Sambalpur: Nuakhai festival provides the perfect opportunity for people in western Odisha to celebrate communal bond and brotherhood.
Andhari village in the district’s Jujumura block has become the buzz of Sambalpur after hosting a unique crab-catching tournament in which the winner is awarded Rs 5,000 in prize money.
Residents say that a villager named Sanjeev Biswal first started the competition a few years ago to bring the villagers together on the eve of Nuakhai, western Odisha’s most popular mass agrarian festival.
This competition continued to be an important part of the Nuakhai celebrations thereafter. According to sources, around 35 people participated in the competition this year that was held in a nullah in the vicinity of the village.
This time, residents of Kayakuda gram panchayat took part in the competition. Keshav Mirdha emerged triumphant an hour after the contest began by catching the most number of crabs from the waterbody.
Once the competition got over, locals came together to feast on the collected crabs.