The State-level Sishu Mahotsav ‘Suravi-2012’ was inaugurated amidst much fanfare by School and Mass Education Minister Rabi Narayan Patra at the Unit-9 Government Boy’s High School on Wednesday.
More than 600 students of primary and secondary schools along with their guides and teachers have come from all over the state to take part in the four-day festival.
To mark the Children’s Day, a special anti-drug abuse drive was conducted at the block and district-level across the State. The theme for the special drive was, ‘Drugs Are Injurious to Health’.
“The students will grow up to become the architects of Odisha in the future. They need to be nurtured properly,” said Nanda.
Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Department Usha Padhee said, “The students should start dreaming and work towards making their dreams successful. They should follow the ideals of former president APJ Abdul Kalam for better guidance.”
The four-day events will include a cycle marathon on Thursday that will start from Forest Park and conclude at the venue. Like last year, this year also a group of students have been given the responsibility to cover the festivities and produce a complete report on the concluding day of the events.
This year ‘Meet the Artist’ event will feature athlete Anuradha Biswal, filmmaker and actor Sarat Pujari, sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik and educationist Narendra Prasad Das.
Different competitions will also be organised during mahotsav which will include clay modelling, sand art, dance and song. Odisha Primary Education Programme Authority’s (OPEPA) State Project Director Krushna Gopal Mohapatra was present, among others.