Bhubaneswar: More than 600 Paikas showcased Odisha’s traditional martial arts and valour during a grand procession in Bhubaneswar on Saturday as part of the year-long celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of the national song Vande Mataram.
Organised jointly by the Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department and the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi, the procession began at Ram Mandir and culminated at Rabindra Mandap.
Culture Minister Suryabanshi Suraj joined the procession and walked alongside the participants. Addressing the gathering, he described Vande Mataram as a symbol of national pride and self-respect, saying its legacy would continue to inspire generations.
The Minister said the state government had organised a series of programmes throughout the year to commemorate the song’s 150th anniversary. On January 12, National Youth Day, over 29 lakh students from more than 28,000 educational institutions across Odisha had sung Vande Mataram simultaneously, he said.
The Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi presented a special Odia-style rendition of the national song at Saturday’s programme. Women belonging to Paika families, dressed in traditional attire, were among the prominent participants who demonstrated their martial skills during the procession.
Congratulating the Paikas for preserving the state’s traditional martial heritage, Suraj called for collective efforts to safeguard and promote Odia culture.
Ekamra MLA Babu Singh also felicitated the Paika community for its contribution to preserving and popularising the traditional martial art.
The celebrations featured patriotic songs and performances of Vande Mataram by child artistes of cultural organisation Itikili Mitikili. The Odisha Sahitya Akademi released a book on Vande Mataram, while an art exhibition based on the national song was also organised.
A theatrical production based on Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s novel Anandamath, from which Vande Mataram originated, was staged at Rabindra Mandap.
Among those present were Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department Secretary Bijay Ketan Upadhyay, Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi Secretary Chandra Shekhar Hota, Prakash Srichandan, Shantanu Rath and Niranjan Panda.
