NABARANGPUR: Elaborate arrangements have been put in place for the mega cultural festival - Mondei-2010 - which will be held for three days from tomorrow at the Mondei ground here.
The Mondei carnival, which is the main attraction of the festival, will start as usual from Maa Bhandargharni temple in the afternoon. This year more than 30 folk dance troupes will participate in the procession on the Mahatma Gandhi Marg. This year’s highlight will be para-sailing by Sea Shore Group.
During the three days, troupes from West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh and Goa besides troupes from various districts of the State would stage shows. There would also be a five-day exhibition to be organised by ORMAS.
Minister of State for Energy Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak and IT Minister Ramesh Majhi are scheduled to take part in the carnival as well as attend the main cultural show in the evening on the first day. According to the schedule, Revenue Divisional Commissioner (South) Chandra Sekhar Kumar, DIG Soumendra Priyadarshi and the collectors of Kalahandi, Malkangiri, Koraput and Rayagada will attend the function on the second day. Finance Minister Prafulla Ghadei along with Minister for Higher Education, Culture and Tourism Debi Prasad Mishra will attend the concluding day function on Wednesday.
Traditional ‘Mondei yatra’ is a popular religious festival celebrated with pomp and gaiety in rural areas. During the yatras, village deities are worshipped post-harvest. The name of the mega cultural festival owes its origin to such yatras. ‘Mondei’ is the brainchild of the then collector Arabind Padhee. It was organised for the first time in 2002, the year Nabarangpur district completed a decade of its formation. The aim of the festival is to provide a platform to the tribals to showcase their talents and for cultural exchanges. Every year at least a lakh people witness the festival.