Bhubaneswar: Adivasi Mela-2024 showcasing the lifestyle, art, culture and traditions of the tribals of Odisha kick started at Adivasi Exhibition Ground, Unit-1 here today. The mela will continue till 5th February. It will be open to the public from 2.30 pm to 9 pm daily.
The opening ceremony of the mela was attended by Jagannath Saraka, Minister, ST&SC Development and Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Department, while Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik attended the Adivasi Mela through virtual mode and conveyed his greetings. Commissioner cum Secretary Roopa Roshan Sahoo attended the ceremony as guest of honour.
On this occasion, the Chief Minister extended his greetings and said, “Tribals are our pride. Special Development Councils have been formed for the upliftment and welfare of the tribals and for the protection of their culture. Initiatives have been taken to establish language labs in tribal schools to acquaint students with tribal culture. Tribal art has got special recognition at the national level, while Adivasi Mela is very popular event in our state. Due to this, efforts were made to create a market linkage for the products of the tribals.”
On the other hand, Minister Saraka said, the department organizes Adivasi Mela every year to bring the lifestyle and traditions of the tribes to the public. Melas are being organized with the aim of involving them in social and economic thinking. This has created an opportunity to sell tribal handicrafts and products of tribal areas. The lifestyle of the tribals developed with the efforts of the state government will be showcased in this mela.
Commissioner cum Secretary said, this fair, which was first started in Cuttack in 1951, has been held in Bhubaneswar since 1954. Every year the department keeps trying to add new elements to it.
People will get to see tribal market in this mela. Apart from this, a multilingual theatre festival will be held in the evening with emphasis on language.
In view of the demands of the tribal communities, the Commissioner cum Secretary said that permanent shops will be provided soon.
This year, 109 stalls have been organized in the Adivasi Mela, and the 63rd edition of the special journal “Adivasi” has been launched on the opening ceremony.
Apart from this, 10 people from different tribal communities have been honoured with Adivasi Prativa Samman.
In the ceremony, the Director of SCSTRTI, Indramani Tripathy gave the welcome address while the Special Officer, Samarendra Bhutia, gave the vote of thanks. Among others, Deputy Director Santosh Kumar Rath and other officials were present.
