Bhubaneswar: The fifth edition of Classical Odia Language Day was celebrated at Sanskruti Bhawan of Odia Bhasa Pratisthan here Monday.
The event was inaugurated by Manoranjan Panigrahi, secretary, Language, Literature & Culture department Odisha. In his speech Panigrahi said, “Today is a pious day when we all are celebrating the Classical Odia Language Day but it’s not enough.” He stressed that along with celebration, we must help Odia language by translating its poems, stories into other languages especially into English. “We must have our own chair in every other university so that our language can be taught and read by students,” he concluded.
Speaker of the event Basanta Kumar Panda and Kirtan Narayan Padhi also stressed on use of Odia language in every aspect of life. Besides they also talked about how Odia received its recognition as a classical language.
Chairing the event, Niladri Bhusan Harichandan, called for language improvement by every parent so that children can learn the true value of Odia language. Odia Bhasa Pratisthan’s director Tamasa Rani Dasmohapatra was also present at the occasion. She deliberated the audience and the dignitaries about Odia language’s history and its depth as a classic language.
On the occasion the book Odia Bhasa Dipika was released. Various students from different colleges who had participated in several language competitions were also feted.
Debananda Bariha proposed the vote of thanks. Minati Satpathy, a leading linguist, said, “It’s unfortunate that the Odia people are not using their mother tongue much often, whereas the Bengalis or the South Indian community or even the Marathis are hell bent on using their mother tongue at every possible opportunity.” Let’s hope that someday the whole Odisha and its people will wake up to the call of preserving their own language, literature and culture, she concluded.
