Odisha is gearing up to host the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Dibas (PBD) that will kick off here at Bhubaneswar on January 8.
Around 7,000 NRIs or pravasis are likely to attend the 18th PBD to be held here. President of Trinidad and Tobago Christine Carla Kangaloo will be the chief guest of the function that aims to showcase Odisha’s rich art and culture. Trinidad and Tobago is a twin island country situated off the northern edge of the South American mainland, just 11 kilometres off the coast of northeastern Venezuela.
After the all-India DGP and IG of Police conference, this is the second big mega event that the Mohan Charan Majhi government is going to organise. While in the DGP and IG conferences, there was no public interaction, in the PBD conference, thousands of people will turn up to witness the three-day mega event.
Mohan Charan Majhi said, “Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will provide us with the unique opportunity to showcase Odisha’s art, heritage and culture to the world. The President of Trinidad and Tobago will interact with the students and share his thoughts. Besides, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also grace the occasion.”
Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the mega event. The external affairs minister S. Jaishankar, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, culture and tourism minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will attend the PBD. President Droupadi Murmu is also scheduled to attend the concluding day of the conference.
Majhi reviewed the state government’s preparedness to host the mega event on Tuesday. Odisha government has lined up several events during the three-day conference to present Odisha’s potential to attract investment in various fields and how Odisha is emerging as a major destination for investment through sessions like “Unraveling India’s Best Kept Secret” and Odisha- the Land of Opportunities.”
During the conference, Odisha will not miss the opportunity to showcase its heritage, artistic brilliance and tourism appeal, as well as sculpture, music, dance, tribal culture, literature and language.
In order to give a glimpse of Odisha’s art and culture, the Odisha government will host around 10 festivals like the Rajarani Music Festival, the Mukteswar dance festival and a number of folk dances. Besides, the state government will showcase events connected to its Shree Jagannath culture, Kalinga War in which the Great King Ashok transformed from cruel (Chandashoka) to a Dharmashoka (a benevolent and religious king).
For this mega event, the Odisha government has initiated a process to evict all roadside shops and roads are being renovated, illuminated and attractively decorated.
Even the state government plans to take tourists to as many 28 tourist destinations in the golden triangle of Bhubaneswar, Konark Puri and Jajpur.