Berhampur: Palace Street in Paralakhemundi, the district headquarters town of Gajapati district, on Sunday witnessed a sports-cultural extravaganza, Patha Utsav, in which local troupes performed various folk dances and others took part in sporting events in Raahgiri. Paralakhemundi municipality organised the event as a pre-celebration gig to the five-day Gajapati Utsav scheduled to begin in the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border town from Jan 18. “Braving the bone-chilling cold, people took part in large numbers and witnessed different activists from 7 am to 10.30 am,” said Laxman Murmu, executive officer of the civic body. Around 25 groups performed various items, including Soura tribal dance, Odissi dance, Paik Akhada –martial arts, taekwondo, skating, yoga, school band, musical orchestra and gajamuhan dance (local festival dance) among other items during the period. Local artistes and troupes captivated the audience with their performances, while schoolchildren showcased their artistic talent with other activities like bands and skating and singing of songs. The road was closed for two-wheelers and four-wheelers due to Raahgiri. People were seen walking along the road after parking their vehicles. “This was aimed to teach people about fitness mantra and encourage them to minimise the use of vehicles and to walk more to keep fitness themselves,” said A K Tripathy, district child protection officer. Several district-level officers and police attended the Raahgiri and encouraged the performers. “We have made elaborate security and traffic arrangements for Raahgiri. The event passed peacefully,” said Prasant Bhupati, inspector-in-charge of Paralakhemundi. In the run-up to the main Gajapati Utsav, several activities were conducted at the block-level. “In urban areas, we have performed Raahgiri to warm up people during the festive season and to project the road as a cultural hub,” said Murmu. To showcase its art and culture to attract tourists, the district administration organised the Gajapati Utsav, which will held at Paralakhemundi.
