layman's space

  The Utsav, 2020, a one-day event on literary discussions, poetry recitals, music and pala gayan, was held by Khariar unit of Sambad-Sahitya Ghara at Khariar on Sunday. The event was inaugurated by Kendra Sahitya Akademi awardee and renowned poet Dr Fani Mahanti. Khariar MLA Adhiraj Mohan Panigrahi was the chief guest on the occasion. The inaugural session, presided over by Dr Geetashree Priyambada, lecturer of Khariar Autonomous College, was addressed by many poets of repute like Jasodhara Dash, Prashant Mahanti, Major Ramachandra Mishra, Dr Supriyo Chatterjee, Nilalohita Singh Deo, Saroj Mahapatra, Dr Sushanta Bishi, Nabin Kishor Padhi and Satish Pattnaik. Fani Mahanti in his inaugural speech said that a poet goes deeper into his experience to understand the basic principles and philosophy of the creation and life. "The writings of great people like Bhima bhoi, Jagannath Das and Upendra Bhanja reflect this. Internalising that "tatwa darshana" not "Anukarana"...

  Normal life in Nuapada district came to a standstill after farmers resorted to a road blockades under the leadership of BJP in several parts of the district on Thursday over discontinuation of paddy procurement. The farmers also demanded stoppage in Katni Chhatni (paddy deduction during weighing) by millers in addition to reopening of paddy procurement centres, which were abruptly closed last week. "We are unable to sell hundreds of quintals of our produce as the Government has stopped procurement abruptly. The BJD Government is run by the bureaucrats, who do not want the farmers to grow,” said the agitating farmers at Tukla of Khariar block. The aggrieved farmers everywhere blocked the road by keeping paddy bags on the road. The State Highway at Tukla, NH near Tikhali and Nuapada and the RD roads in Sinapali and Komna were blocked for more than four hours. Officials from different blocks reached the spots and received memorandum from the farmers. When Kalahandi MP Basant Panda ...

  Puni Sabar and his wife Bimle, tribal migrant labourers of Mahulkot village under Khariar police station of Nuapada district working in a brick kiln in Patelguda of Ranga Reddy district in Telangana for the last two months, were not allowed by the employer to come to their village to perform the last rites of their son Rohit Sabar, who died in an accident on Tuesday last. Puni's relatives  managed to do the funerals of the youth in absence of their parents. Local Sardar Pabitra Hati of Palma village (Khariar block), who had taken the duo to the kiln along with another Sardar Partham Behera of Kantabanji, now says that the employer would not spare the couple even if they returned the advance money they had taken from the employer. Notably, the couple has not been legally registered with the concerned authorities under relevant law while leaving the State. Being afraid of the Sardars, the relatives of Puni are not coming forward to lodge a complaint against the brokers. Howeve...

  A seminar on “Jagannath Sanskruti” was held on the occasion of Abhaya Chalan birth anniversary on Sunday at Khariar by the Abhaya Charan Sahitya Sanskruti Parishad, Khadial in association with the Department of Odia Language, Literature and Culture and the Odisha Sahitya Akademi. The one -day programme was inaugurated by Khariar MLA Adhiraj Mohan Panigrahi, which was followed by a discussion on the life and contributions of Abhaya Chalan. Prof Rajkishor Mishra, writer, Dr Manabhanjan Pradhan, former Principal of Anchal College, Padmapur respectively spoke as chief guest and chief speaker on the occasion. Dr Ramachandra Mishra, educationist also spoke. The speakers spoke elaborately on the works of Abhaya Chalan and credited him of making Odia literature rich. Chalan has many works to his credit like Sundara Sarita on river Sundar, Khanda Kavya Parikshya, Santha Chaitnya Das eka Adhyayana, Prabandha prasna, (compilation of essays), Andhara alua (autobiography) and Kabita Kadamba (...

  Union Minister Pratap Sarangi paid one day visit to Nuapada district on Saturday to attend meetings of BJP cadres/members. The Minister first visited the Gurukul Ashram at Amsena near Khariar Road and subsequently attended the meetings held at Nuapada and Khariar. All senior party members including Kalahandi MP Basant Panda, district president of BJP Subrat Thakur, Sibaprashad Mund, former MLA Hitesh Bagartti, Housing Majhi and Nimai Charan Tandi attended the meetings. The Minister mainly spoke on CAA in both the meetings and credited BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for initiating bold steps to make India strong. "BJP is the only party where a tea seller can be a PM and a person living in a hut like Pratap Sarangi can be a Minister, " said Sarangi and criticised Congress for encouraging the demonstrators at Sahinbagh to protest against CAA. "Above Rs 120 crore has come from foreign countries for sustaining demonstration at Sahinbagh. Congress is supporting them. I...

  Saturday, 11 January 2020   |   AJIT PANDA   | NUAPADA  Graveyards in Khariar town of Nuapada district are in a shambles due to indifference of the local people as well as the concerned authorities and encroachments by land grabbers. There are at least six graveyards inside Khariar town and the total land earmarked as Smashan in Government record is about 16 acres. But due to lack of protection and boundary, major parts of the land have been encroached and there is loss of vegetation. The graveyard located near Tirbandh tank has above nine acres of land, but more than half of it remains under encroachment. "Hardly one and a half acres  of land is now available; the rest has been converted to farm land by people having land adjacent to the Smashan," says a resident of that locality, who demands a demarcation and planting of trees in smasan. "Construction of a boundary is necessary to restrict encroachment," he further adds. The graveyard near Gudel bandh t...

  A campaign to create awareness about environmental protection amongst village youths of Nuapada district that was launched by the Water Initiative, Odisha (WIO) in association with NGO PATANG, Sambalpur with support from Unicef on the World Environment Day ended with a meeting of youths of three villages of Khariar block on Monday. "The objective of the campaign was also to engage village youths to participate in planning of activities under the Government job scheme MGNREGS so that the funds could be effectively used for rejuvenation of forest and water sources," said Kshirasindhu Sagaria, an activist associated with WIO, who actively monitored the campaign. Youths of three villages of Khariar block of Nuapada district got together in the play ground of Kusmal village at the closing event of WED programme. The youths, at the beginning shared their personal experience during Covid pandemic and the discussion gradually covered subjects of local importance like, local situati...