Bhubaneswar: The 5th EMRS National Cultural and Literary Festival, titled ‘UDBHAV’ (Kala Utsav 2024), commenced today, bringing together more than 1,400 students from 22 states for the mega event.
The inaugural ceremony is attended by Jual Oram, Union Tribal Affairs Minister, Durgadas Uikey, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, Nityananda Gond, Minister, S&ME, SSD, M&BCW Department, SSEPD.
Apart from this Bishnupada Sethi, Principal Secretary, Ajeet Kumar Shrivastav, Commissioner NESTS & Indramani Tripathy, Secretary OMTES and Director, ST graced the occasion.
Inaugurating this national festival, the Union Minister said, the establishment of EMRS for the purpose of making the tribal students successful in the field of education. With the efforts of the PM Narendra Modi, EMRS have been spread across the country. He also encouraged the students to make EMRS the number one school in the country. Along with this, he called for the success of this national festival with the cooperation of all.
Similarly, Minister of State Durgadas Uikey attended and praised for organising such type of national program. He advised students to reflect on the ideals of Ekalavya in their lives and said that the exchange of ideas between each other has increased by organizing such events. He expressed the opinion that the folk art, culture, music and literature of their respective regions have been given an opportunity to be displayed here in different styles.
Minister Nityananda Gond also attended and discussed the importance of promoting education in the tribal society. EMRS is a wonderful initiative towards mainstreaming tribal children. He expressed the opinion that the unique ideal residential school started by the efforts of Atal Bihari Vajpayee by prioritizing the education of tribals is now a special opportunity in the education field in every state of the country.
Bishnupada Sethi, Principal Secretary, SSD, M&BCW Department gave welcome address and informed about Odisha’s diversity, rich tradition, history and he also gave information about the national event. Ajeet ku Srivastav, Commissioner, NESTS informed about the purpose of celebrating the initiative while Indramani Tripathy, Secretary, OMTES, Director, ST gave vote of thanks.
UDBHAV is an annual celebration aimed at showcasing the diverse cultural and literary talents of students from the Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) across India. The event will take place from November 12th to 15th, with approximately 1400 students and 250 teachers from various states participating. Students will compete in 47 diverse events, including storytelling, music, dance, singing, debate, and elocution, showcasing their talents and creativity.
