Bhubaneswar: Odisha is known for its vibrant culture and festivals. Raja is one of the most celebrated festivals in the state. It is true that Raja festival is not celebrated with the same zeal as it used to be some decades ago. Of late, the festival, which was once celebrated with zest, starts losing its sheen especially in urban pockets due to numerous reasons.
These days, it is hard to find young girls celebrating Raja festival by swinging in dolis, singing melodious Raja ballads in chorus and playing puchi.
However, there is a place on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar where girls not only celebrate the festival to the fullest; they invite girls of adjoining villages to be part of the carnival. The central attraction of the festival is swings. Over a hundred bamboo swings are put up every year to keep the tradition alive. This year, the organisers have put up 130 swings for the merrymaking of the girls.
Yes, we are talking about Patrapada. At a time when exodus of people from culturally-rich villages to materially-rich cities has led to death of many popular festivals, Raja festival at Patrapada draws crowds irrespective of cast, creed and colours for last 13 years thanks to the effort of a few culture-conscious people of our Patrapada to keep the tradition alive.
If you feel the hustle-bustle and daily grind of life has stolen the charm of festivals, come and take a swing at one of the hundreds of swings at the Raja festival at Patrapada where the villagers celebrate the occasion with great pomp and gaiety. And credit goes to a few culture-conscious people who began the trend of celebrating Raja festival under the banner of Mahaveer Cricket Association.
How It All Started
Expressing concern over disappearance of traditional festivals and celebrations, a few culture-conscious people of our locality such as secretary of Mahaveer Cricket Association Syamalendu Samantray, Sanatan Mangraj, Diptimayee Kar and Narendra Paikay, Sudhir Patnaik, Bagmi Bidhar and Sushil Chamatiray came forward to celebrate Raja to keep the age-old tradition alive. Sanatan Mangarj came up with this idea and his son Sujit Mangarj went ahead with the core members of MCA. They feel that the celebration of the Raja festival is part of the identity of Odias.
“If the present generation move away from our culture and festivals, how will they learn about our rich tradition and cultural heritage of the state”, said one of the members of organizing committee Rabindranath Sahu.
Earlier, the land, where 130 swings have been installed this year, was barren as it is situated in a rocky belt. All these senior people had to fetch water on bullock carts and they made the area plantation worthy. They created a forest by planting Simaroga plants. After the trees became big, we started celebrating the Raja festival. In the year 2011, we installed only 30 swings. Keeping the interest of people belonging to adjoining villages in mind, the organisers increased the number of swings to pull in crowds. This year we have erected 130 swings.
Fun Unlimited
Not just swings, the organisers hold several competitions among girls and women will be held during the festivity which is celebrated for four days here. They also conduct competitions of Puchi Khela, Hulahuli, Daudidian, Sankhaphunka, cooking Podapitha and playing cards. Apart from swings, kabadi competition will be centre of attraction this year. Yes, the organisers are all set to host All Odisha Kabadi Competitions among girls’ teams and boys’ teams. As many as 200 participants from both the category will take part in the kabadi competition.
What They Say
Trisha Das, a student of Utkal University, says, “I belong to Bhadrak. As a lot of us don’t go back to villages to celebrate festivals like Raja, I prefer to come to Patrapada to get the village feeling and enjoy it to the fullest. Each day of Raja has some significance and has different traditions tagged according to the importance. Organisers leave no stone unturned to follow each tradition attached to the festivity.
Lakhmipriya Sahu, a banker said, “I feel sorry to say that in quest of being equal to men, women are busy building careers and are left with no energy or desire to enjoy festival and perform rituals attached to it. I would like to thank Mahaveer Cricket Association for not letting us forget our culture and tradition by keeping the festival alive. As Sankranti is bank holiday, I go to Patrapada on second day of Raja to enjoy swings.
