Nine women having excellent contributions to various fields, including education, health, environment, sports, etc., were worshiped at a function, Naba Matruka Puja, held on Sunday.
The puja was organised by the Naba Matruka Puja Abyarthana Committee, Bhubaneswar in association with the Jugashree Juganari monthly magazine and the Balweri Kalakendra and with the support of the Arya Samaj.
A yajna was conducted on the occasion. The participants opined that instead of idol worshiping, people should appreciate and felicitate live women leaders working for the interest of society in various sectors.
The event was chaired by Arya Samaj president Priyabrata Das in the presence of committee convenor Dr Shakuntala Baliarsingh and Jugashree Juganari editor Mamata Mohapatra.