Raipur diary

Bastar Dussehra cherishes rich cultural rituals
For the first time, a 75-day long observation of Bastar Dussehra will be missing the usual gaiety due to the SOPs in place for the Covid pandemic. However, there is no diminution on following the essential rituals and rich cultural traditions. “All ceremonial devotions, rituals will be followed as per the cultural customs adhering to strict norms. Every event will be judiciously executed,” said Bastar collector Rajat Bansal. The Dussehra in Bastar is more about indigenous presiding goddess Ma Danteshwari and nature, rather than marking Ram’s victory over Ravana.

Best practices in digital era 
The deliberations during the Leadership Summit ‘New Age, New Realities’, conducted by the IIM-Raipur, left trainee managers brimming with ideas. The incisive inputs about the execution in digital economy and the enlightening interactions on how the business digital capabilities are being done left the young minds buzzing with intrigue. Besides focusing on enhancing customer engagement and employee productivity, speakers at the event stressed on both the employees and customers being prepared for digital change to enable autonomy in decision-making process. The biggest challenge was to have an understanding of technologies across multiple layers, they said.  The leadership summit also saw good response from other stakeholders apart from trainee managers.

Chhattisgarh cuisine at Gadh-Kalewas  
There’s now a lot more to explore and dive into for food enthusiasts in Chhattisgarh. Every district will have food outlets, Gadh-Kalewas, where visitors can relish the taste of traditional cultural delicacies. Gadh-Kalewas are operated by women self-help groups comprising who prepare ethnic dishes such as cheela, fhara, urad vada, anarsa, pidiya, and chosela. Visitors will be surprised to find the food is different with locals using less oil and spices. 

Residential Hockey academy in Raipur
A residential hockey academy in Raipur recently got affiliation from the Sports Authority of India (SAI), making it yet another glorious chapter on sports development in Chhattisgarh. The proposal for creating a centre for excellence for athletic, wrestling and swimming at Bilaspur apart from an archery training centre was submitted by Chhattisgarh under the ‘Khelo India Scheme’. The state already has a plan ‘Gadbo Nava Chhattisgarh’ to identify and nurture sporting talents. Recently, the Chhattisgarh Olympic Association’s new members were elected following all due process of free and fair polls. 

Ejaz Kaiser
Our correspondent in Chhattisgarh ejaz@newindianexpress.com