Bhubaneswar: To bring the story of Ratha Jatra to students and parents across the country, DAV Odisha presented an intricately crafted 9ft-high chariot at the DAV United Fest recently held in Mumbai. The story of Ratha Jatra was visually narrated using the chariot, with different artefacts from Odisha depicting rituals of the festival that pulls lakhs of devotees every year to Srimandir and Puri. “A divine ambience left thousands of visitors at the festival spellbound January 20 and 21 at DAV United Festival. While some visitors were awestruck, others were simply enthralled.
The chariot, adorned with handmade paintings and carvings, amidst mantras and sound of ghantas, left students, alumni, and their families mesmerized,” said a member of DAV Odisha. The stall from Odisha also depicted exemplary achievements of DAV alumni in different professions. It also featured notes of blessings from the Puri Gajapati Maharaja, Chief Minister of Odisha, and Union Minister of Education. “Regional director KC Satapathy’s unique thoughts could be made a reality with efforts from a team of principals and art teachers from different schools. The stall was widely appreciated by the DAV dignitaries and other distinguished visitors in the two-day festival,” said the member.
ARINDAM GANGULY, OP