Glitz and glamour mark FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup inaugural show

CUTTACK: The historic Barabati stadium at Cuttack was throbbing with energy as it witnessed splendour unfold at the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 opening ceremony, which was synonymous with showmanship, festivity and culture.

The crowd started gathering outside the stadium much ahead of the event that began at noon and as the evening progressed, the stadium with a seating capacity of 50,000 was overflowing with people of all age groups. Divided into two segments, the opening ceremony saw performances by the who’s who of Odisha and Bollywood’s art and entertainment scene.

In a spectacular display of Odissi and folk art forms of the state, eminent Odissi Guru Aruna Mohanty presented two choreographies - Aadiswara and Jagannathashtakam. While ‘Aadiswara’ encapsulated elements of ‘Durua’, ‘Dhemsha’, ‘Singhari’, ‘Dulduli’, ‘Ghumura’ and ‘Sambalpuri’, ‘Jagannathashtakam’ was an invocation of Lord Jagannath by hundreds of Odissi dancers using props like ‘tahia’ and Konark wheel. Odisha’s popular singers Sniti Mishra, Rituraj Mohanty and rapper Samir Rishu Mohanty also enthralled the audience while actors Sabyasachi and Archita danced to the tunes of popular Odia songs.

Making the event grander was the Bollywood segment where musician Pritam and singers like Lisa, Neeti Mohan, Shalmali Kholgade, Benny Dayal, Nakash Aziz, held the audience glued for nearly an hour with their rendition of some of the Bollywood’s hit songs apart from the hockey anthem ‘Hockey Hai Dil Mera’ that Pritam composed for the hockey World Cup 2023. While popular Korean pop band ‘Black Swan’, which includes Odia girl Shreya Lenka, performed for the first time in India at the opening ceremony, actress Disha Patani set the floor on fire with her dance moves.

The highlight of the evening was a drone show that lit up the Cuttack sky. Nearly 500 drones made formations on the hockey World Cup, Olly, the mascot; legendary statesman Biju Patnaik and his son and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Bollywood heartthrob Ranveer Singh, in his usual style, made a spectacular aerial entry to the stadium, standing on a platform that was fashioned in the shape of a Konark wheel. Dancing to the tunes of Hindi songs, the actor got down the stage to greet the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to which the latter reciprocated with loud claps and a wide smile. The ceremony ended in style with fireworks lighting up the sky and setting the tone for the next 17 days of the quadrennial tournament.

Special trains for hockey fans

The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has decided to run two pairs of special trains in view of the demands and additional rush of passengers during the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 scheduled to be held from Friday. Bhubaneswar-Rourkela Special will leave from Bhubaneswar at 8.25 pm on every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday from January 14 to 30. In the return direction, the special train will leave from Rourkela at 11.25 pm on every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday from January 15 to 31. Similarly, the Puri-Rourkela hockey special will run daily from January 14 to 31. The train will leave Puri at 5.15 am and reach Rourkela at 12.45 pm. In the return direction, it will leave Rourkela at 1.30 pm and reach Puri at 10.30 pm.

State pays tribute to Biju Babu

The grand opening ceremony was not just about Bollywood performances or jaw-dropping fireworks and drone shows. The state paid tribute to its tallest leader - Biju Patnaik - through a rendition of ‘Bande Utkala Janani’ by Asha Bhosle. Episodes from Biju Babu’s life and times were shown as the state song was played, highlighting his astonishing feats and work that he did for Odisha’s development. Besides, drones painted a portrait of Biju Patnaik on the sky which evoked a thunderous applause from the audience.

Team Pride to ensure smooth conduct of HWC in Bhubaneswar

The FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 all set to begin on January 13, Team Pride, a newly formed enforcement squad in the capital city, has been entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring discipline during the event.  Official members of the team ‘Party for Regular Improvement and Discipline through Enforcement’ who will be in special uniform with dedicated patrolling vehicles will carry out multiple enforcement activities during the matches. The team formed last month will have 17 enforcement squads comprising members of Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Commissionerate Police. BDA VC Balwant Singh said traffic management, parking, vendor management, sanitation and other activities will be the major responsibility of the team. He said the team members  have also been trained to display polite behaviour towards the public while exercising their duty.

CUTTACK: The historic Barabati stadium at Cuttack was throbbing with energy as it witnessed splendour unfold at the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 opening ceremony, which was synonymous with showmanship, festivity and culture. The crowd started gathering outside the stadium much ahead of the event that began at noon and as the evening progressed, the stadium with a seating capacity of 50,000 was overflowing with people of all age groups. Divided into two segments, the opening ceremony saw performances by the who’s who of Odisha and Bollywood’s art and entertainment scene. In a spectacular display of Odissi and folk art forms of the state, eminent Odissi Guru Aruna Mohanty presented two choreographies - Aadiswara and Jagannathashtakam. While ‘Aadiswara’ encapsulated elements of ‘Durua’, ‘Dhemsha’, ‘Singhari’, ‘Dulduli’, ‘Ghumura’ and ‘Sambalpuri’, ‘Jagannathashtakam’ was an invocation of Lord Jagannath by hundreds of Odissi dancers using props like ‘tahia’ and Konark wheel. Odisha’s popular singers Sniti Mishra, Rituraj Mohanty and rapper Samir Rishu Mohanty also enthralled the audience while actors Sabyasachi and Archita danced to the tunes of popular Odia songs. Actors Sabyasachi and Archita perform at the function | Express Making the event grander was the Bollywood segment where musician Pritam and singers like Lisa, Neeti Mohan, Shalmali Kholgade, Benny Dayal, Nakash Aziz, held the audience glued for nearly an hour with their rendition of some of the Bollywood’s hit songs apart from the hockey anthem ‘Hockey Hai Dil Mera’ that Pritam composed for the hockey World Cup 2023. While popular Korean pop band ‘Black Swan’, which includes Odia girl Shreya Lenka, performed for the first time in India at the opening ceremony, actress Disha Patani set the floor on fire with her dance moves. The highlight of the evening was a drone show that lit up the Cuttack sky. Nearly 500 drones made formations on the hockey World Cup, Olly, the mascot; legendary statesman Biju Patnaik and his son and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Bollywood heartthrob Ranveer Singh, in his usual style, made a spectacular aerial entry to the stadium, standing on a platform that was fashioned in the shape of a Konark wheel. Dancing to the tunes of Hindi songs, the actor got down the stage to greet the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to which the latter reciprocated with loud claps and a wide smile. The ceremony ended in style with fireworks lighting up the sky and setting the tone for the next 17 days of the quadrennial tournament. Special trains for hockey fans The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has decided to run two pairs of special trains in view of the demands and additional rush of passengers during the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 scheduled to be held from Friday. Bhubaneswar-Rourkela Special will leave from Bhubaneswar at 8.25 pm on every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday from January 14 to 30. In the return direction, the special train will leave from Rourkela at 11.25 pm on every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday from January 15 to 31. Similarly, the Puri-Rourkela hockey special will run daily from January 14 to 31. The train will leave Puri at 5.15 am and reach Rourkela at 12.45 pm. In the return direction, it will leave Rourkela at 1.30 pm and reach Puri at 10.30 pm. State pays tribute to Biju Babu The grand opening ceremony was not just about Bollywood performances or jaw-dropping fireworks and drone shows. The state paid tribute to its tallest leader - Biju Patnaik - through a rendition of ‘Bande Utkala Janani’ by Asha Bhosle. Episodes from Biju Babu’s life and times were shown as the state song was played, highlighting his astonishing feats and work that he did for Odisha’s development. Besides, drones painted a portrait of Biju Patnaik on the sky which evoked a thunderous applause from the audience. Team Pride to ensure smooth conduct of HWC in Bhubaneswar The FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 all set to begin on January 13, Team Pride, a newly formed enforcement squad in the capital city, has been entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring discipline during the event.  Official members of the team ‘Party for Regular Improvement and Discipline through Enforcement’ who will be in special uniform with dedicated patrolling vehicles will carry out multiple enforcement activities during the matches. The team formed last month will have 17 enforcement squads comprising members of Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Commissionerate Police. BDA VC Balwant Singh said traffic management, parking, vendor management, sanitation and other activities will be the major responsibility of the team. He said the team members  have also been trained to display polite behaviour towards the public while exercising their duty.