Bhubaneswar: Swing rides, great food & games mark Raja in state

BHUBANESWAR: The state on Wednesday celebrated Raja Sankranti with great enthusiasm and fervour. People prepared traditional delicacies, savoured paan and played cards and other games with family and friends on the occasion.
While Pahili Raja was observed on the first day of the estival on Tuesday, Raja Parba was held on the second day on Wednesday. Bhumi Dahan will be observed on Thursday.
The festival, which is celebrated in both rural and urban areas with equal intensity, will conclude with Basumati Snana or the ceremonial bath of Bhudevi (mother earth) on Friday.
“I have returned from Mumbai to celebrate Raja and spend quality time with my friends. I missed the festival for the past two years because of Covid. We baked podapitha at home and distributed sweet paan among friends today. We put up swings for children in the village,” said Santosh Biswal, a Ganjam native.
In Bhubaneswar, some resident welfare associations, apartments and mandaps celebrated the occasion in a grand way. The city’s Patrapada locality made elaborate arrangements with the Patrapada-Bhagabanpur Jubak Sangha and the Maharaja Cricket Association putting up 111 swings for girls and women.
During the four days of this festival, girls and women take a break from work and wear new clothes, alata and ornaments. The most enjoyable part of the festival is the rope swings on big trees.
“We have also organised a kabaddi tournament for 10 girl teams of different areas. Besides, we have conducted competitions of Puchi Khela, Hulahuli, Daudidian, Sankhaphunka, cooking Podapitha and playing cards,” said Satya Narayan Mohanty, one of the organisers of the event. They have also set up a Meena Bazaar and are holding cultural programmes in the evening. It will continue on Thursday too. “It is a good initiative which was started in 2011 in the capital city. It will not only preserve the festival spirit and old tradition, but also give a chance to city residents to enjoy the festival in a grand way,” said Monalisa Sahu, an engineering graduate from Khandagiri.