Yesterday Marked the Final Evening of the Mangala Mahotsav
Due to the COVID-19 restrictions over the past four years, the Mangala Mahotsav had not been celebrated. This year, the organizing committee aimed to revive the festival with great enthusiasm and sought support from everyone, irrespective of party affiliation. Chairman and Minister Tushar Kanti Behera, along with his team, tried to unite all the members, though it wasn’t entirely possible. Despite this, social services like “Daridra Narayan Seva” continued, providing daily meals to 20 to 25 needy individuals and distributing blankets during the cold season. Samarendra Dixit led this effort, and under his responsibility, the Mangala Mahotsav was brought to life with the collective support of all involved.
The event concluded successfully with the joint efforts of all. Chairman and Minister Tushar Kanti Behera, Secretary and youth leader Swadhin Kumar Nayak, Himanshu Bhushan Dixit, Pradeepta Kumar Dixit, Dhiren Chand, local Sarpanch Abhaya Kumar Sethy, Nrusingha Behera, Saroj Samal, Subhransu Dixit, Sanjay Samal, Bani Prasad, and Chittaranjan Mishra (Binu Bhaina) played vital roles in the event. Since all work was completed peacefully from Surukhuru, credit was given to the local public of Kakatpur. Senior citizen and veteran of the Salt Satyagraha movement, Nirod Baran Mohanty, who was also a former chairman of the Mangala Mahotsav Committee, remarked that such a celebration would not have been possible without the cooperation of everyone. He further stated that around 10,000 to 15,000 people from nearby areas attended the event over the three days. Several ministers from the state government were also present.
On the first day, the event was inaugurated by Hon’ble Minister of Tourism, Culture and Excise Ashwini Patra, Hon’ble MP Dr. Rajashree Mallick from Jagatsinghpur, Committee Chairman and Home Minister Tushar Kanti Behera, Puri District Council Vice-Chairman and Festival Secretary Swadhin Kumar Nayak, and Executive Chairman Swapneswar Sahu by lighting the ceremonial lamp. That evening, singer Asima Panda and her team performed musical numbers, followed by a captivating dance performance by Prince Dance Group.
The second evening saw the presence of Khordha MLA and Editor of Sambad, Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, and Mo School Chairman Akash Dash Nayak, who inaugurated the event. Popular singer Deepti Rekha Padhi, comedian Shankar, and other artists like Prajna and her team entertained the audience with music and comedy.
On the final night, the distinguished guests included Satyabadi MLA Umakant Samantaray, young Pipili MLA Rudra Pratap Maharathy, music director and singer Abhijit Majumdar, poet Debesh Pati, and Antara Chakraborty, who mesmerized the audience with their performances. The event’s data collection and presentation were handled by Pratap Kumar Raut. Supporting the event’s various needs were former district council president Jyotirmaya Dalai, finance lead Pradeep Kumar Panda, logistics head Manas Samal, venue manager Tushar Dixit, publicity and press lead Kamal Lochan Dixit, who also serves as president of the Kakatpur Press Club, stage coordinator Aditya Kumar Raut, food and beverage head Himanshu Bhushan Dixit, and sanitation and environment in-charge Kailash Chandra Nayak.
Mangala Cricket Club President Pradeepta Kumar Dixit, along with Dipu Das, Bhagabat Swain, Ranjan Nayak, Shyam Sundar Rana, and Dhiren Chand, maintained order and discipline during the event. At the conclusion, the Chairman praised the police force for their excellent work, noting that the three-day event was conducted without any untoward incident, maintaining peace and harmony throughout.
