While Odisha is going to host the Hockey World Cup in the last week of November this year at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Sector 7 Durga Puja pandal of Rourkela has come up with a replica of the stadium.
The exterior view of the pandal has been a major attraction of the locals. The inside part of the pandal also displays the replica of the Kalinga Stadium with statues of India and Australia players in action of a hockey match.
Sources said the committee members of Sector 7 Durga puja pandal have left no stone unturned to create the architecture displaying the World Cup trophy, pavilions, logo and the logo of Odisha tourism.
More importantly, the movement of live mascot of the Hockey World Cup, 'Olly', has been a special attraction for the spectators. The picture of hockey legends of the country, including that of Dhyan Chand, all across the replica of Kalinga Stadium, has been an added attraction.
According to the office bearers of the Sector 7 puja committee, the replica of inside of the Kalinga Stadium ground was formally inaugurated on Wednesday evening (Maha Astami day) in presence of hockey legends of the State like Padmashree Dilip Tirkey, Michel Kindo, Ignace Tirkey, Prabodh Tirkey and Lajrus Barla, all from Sundargarh district, who represented India in hockey.
"Since we had taken the theme of World Cup matches at the Kalinga Stadium, we had contacted the Ministry of Sports and Youth Service for obtaining technical and conceptual support and thankfully, we had received various support from them like replica of the trophy, mascot, logo and other designs of the world cup," said Sector 7 puja committee general secretary Kamala Kanta Nayak.
Significantly, as a part of the promotional activities of the World Cup at Bhubaneswar, a hockey match between Odisha XI and New South Wales, Australia, is scheduled to be held at the Biju Pattnaik Hockey Stadium, Rourkela on November 4. Sports lovers of the city, however, have termed the puja pandal of Sector 7 as a major promotional activity of the upcoming World Cup. "This Sector-7 puja pandal is unique amongst all puja pandals in city. This pandal is really looking like a beautiful stadium. While lakhs of rupees are spent on promotional activities of Men's Hockey WC, I feel the Sector 7 Durga puja pandal is one of the major promotion activities, since it is going to be witnessed by over one lakh locals, during the four- day long Durga Puja," said sports lover S Sahoo here.