For three consecutive years, Odisha was not able to showcase its tableau on the Kartavya Path in New Delhi during the Republic Day event. This year, Odisha’s tableau featuring the state’s heritage craft village Raghurajpur will participate in the parade on January 26.
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Defence, Ashok Pandey has intimated about the inclusion of the Odisha tableau in the parade in a letter to Chief Secretaries of concerned states. The Ministry of Defence has finalized tableaux models of 16 states and UTs and issued guidelines for the construction of tableaux, artistes and music.
Odisha's tableau is expected to showcase the colourful and vibrant aspects of the heritage crafts village Raghurajpur and its craftsmanship. The Odisha government had sent models of Raghurajpur crafts village and women empowerment to the Ministry of Defence for approval.
A beautiful design of the model was done by noted artist Kirti Kishore Moharana while the fabrication of the model is in progress under the supervision of eminent artist Gajendra Sahu.
Speaking to the media, Gajendra Sahu said that for three years, the tableau of Odisha was not displayed at the R-Day event. "This year, Odisha’s tableau will roll on the Kartavya Path. We have integrated two themes in our model showcasing the women empowerment. We put the image of Kandarpa Hati along with Pattchitra, which are symbols of progress. On the backdrop is Raghurajpur village,” he added.