Former Balangir MP Kalikesh Singh Deo urges CM to declare 3 days of holiday for Nuakhai
Former Balangir MP Kalikesh Singh Deo urges CM to declare 3 days of holiday for Nuakhai
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Bhubaneswar: Former Balangir MP Kalikesh Singhdeo on Saturday asked three days off for the festival, one day after the leader of the opposition in the Odisha Assembly called for two-day breaks for the event in western districts.
Kalikesh said that Western Odisha's "Nuakhai" festival is a significant agricultural celebration in a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Even today, people from all spheres of society continue to celebrate the holiday, which is thought to have originated in Vedic times, some 3000 years ago. He stated that on this special occasion, freshly harvested crops are dedicated to regional goddesses in Devi shrines in the area, after which people partake of them as prasad.
"Nuakhai is very important to Western Odisha's culture and way of life. It conveys prosperity and promise. The ancient event, which is observed on Bhadraba Suklayapakhya Panchami Tithi (5th day of bright fortnight in Bhadraba month of the Odia calendar), will be observed this year on September 1," Singhdeo stated.
He urged the government to proclaim three-day holidays for all Western Odisha offices, banks, schools, and other institutions so that the staff members may travel to their homes and celebrate Nuakhai with their family.
Jayanarayan Mishra, the leader of the opposition, requested two days off for "Nuakhai" in a letter he sent to the chief minister on Friday. He emphasised that the government had granted its staff a one-day holiday to observe the festival on September 1 and said that this was a "injustice" to the residents of Western Odisha.
