CUTTACK: In a bid to showcase life in villages, the Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS) will set up its office called ‘Ama Gaon Kudia’, a thatched cottage at Baliyatra this year. The office will be set up at Pallishree Mela. ORMAS has been setting up its pavilion at the fair basing on themes and artefacts every year.
“Models of a house made of ‘Dokra’ casting craft of Sithulia community, ‘adivasi ghara’, ‘Dhauli Shanti Stupa’, ‘Barabati fort’, etc had been constructed at the fair ground during the previous years and the proposal for creating a replica of ‘Ama Gaon Kudia’ was taken to make the young generation aware of Odisha’s rural lifestyle. The new generation will soon forget about thatched houses as they are fast being converted into concrete ones,” said Joint CEO, ORMAS, Cuttack Bipin Rout. Cuttack’s Bharati Chitralaya which has been assigned the responsibility of setting up 420 stalls for the fair is constructing the office at a cost of `1.25 lakh.
The ‘Ama Gaon Kudia’ which measures 40 feet by 40 feet will have three rooms for office, coordination, information centre and conference hall for conducting workshops and meetings. The construction work is going on in full swing and will be completed before commencement of Baliyatra, Rout added.