Paperman Media (London )- Odisha Society of United Kingdom (OSUK) celebrated Seventh edition of Utkal Dibas here with pomp, splendour and much fanfare recently. The Celebration venue Ilford County High School’s Auditorium at Fremantle Road in London was aesthetically and elegantly decked up befitting to the auspicious occasion.The entire ambience was agog with festive fervour.The Landmark Event was a salutation to the essence, excellence and ebullience of Odisha and Odias.The Mega Ceremony was designed to showcase the rich art, vibrant culture, lofty tradition, amazing heritage, linguistic pride and humanitarian values of Odisha. Hundreds of members of OSUK, prominent non resident Odias and leading lights of Odia Diaspora gathered here from different corners of UK and Europe to witness the Gala Jamboree.
Delivering Welcome address Senior Member of the Core Group, Sumant Mansingh declared that Utkal Dibas symbolizes spectacular display of Unity, emotional bonding and common pride of Odia fraternity in UK. Reciting the poem “Matrubhumi Matrubhasa Re mamata ja hrude janami nahin… Taku jadi jnani ganare ganiba agyani rahibe kahin …” , Shri Mansingh invoked the emotional sensitisation of Odia identity. The Celebartion commenced with the lighting of ceremonial lamp by the Directors of OSUK, Dr Bibhuti Bhusan Pattnayak, Partha Sarathi Panda, Pravat Mishra, Dipti Mohanty and Srikanta Kumar Padhi , symbolising salutation to enlightenment,unity and advancement of the community. Soul soothing rendition of State’s anthem“ Bande Utkala Janani,” by lady members of OSUK was a listeners delight.
The special attraction of the Utkal Dibas was the presentation of a colourful cultural extravaganza by established and upcoming artistes. Odissi dance recital by superbly talented children and group presentations by Odia and Bengali performers were quite impressive.The audiences were captivated throughout the evening by a sumptuous blend of music, dance and creative articulations.The Major Highlight of the Supersonic Show was the mesmerising melody performed by Ollywood Star Singer Asit Tripathy. Odia superstar Shailendra Samantray enthralled the crowd with his scintillating singing and electrifying dancing synthesising Sambalpuri, Odia and Hindi musical numbers .
The Celebration also featured food stalls of Odisha and other Indian States offering a variety of mouthwatering recipes. Guests thoroughly enjoyed the authentic Odia cuisine alongside other regional delicacies served by Chilika Restaurant.
The Ceremony was supported by sponsors like ICICI bank UK, Vaterland Ltd, SBI UK, Paymetryx, Amadeus, and Freedom Circle.On behalf of the Organising Team Dr Prakash Dey and Pravat Mishra thanked all the attendees, volunteers, sponsors and performers for their contributions in making Utkal Divas a memorable and milestone Celebration.
