The district-level Mondei Festival got off with a colourful start on Tuesday with a large number of local troupes taking out a procession from the Maa Bhandargharni temple to the Mondei ground.
ST and SC Development Minister lalbihari Himirika, Commerce and Transport Minister Ramesh Majhi, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi, local MlA Monohar Randhari, Umerkote MlA Subash Gond performed Puja at the temple before the procession moved to the Mahatma Gandhi Marg.
Hundreds of people of the town took part in the parade. The procession saw a number of tribal musical parties. Many tribal fancy shows were also performed along the way.
Transport Minister Majhi said Mondei is the people’s festival of the district to promote and propagate the local traditional art, music and cultural activities. Minister Himrika said the festival would certainly provide an opportunity to congregate people from various walks of life to enjoy the exhibition, workshops and performance of varied tribal dances and music. Development Commissioner R Balkrishan stressed on the preservation of culture and development of tourism in the district for socio-economic development of the local people.
Presiding over the meeting, Collector Rashmita Panda said Mondei strives to proclaim the rich heritage of art, culture and tradition of Nabarangpur district through love and friendship, unit and integrity, peace and prosperity.
The three-day cultural extravaganza began with an Odishi dance dedicated to Goddess Durga by Nrutyadham, a troupe from Bhubaneswar. Among others, Odisha Film Development Corporation (OFDC) chairman Muna Khan, MPs Balabhadra Majhi and Jhina Hikaka spoke.