BHUBANESWAR: Swabhiman in association with Chocolate group organised Mini Anjali Children’s Festival at Mendhasal Gram Panchayat here recently. The festival began with a carnival rally from Laxmi Narayan temple in Mendhasal to Gurukul tennis reserve. The carnival had several colourful and musical events.
An environment of gaiety characterized the whole event as children dressed as mascots traversed the streets of the village. More than 150 children including physically challenged kids participated in multiple art events of the festival such as painting, dance and drama.
The sole purpose of this festival was to work towards an inclusive society. Bringing the abilities of the differently able individuals to the limelight was also prioritized in this event. Sruti Mohapatra of Swabhiman said that every child is equal and we should not differentiate between them.
The huge carnival was flagged off by Mamata Behera, who is the sarpanch of Mendashal Gram panchayat. A lot of enthusiasm, excitement and cheerfulness characterised the carnival as this is the 2nd year of the first Mini Anjali children festival. Mihir Kumar Mohanty, Director Programs of Swabhiman and Mamata Behera, Sarpanch of Mendhasal Gram Panchayat among others were present on the occasion.
Chinmay Pradhan of Chocolate group said, “We employed traditional methods of advertising in the village. One such method was through the use of “Dengura”, a small instrument used to alert people towards the announcement being made. Villages maintain this tradition even today disseminate information. Lochan Dada, a visually impaired individual, announced the schedule of the upcoming events in villages.
The festival is scheduled to continue till October 23.
