Rourkela/Berhampur/Kendrapada: President Droupadi Murmu, Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi extended greetings to the people of Odisha on Sunday on the occasion of Raja, the three-day festival celebrating womanhood.
President's Greetings
In a social media post, President Murmu said: "On the occasion of this mass festival 'Raja', I extend my heartfelt greetings to the people of the country, especially the people of Odisha. This festival of the monsoon season is celebrated to honour the earth, the mother, and the clouds."
Chief Minister's Tribute
Chief Minister Majhi described Raja as "a unique confluence of Odia identity's living tradition, soil, and maternal energy."
Celebrations Across Odisha
In Rourkela, people thronged shops offering varieties of Raja paan, which are integral to the festival. Residents enjoyed feasting on pithas, riding swings, and chewing paan. Paan outlets prepared various types of meetha paan and saw brisk business.
Binod Sah, a native of Bihar, operates a paan shop at Bisra Road and reported excellent sales. His shop offers varieties such as Ice Paan, Chuski Paan, Chocolate Paan, Fire Paan, Mango Paan, Khush Paan, Sandal Paan, Pineapple Paan, and Rose Paan. Prices range from Rs 30 to Rs 40 each for most varieties, with Mithla special paan at Rs 60 each. The costliest meetha paan is Rs 250 per piece, containing 21 different types of masala sourced mostly from Rajasthan and West Bengal. The shop also sells meetha paan at Rs 20 each with eight types of masala. After preparation, silver foil and various creams are added, and the paan is packed in small aluminium food containers. "I have done very good business today by selling Raja paan. I have sold paan worth Rs 15,000 so far today and hope to sell Rs 50,000 during these festival days," said Binod.
S K Biswal, a resident of Sector 16, said, "I come to this shop during Raja festival every year because the paan here is very tasty. Today I came to buy meetha paan and will take it home for my family."
Narayan Jena, another paan shop owner, sells paan at Rs 20 each and had sold meetha paan worth Rs 5,000 by Sunday evening. "I have done very good business today by selling Raja paan. I have sold paan worth Rs 5,000 so far," said Narayan.
Prakash, another paan seller, was happy with business of Rs 10,000 by selling meetha paan at Rs 20 each. "I have sold meetha paan worth Rs 10,000 so far and hope to sell around Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 during the three-day Raja festival," he said.
Celebrations for Visually-Impaired and Orphan Girls
In Berhampur, several visually-impaired girls aged between 5 and 18 years from a privately-run residential school celebrated Raja on Sunday. Clad in new dresses, the girls played and danced in a ground near their school at Andhapasara Road. Organisers installed swings for them, and the girls distributed traditional sweets and pancakes.
Around 60 orphan girls from a child care institute in Ganjam district participated in celebrations at Panthanivas, Gopalpur-on-Sea, organised by the Odisha State Tourism Development Corporation.
Kabaddi Tournament and Infrastructure Development
At Khanditar village under Rasulpur block, known as the cradle of kabaddi in Jajpur district, sports enthusiasts gathered to witness the opening ceremony of the four-day 71st National Level Kabaddi Tournament, which began on Saturday on the occasion of Raja. The foundation stone of a Rs 12-crore indoor stadium at Khanditar was laid after the inauguration. A sports hostel will be built, and coaches and trainers will be appointed to train sportspersons.
