BHUBANESWAR: Raja festivities have begun in the Twin Cities. The three-day merry-making this year begins with ‘Pahili Raja’ on Monday and ending with ‘Basi Raja’ on Wednesday. Basically a festival of unmarried girls, Raja is an occasion for everybody to get into the celebration mode. While schools and colleges are closed for summer vacation and results of most annual and entrance examinations are out, the girls here are preparing to celebrate the festival in grand style. While a lot of them were seen making last-minute purchases of clothes and accessories, many participated in events organised by various organisations here to keep the tradition alive. As many as 800 girls along with their families participated in the Raja Mahotsav, organised by the Orissa Tourism Development Corporation at the Panthanivas here on Sunday. The five-day Mahotsav began on Saturday. To revive the spirit of Raja, the OTDC has made special arrangements like traditional Oriya pithas and cuisine to Raja ‘dolis’. “Apart from Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, we have made similar arrangements in Panthanivases in Sambalpur, Rourkela and other parts of the State,” said Alok Mishra, Marketing Manager of OTDC. “Playing on different swings in groups, singing Raja songs, Poda pithha and paan are traditionally attached to this festival. But now-a-days, all these traditions have taken a backseat and the festival has lost its true spirit,” said OTDC Chairman Jyotiskar Mohapatra, adding the Mahotsav aims at popularising the age-old festival among the younger generation in urban centres. Besides Bhubaneswar, the cultural city of Cuttack too is donning a festive look. Keeping the celebration mood alive, the Oriya film industry too has come out with some releases to bank on the festive spirit. At least, three Oriya movies will hit the theatres this week.
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