Festive grandeur at some places, lacklustre at others in Odisha

BALANGIR: With Nuakhai a day away, festive fervour has gripped major towns of Balangir, Titlagarh, Patnagarh and Kantabanji districts with huge crowds thronging marketplaces for shopping.

A popular pre-harvesting and agrarian festival of Western Odisha where the first paddy produced of the Kharif season is offered to the presiding deity, the celebrations are marked by pomp, show and family reunions. Family members from far and wide join the festivities highlighting unity and solidarity among each other. 

However, the drought situation and the resultant poverty have impacted the celebrations in some parts of these districts. “Nuakhai has taken a paradigm shift and the traditional flair is missing. The joint family concept has become obsolete and there are barely any conscious efforts to celebrate the festival collectively,” said researcher Lohitakshya Joshi. 

Pointing at how the festival has lost its essence, he said, “agriculturists who earlier held large tracts of farmlands are now reduced to being labourers as agriculture no more remains a viable livelihood option for many. The situation has become so bad that the landlords who engage these labourers pay money and encourage them to celebrate the festival,” he cited.