Mondei festival kicked off to a colourful start

Nabarangpur: Basant Rath

Amid much fanfare, the State-level annual mega tribal festival of Nabarangpur district, Mondei-2013, was inaugurated by Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Ramesh Chandra Majhi on Wednesday.

The inaugural Puja was performed at the Rajchauria temple of Kodinga under Kosagumuda block by Minister Majhi, Dabugam MLA Bhujabal Majhi, district Collector Yamini Sarangi, ZP president Motiram Naik Superintendent of Police Brajesh Kumar Rai, ADM Bhimman Seth, Sub-Collector Parakhita Sethi in the presence of other district officers and members of the civil society who came from across the district.

A congregation of local tribal dance troupes brought the Mondei Mashal to the venue. Minister Majhi said cultural festivals like this create awareness among the people about their age-old tradition and heritage of a region and local artists get a rare opportunity to exchange views with their counterparts of the country. He also spoke on the development programmes of the State Government.

Tthe Dabugam MLA said the tribals of this district are participating in Mondei at different places, including at Kodinga, but the mega cultural festival celebrated by the District Council of Culture is definitely a bold step which symbolises the traditions of the tribals.

Presiding over the meeting, Collector Sarangi said the district which has completed 22 years of its formation could proudly claim that it produced patriots, freedom fighters, eminent men of letters and harbingers of its rich culture.

Mondei is now in its 12 years and it has succeeded in integrating the people as is evident from the enthusiasm with which thousands of tribal men and women participated in the festival from the panchayat to district levels. Besides local tribal folk dances, troupes from other districts of the State and outside it have been performing in this event.

Different cultural troupes from the gram panchayat level performed their dances and music besides drama Atrupta Atma being staged in the evening. Various Government departments and SHGs showcased their crafts and schemes in their stalls. The guests released the Mondei-2013 poster and handed over the Mashal to different blocks for their respective celebrations. The block-level festival will continue till December 9.

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