Durga Puja Orissa

- Worship to the goddess of power is celebrated by the entire Hindu fraternity in general and Bengalis in particular in the form of Durga puja. The festival takes place in the month of Aswin or Kartik i.e. September and October according to the English calendar. An aggravated festive spirit engulfs every one as the ten armed image of the beautiful yet fierce goddess is erected in the puja pandal.The clay idol of the goddess is decorated with immaculate decorative pieces, tiny lights and beautiful flowers. The goddess sitting on a lion is shown killing the 'Buffalo Demon'- Mahishasura accompanied by her two sons, Lord Ganesha and Kartikeya, and two daughters Goddess Laxmi and Saraswati presents a really powerful picture standing true to its synonym 'Goddess of Power.' The arti ceremony that takes place early every morning and evening is a grand affair where the praises of the goddess are sung describing her gumption and valor. The sweet fragrance of incense adds to the charm.And Orissa being a Hindu state also observes this festival with a great pomp and show. Though Durga Puja is celebrated in the month of October, celebrations start weeks ahead. The entire state strikes a different chord altogether echoing the music of bonhomie, brotherhood and festivity.The ceremony continues for three days with the immersion ceremony following on the fourth day. The images are taken in a huge procession to the nearest river or tank and are immersed there with loud music being played in the background. Youth bows down to the elders after this to seek blessings and be blessed with power like the goddess.Durga Puja is a special time for women who look forward to this auspicious occasion to buy clothes for themselves and their family. They express their joy by partaking in the Sindoor Utsav where the married ladies smear the parting of the goddess's hair with vermilion and again smear each other's hair parting with vermilions.Girls adorn the floor with alpana designs that are made with rice flour paste. They see this autumn festival as the annual home coming of Durga, the married daughter returning home to her parents from her husband's house for a period of four days.Sheer joy, mad ecstasy and wondrous celebrations remain the mood of the day as during this period the spirit transports one's soul into utter delight. It is because Durga Puja is much more than a religious festival. source: http://www.orissatourism.org

When Lord Jagannath's chariot rolled down the streets

Lakhs of devotees turned up on Friday to witness the annual Sri Jagannath Rath Yatra held under unprecedented security in Puri, Orissa. The annual event symbolises a mass festival without discrimination of caste or creed.

People jostled for space in front of the 12th century Sri Jagannath temple for a glimpse of the deities -- Balabhadra, Jagannath and their sister Subhadra -- who were brought out of the shrine for their annual rendezvous with the devotees.

Scores of sevayats (devotees), clad in dhoti and gamuchha, swayed the idols to and fro to the accompaniment of drums and gongs in the ritual known as 'pahandi' as policemen on rooftops and closed-circuit television cameras kept watch.

The pilgrim town woke up to the shouts of Haribol and Jai Jagannath as priests went through rituals preparing the deities for the festival, one of the most important in the Oriya almanac.

The idols were taken out of the sanctum sanctorum down the famous 'baisi pahacha' (22 steps) before appearing at the 'Simha dwar' (Lion's Gate) of the temple.

Before the chariots began rolling, the Gajapati king of Puri, Divya Singh Deva, swept the platform of the chariots with a golden broom, in a ritual called 'Chera Panhara'.

The other two chariots, red and black 'Darpadalan' of Devi Subhadra and red and yellow 'Nandighosh' of Jagannath started rolling subsequently.

However, tragedy struck the annual yatra when six people were crushed to death and several others were injured in a stampede as the idol of Devi Subhadra was being brought out from the Lion's gate of the 12th century temple.

In Gujarat, Chief Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders visited the temple premises in Jamalpur area and offered prayers before the yatra began.

The flower-decked chariots, which are second only to the Jagannath Yatra at Puri in fame and grandeur, were accompanied by decorated trucks carrying devotees. source: http://specials.rediff.com/news/2008/jul/04sld5.htm

‘Eastern India becoming hotspot for women traffickers’ - NHRC

‘Eastern India becoming hotspot for women traffickers’

KOLKATA, June 22 – Eastern India, including the North Eastern states, are becoming a hotspot for women traffickers like never before, warned a study. The study, conducted by National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), suggests that trafficking of women and children from the Northeastern States has assumed a serious dimension. In the North East, areas near Pangsau Pass in Arunachal Pradesh, Dimapur in Nagaland and Moreh in Manipur are the major transit and demand centres. “Women and children from Assam and Bangladesh are trafficked to Moreh in Manipur and sent to Myanmar and other South East Asian countries through the Golden Triangle,” the report said. Women and children from Jorhat in Assam, Mokokchung and Tuensang in Nagaland and Bangladesh are sent through Pangsau Pass to Myanmar and then to Bangkok, it added. The report attributed “insurgency, ethnic clashes and community conflicts” to be the main reason behind the vulnerability of women and children in North East. Apart from the northeastern region, the traffickers also target tribal girls from Orissa, Jharkhand and from the minority communities in Bihar and West Bengal. “Girls from poor families are lured away with false promise of jobs, but they mostly end up in brothels of Kolkata, Mumbai or as domestic help in Noida or Delhi,” Member of National Commission for Women Malini Bhattacharya said. “Apart from being forced to work in brothels, many are sold off as bonded labourers to farm owners in Punjab and Haryana,” she added. – PTI

Eyeing politics, IAS officer pays up Rs 20 lakh to quit job

Eyeing politics, IAS officer pays up Rs 20 lakh to quit job

22 Jun 2008, 0920 hrs IST,TNN

HYDERABAD: Senior IAS officer Debabrata Kantha has paid Rs 20.60 lakh to the Government of India to get relieved from government service. The 1987-batch IAS officer had paid the amount last month after tendering his resignation. Recently, the General Administration Department (GAD) sent the cheque for the amount and his resignation letter to the Union government for its approval. "I have decided to join politics as I find the job no more challenging after working in all capacities. I have decided to serve the poor in my native state of Orissa. If things go as per plan, I may contest on a Congress ticket from Jajpur in the 2009 assembly elections," Debabrata Kantha, who is currently secretary, minorities’ welfare, told 'STOI.' When asked how he managed to mobilise such a huge amount to pay to the government, the IAS officer said, "For me, paying Rs 20 lakh is not a big thing as getting into politics is my aim." "I had to pay this amount as per the bond. The clause in the bond enjoins on an IAS officer to serve three years after completion of studies abroad. If I were to follow the rule, I would have to work at least till 2010. However, since assembly elections in Orissa are due in 2009, I have decided to call it quits," he added. He had gone to the US to do MA (Public Service) at the Maxwell School in August 2006. The Orissa officer who owns a house in the posh Prashasan Nagar does not want to sever his ties with Hyderabad. In 1987, he started his career as assistant collector (trainee) in Chittoor district. During his 21-year stint in the government, he worked as district collector of Karimnagar district, chief rationing officer (CRO), secretary, State Election Commission (SEC), managing director, AP Dairy Development Corporation and Commissioner of Relief and Rehabilitation and now secretary, minorities welfare department.

Orissa villagers clash over Posco plant, one dead

Orissa villagers clash over Posco plant, one dead
21 Jun, 2008, 1236 hrs IST, IANS

ORRISA: One person died and two were injured after clashes broke out in a village in Orissa's Jagatsinghpur district over the setting up of a steel plant by South Korean Major Posco, police said Saturday.

Violence erupted in Govindpur village late Friday after a face-off between the supporters and critics of the project, a police official said. The groups were armed with axes and swords and one group hurled country-made bombs at the other, Anil Mishra, in-charge of Kujanga police station, told IANS. "Three people were injured in the clashes and one of them died in hospital today (Saturday)," he said. Jagatsinghpur is about 100 km from state capital Bhubaneswar and Govindpur falls under the Kujanga police station. The region has witnessed a series of clashes since the steel company and the Orissa government signed a deal in June 2005 to build the $12 bn plant near Paradeep port by 2016. Those opposed to the project say it will displace over 20,000 people from around 15 villages and ruin their betel leaf farming. Supporters say the plant will bring prosperity and employment. Posco, the world's fourth largest steel maker, says the plant would affect only 500 families but would create thousands of jobs. In the three years since the deal was signed, there has been little progress on the ground as activists have launched agitations and united villagers against the project. Source: economictimes