Thursday 1 December 2011

Odiya....Thats what I am

I am sure many of you must be wondering what is "Odiya".Well the people of Odisha(formerly known as Orissa), a state of India.Today I came across an article written by Nandita Das which stated her experience how she being an Odiya is misidentified.I am sure like her many of us odiyas must have faced the same problem.I am sure you must have often heard people asking you 'Oh Odisha, is it in West Bengal???' I have faced such questions lot many times.Even I have ones blasted a guy who was doing his MA in geography and didn't know the nineth largest state of India!!!
Why is it so that inspite of having a number of physiographical characteristics like Mountain ranges which covers a large part of Eastern Ghats, Rivers like Mahanadi,Brahmani,Subarnarekha and many more, the vast Utkal Plains,vast Forests, we have to explain people about our existence.
Why even after being the proud home of beautiful CHILIKA LAKE ( the largest wintering ground for migratory birds), HIRAKUD DAM (one of the world longest earthen dam), Archaeological places like Jagannath Temple of Puri, the Konark Sun Temple, the Lingaraj TempleUdayagiri and Khandagiri Caves, Dhauligiri of Bhubaneshwar,Ashoka's famous Rock Edict at Jaugada near Berhampur city and the Barabati Fort of Cuttack we are misidentified.
Odisha is a state of varied flora and fauna which is just impossible to pen down coz its going to take a full day.
Bada ghagra waterfalls Keonjhar



Deomali(the highest mountain peak of Odisha i.e. 1672m)





Shanti stupa at Dhauligiri 



Pipli Chandua

Cuttack Tarakashi

Sand Sculpture by Sudarshan Pattnaik


Dalkhai :Beautiful Sambalpuri Folk Dance

World Famous Odissi Dance


 Pitha: Yummy Odiya Cuisine

Infosys Bhubaneswar

Wipro Bhubaneswar

Fortune Tower Bhubaneswar


Malls in Bhubaneswar

Well that was a tiny sneak peak of my home Odisha. Having a vast variety of food, dance, architecture, music, literature, crafts, weaves and nature, an emerging IT hub, home of plants like NALCO, VAL, and many more, a home of numerous educational institutions, people still donot know Odisha.I am not complaining about anything just an attempt to tell people to look at Odisha and recognize it for what it really is.
And a sincere request to all my odiya brothers and sisters residing in all parts of the world 'Remember where you came from and be proud of being an Odiya'


Thanks for reading :)

14 comments:

  1. Superb pics.
    and. Pitha is so yummmi.

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  2. proud of you! :)
    n i dont get the chance to comment on each one...but i do follow ur blog whn i find time :) keep going!

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  3. thanks alot Lipsa...You made my day :)

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  4. Wow, mast blog..
    mast photos.. thanks mam.
    Click here, visit mine and i'm pretty sure u'll get some more odiya stuffs.
    dont forget to post comments..
    And can you read odiya?
    Finally, What you doing in malaysia..?
    pls reply?

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  5. funny but.. i couldn't stop myself reading it twice..

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  6. words like juggernaut originated while seeing the gigantic rathas durind yatra,

    jagannath is considered daru brahma and the dham as purussotama(supreme lord of kali yuga while badrinath in satya yuga, dwarka in dwapar and rameshwaram in treta yuga)

    be proud to be an odiya

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  7. Very often we complain ... people do not recognize us, our state. I realy do wonder... does it really happen .!!!Thanks god not even once with me . I landed in Vrindavana first time in 2006... the moment I introduced myself from Oriya( now Odiya) the fellow devotees there glorified the people of orissa ..narrating the opportnity for the service to the Lord .I was travelling in the local train in the NSW in Sydney.. I could hear the overjoyed voice of a fellow Australian passenger(just arriving from India tour..)narrating the glories of PUri beach and natural beauty of Chilika.. As a Silent passive listener I could not help ,just but heard the overjoyed voice and said to myself --- alas we all can undersatnd the beauty of original idetity . Great attempt Arpita ...

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  8. very impressive. I love reading all your posts. keep up the passion you hold behind this blog... all my best wishes... :) love you lady :)

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  9. very impressive... whenever I get some free time, I look into your posts. I love reading them all. Keep up the passion lady :)

    Love you!

    Subhi

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    Replies
    1. I really appreciate that...It means a lot to me :) Thanks !!

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  10. thts really a gr8 job Arpita, i just wanted to show my colleagues a glance of Odisha's beauty n culture, ur blog acted to be a helpful brochure... keep up d good work.. :)

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  11. keep up ur good work.. :) proud to be a odiya

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