoti chita of Odisha is one such cultural artwork

Jhoti Chita is essentially a native Odishan folk art that is seen designed in the entrances of every Odia household. They usually indicate the celebrations of different local festivals. The design is also done during auspicious occasions such as marriage and thread ceremonies.

Unlike rangoli, which is practiced extensively in the northern parts of India,

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Annapurna Theatre – The Broadway of Odisha

There is no Annapurna theatre today, but there was Annapurna theatre, once upon a time - the alma mater of stage performance and the Eton of Odia culture and entertainment.

They have made Broadway, a theatre district which has become a popular tourist attraction in New York City. And in the district, theatrical performances are presented in over 41 professional theatres with 500 or more seats at any point in time. Not at this scale or proliferation but certainly about five or six performances were playing at Annapurna theatre in a year. And in 1933 started movement, Puri and later

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Magic of Khati

Do you think that  Raj Mahal khati in Bhubaneswar can have a GI tag? Why not if we build a case, because there is a case.

I have seen a lot of khati in places I had not expected - Greece, Spain, Estonia. Small group of men (mostly men) milling around a street corner and spending time aimlessly or leisurely, without any haste. Remarkable is the way people find out time and newness every time they meet the same set of people and in similar social and physical settings, day in and day out. This is an ode to the human spirit, which is always craving for intimacy despite close pro

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Devadasi and the origin of Odissi

We have Lord Jagannath, the Lord of the Cosmos with us and everything emanates from Him and everything dissolves in Him. Every “thing” and every “nothing” is in Him.
Jatta chhaya lokamatra tribhubana janata badhate na tritap”.
जत्त छय लोकमात्र त्रत्रभुबन जनता बाधते न त्रत्रतप् ….. Brahma Geeta
( Lord Jagannath shields the inhabitants in all the spheres or Lokas.)
So simple and non – complex are His ways that Jagannath ‘belief&rsqu

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KOKOLI

Kokoli sukhua (dry fish) is a delicacy in Odisha, and more so in South Odisha. The film Kokoli is an audacious attempt to bring the climate emergency to the fore. With a powerful script, the film tries to weave three sub plots into one – personal, between Kokoli & Raju (the hero and the heroine), community (in the neighbourhood dealing with Kokoli’s unwed mother) and the social change (with the social change agents Deepak and Sujata). My friend, with whom I was watching the movie found one of the early scenes of a bitter spat between the mothers of Kokoli and Raju, quite app

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Art and Life in Odisha

Art is the proper task of life, said Nietzsche and Bertolt Brecht thinks that “if art reflects life, it does so with special mirrors”. Maybe yes but both the thoughts are conjoint. Art is certainly a proper task and reflects life in diverse paradigms without deviating from the influence of centrality, which is life itself. The self-conscious aim of life is to find expression, and art offers it beautiful forms through which life gets interlaced in a ‘mirror-continuum’. We are all the sum of the parts of our history, present and future and as guardians of the age, we r

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Demolition Of Mutts: Bold Move To Remove Symbols Of Decadence

The blackmail has been blunted. This is no mindless endorsement of the demolition drive around Jagannath Temple in Puri. The pulling down of dilapidated structures overcrowding the precincts of the Lord of the Cosmos is a rare bold step, taken after centuries of ‘slumming’. The mutts need to be razed because the 12th century shrine needs more fortification and tidying, which is overdue. Some 5-6 centuries ago these mutts ( also the other mutts in general) were intended to impart Sanskrit lessons to young scholars, visiting scholars, offer boarding facilities to pi

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WHAT DO NON-RESIDENT ODIAS MISS THE MOST ABOUT ODISHA ?

Gupchup, chaat, dahi bara – ask any Odia staying outside Odisha what they miss the most about Odisha, and these items will certainly top the list. The quintessential street food of Odisha is close to the heart of every Odia. No matter how short their vacation might be to their native state, Odias never fail to queue up at the street food hotspots famous for their ware. Raghu dahi bara, Sahoo chaat, Rama Nana gupchup, Sura bhai egg chop, Basanta budha chicken roll – every non-resident Odia has a favourite food item by a special vendor to gorge on.

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WHERE IS OLLYWOOD HEADING ?

With some highly acclaimed and award winning movies like ‘Sri Lokanath’, ‘Nua Bou’, ‘Kaa’, ‘Sesha Srabana’, ‘Chilika Teeray’, etc. These movies depicted a pragmatic view of Odia society - the traditions, culture, superstitions and conventions. The stories were innately Odia. The characters were drawn from reality. Dance numbers by lead characters was unheard of; songs were soft, romantic and melodious.

You can still find yourself humming ‘Jochhana luchana’, ‘Bou lo ki kahibi nua bhauja nka katha’,

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ODIA ENTERPRENEURS

With #StartUpIndia getting the right fillip in recent times, India has witnessed a surge in the number of new businesses being launched each day. Odisha too, is seeing an impressive number of young entrepreneurs join the bandwagon. Leaving behind established jobs, living passions to create something new – each of these entrepreneurs is willingly addressing risks and challenges to set up his dream business. The success of some noteworthy entrepreneurs from the state, like Ritesh Agarwal, Srikumar Mishra, Pritam Panda, Uttam Tripathy, etc, is providing the right kind of encouragement to

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