Music and cuisine weave magic at Odia festival

Bhopal: From 2016 Padma Shri awardee and poet Haldhar Nag to local icons like singer Satrughan Luhar and music-dance troupe 'Bajnia' to Odisha's famed Sambalpuri handloom and mouth-watering delicacies, everything was lapped up with glee as the western Odisha diaspora in Bhopal celebrated harvest festival 'Nuakhai', at BHEL's Natraj community hall, on Sunday.
It was the fifth year of 'Nuakhai' celebrations in Bhopal that witnessed gracious presence of Nag. Despite the fact that he studied only up to third standard, people long to hear his poems and writings in Kosli (an Odiya dialect). Nag has been face of Sambalpuri-Kosli language movement, demanding inclusion in Eighth schedule of Constitution. His books were exhibited on the occasion.
Speaking to TOI, barefoot poet Nag said a 'Nuakhai bhetghat (get together) in Bhopal gave him immense pleasure. "Bhetghat has gone beyond regional boundaries and is part of Indian society. Integration like this will help our cause to include Kosali as an official Indian language," he said.
Recalling the day he received Padma Shri at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, he said, "All wondered what a man in a vest and dhoti was doing in a room full of suited-booted people. But, even PM Narendra Modi came forward and called me the pride of Odisha. It is a great recognition for Kosli."
'Nuakhai' that also signifies harmony and is a catalyst in resolving feuds, falls a day after Ganesh Chaturthi. 'Nua' means new and 'khai' is food. So, it is celebration of new harvest during the festival, as the name suggests. Delicacies are cooked from first harvest of rice and offered to local deities, with first offering to Maa Samaleswari, as mark of respect to mother Earth.
Kishor Mishra and his team who had especially come from Bargarh prepared the lip-smacking cuisine.
The Sambalpuri Parivaar Socio Cultural Society of Bhopal that aims to promote heritage of western Odisha had a special idol of Goddess Samaleswari made by Pramod Meher, Sobhankanta Meher and team.