Jeypore: Street festival ‘Saheed Lakshman Nayak Patha Utsav’ got off to a roaring start Sunday reminding the people that the street belongs to them.
The event had special programmes for children and senior citizens apart from cultural shows, music and yoga.
The event kicked off with lighting up a traditional lamp and prayers near the idol of Lord Jagannath. The events that followed included music and dance and games like skipping, musical chair, skating, painting, paper craft, best out of waste and many more.
While many children played guitar and did mono action, women chipped in with mehendi, rangoli and fireless cooking. Elderly people were seen playing games like Housie and practicing yoga.
Chief organiser of the event, Jeypore Sub-Collector Lokanath Dalabehera, said, “The event is not only an entertainment extravaganza but also a show of the spirit of Jeypore.”
He thanked the people of Jeypore for making the event a success and maintaining discipline throughout.
Jeypore municipality executive officer TS Diwaker said, “Along with showcasing talent and culture, we have undertaken a number of social causes like health check-up, fire safety, Swachh Jeypore and legal awareness programmes for the denizens.”
With an aim to promote non-motorised transport, cyclists and pedestrians had all the fun on the stretch between Soura Street and Bankomatho, the event venue.
Thousands of people right from toddlers to senior citizens thronged the venue early in the morning to have a gala time in the open street that was bereft of vehicular traffic for four hours between 7 am and 10 am.
Chief guest Collector K Sudarshan Chakravarthy said “The event is a part of Parab and the administration has tried its best to promote the hidden talents of each individual.” He thanked the public for making it a grand success.
Among others, Koraput MP Jhina Hikaka; Jeypore MLA, Tara Prasad Bahinipati, MLA Kotpad, Chandra Sekhar Majhi, ex-MLA Rabinarayan Nanda, ADM Deven Pradhan and ASP Sagarika Nath were present at the event.
PNN
