JEYPORE/KORAPUT: The Koraput administration on Monday decided to begin the month-long Parab festival from Kotia’s Neradivalsa village in November. The decision was taken to counter Andhra Pradesh’s recent overtures in Kotia by showcasing Odisha’s culture in the disputed panchayat.
Koraput Collector Md Abdaal Akhtar, who is also the chairman of the district cultural committee (DCC), said the annual tribal festival will get a national identity and celebrated along the lines of Konark and Puri beach festivals.
Due to Covid-19, Parab festival could not be celebrated last year. Now, the State government has taken the responsibility to celebrate the festival giving it a national identity, the Collector said. Official sources said over 2,000 public representatives, artistes, and government officials across the district are expected to gather at Neradivalsa for the festival launch.
MLAs Raghuram Padal, Prabhu Jani and Tara Prasad Bahinipati, representatives of different NGOs and government officials hailed the decision as the festival will be a show of cultural resistance to AP which is reportedly diluting the local culture through a parallel administration.
To mark the celebrations, Jeypore MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati proposed to rename the British heritage road from Neradivalsa to Pottangi as Vikram Dev Marg. Parab will commence from the third week of November. In a first, the three-day finale from December 17 to 19 will be live telecast on Doordarshan. This year, the festival will be held at the Koraput college ground.
Among others, Koraput SP Varun Guntupalli was present. Meanwhile, the administration has deployed police force at all major entry points along the border in Kotia after two attempts of AP officials to enter the area were foiled recently. Police also seized Telugu signboards from Phagunasenari village. The signages were to be put up in different villages by AP contractors, as directed by the Vizianagaram administration.