Odia diaspora celebrates Raja festival online

BHUBANESWAR: The Odia Society UAE celebrated ‘global Raja Parba-2021’ through a virtual platform on Sunday.
Odias settled in over 21 countries, attended the virtual event and cherished Odisha's rich art and culture.
“As it was not possible to enjoy the Raja festival physically during the Covid pandemic, we planned it via the virtual platform. It was heartening to see an overwhelming response from the global Odia diaspora,” said Dr Chandrasekhar Khuntia, chief of the Odia Society UAE.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan conveyed their best wishes and appreciated the efforts of the Odia Society UAE for promoting the state’s culture abroad.
“I appreciate the endeavour of the UAE Odia Society to connect people to our cultural roots. The celebration of Raja Parba will certainly be an amazing experience for all of you,” Naveen’s written message said.
Puri Jagannath temple’s chief administrator Krishan Kumar and eminent writer Dr Pratibha Ray among others attended the event and spoke of the significance of the annual Raja festival.