BHUBANESWAR:The annual children’s festival Anjali will commence at the Adivasi Ground here from Saturday. This year, the international fest, which will be held from November 14 to 18, will witness participation of 600 children along with 250 escorts.
Teams of children from two countries, 17 States and across Odisha will participate in the event. According to organisers, the Anjali carnival, a mass procession by children, will kick-start the festival.
The carnival will start from Ram Mandir Square to the festival venue carrying the message of love and inclusiveness for all. This year, a special event - Basket of Love - has been introduced in which gifts will be distributed to more than 150 underprivileged children, chief executive, Swabhimaan Shruti Mohapatra said.
Volunteers from IIT-Bhubaneswar, KISS, BJB Autonomous College, RD Women’s University, Ravenshaw University, Ekamra College, Kamala Nehru College, Utkal University, IIMC Dhenkanal and other educational institutions in the Capital City will coordinate the festival.
Odia actor Sabyasachi Mishra, brand ambassador of the festival, has been camping at different locations in the City to promote the event. With the theme - ‘World for All, Overcoming Barriers’, festivals like Nabakalebara, Christmas, Lohri and Losar will be celebrated during the five-day event.
A four-day children’s film festival ‘Bioscope’ will be conducted simultaneously at Bhanja Kala Mandap. Films like Baaja, Sixer, Karamati Coat and Puja Paien Phulatie will be screened at Bioscope.