SAMBALPUR: Andhari village in Kayakud gram panchayat of the tribal-dominated Jujumura block has hit the headlines for hosting a unique crab catching competition ahead of the agrarian festival Nuakhai.
The competition was organised on Sunday by 28-year-old Sanjib Biswal who is a YouTuber and also runs a shop in the village. The objective of the event was to cheer up the villagers amid these worrying times of Covid.
Sanjib said Nuakhai is celebrated in a grand way in the region every year. But last year, people could not celebrate the festival with the same fervour due to the Covid situation. This year too, Nuakhai Bhet-Ghat and other cultural functions, which are integral parts of the festival, cannot be celebrated.
“Hence, I decided to organise the crab catching competition ahead of Nuakhai so that people could get an opportunity to come together and rejuvenate themselves,” he said.
The competition was organised at Budadar Nullah in the village. In order to attract a maximum number of participants and audience, Sanjib made the extensive announcement through public address system in the area for around three days before the event was organised.
People in large numbers thronged the Nullah to witness the competition. As many as 35 persons from different villages of the gram panchayat participated in the competition and the winner was awarded with a cash prize of Rs 5,000.
As per the rules, the participants were given an hour’s time to catch the crabs in the Nullah. Of the total 35 participants, three caught 12 crabs each in the stipulated time. To choose the winner, the trio was given an additional half an hour time and one Saba Mirdha emerged the winner by catching two more crabs in the extra time.
A total of 135 crabs were caught by the participants during the competition. Following the event, the competitors and audience organised a feast by preparing a curry with the crabs caught during the event.