Delhi University has been a home to a variety of students who come from various states of India. They bring with them various cultures, languages and regionalism, which constructs an image of a multi-cultural India in most of the classrooms across colleges. The Odia students of Delhi University celebrated ‘Utkal Divas’ on 1st April at Ramakrishna Hall of Institute of Economic Growth. The event was marked with a speaker session followed by Odiya music and popular mouth-watering regional sweet ‘Chenna Poda’.
The speaker session, based on the theme, ‘Odisha’s contribution towards development of India in 21st Century’, started with an introductory speech by Sibananda Mishra, a member of DOSA who spoke about how Odisha has overcome its problems in the past and its rich contribution in India’s cultural panorama. This was followed by the address of Dr. Arun Kumar Rath, an ex-bureaucrat who was one of the key persons behind the Right To Education Act, 2009(RTE 2009). Mr. Rath spoke about how Odisha’s educational demographics have significantly changed in the past years.
This was followed by an interactive speech by Tapas Dasmohapatra who asked the audience to learn the importance of support in one’s life. Being one of the most popular motivational speakers, he inspired the audience to go after their dreams with both their efforts and support of others.
This was followed by the address of Dr. Manoj Panda, director of Institute of Economic Growth (IEG). He gave an academic account of how Odisha has contributed significantly in the industrial growth of the country. He also discussed about other problems like urban migration and its solutions in context of Odisha.
This was followed by vote of thanks by Arya Tripathi, a student of KMC and a member of DOSA. The programme ended with the audience and the panellists singing ‘Bande Utkal Janani’, the anthem of Odisha. Sabyasachi Puhan, a student of Dyal Singh College said “The event made me feel like being in Odisha”.
If you are an Odia student, you too can join DOSA. For more information, visit their Facebook page here.
Image credits: Nikhil Agrawal
Srivedant Kar
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