Bratati Baral, OP
The three-day Raja festival beginning Thursday is celebrated with gaiety, especially by girls of marriageable age across Odisha. The festival is also a time when young girls, attired in gorgeous dresses, take to the swings. Earlier, the festival was popular mainly in the rural areas, but now city dwellers too celebrate the occasion. Orissa POST asked a few women celebrities about their Raja plans.
“Raja is a festival of joy,” says actor Ankita, who recently finished shooting for Rahasya, wherein she plays the lead role. “I would like to greet everyone for Raja. We welcome the monsoon by doing Bhumi Pujan. The Raja festival is about ‘poda pitha,’ swings, new sarees and outfits, and a lot of merriment. Since childhood, my family has celebrated this festival with enthusiasm. I have brought two dresses and a saree for this Raja. I plan to celebrate the festival with my friends. My mother will make delicious dishes and cakes which I love. With our busy shooting schedules, often it is not possible to celebrate the festival at home. But as an Odia, I would not miss celebrating this traditional festival.”
“Raja has been a special festival for me since my childhood,” says Bhoomika, who is busy shooting for the film Nayakara na Devadas. “This year’s Raja is even more special for me as I am going to be crowned ‘Miss Odiani.’ During the three-day festival, I will be busy shooting for a movie. Fortunately, the shooting is going on near Bhubaneswar, so I can return by evening to join my family in the celebrations. There will be pithas, sweets and swings. Not only Raja, we celebrate every festival together at our apartment. As I was busy shooting, my mother has brought me three dresses. I am ready to enjoy the occasion with my family and friends.”
“For me, it’s a four-day celebration. I celebrate my birthday first before Raja,” says Poorvi Priyanka. “So I plan for this festival a month ahead. I like to wear sarees on the first day, which is called Sajabaja or dress rehearsal. In the evening, I change into another dress and play with friends.” The busy actor, who has featured in the serial Savitri, adds, ”I like to celebrate Raja in the village with my family, though when I am busy shooting, I sometimes have to skip the festival. My mother and aunts prepare a variety of pithas and mouth-watering dishes. We visit places and try out the swings when we are together. This year we have planned to go to the village and celebrate there.”
“Raja is my most cherished festival,” says actor Ellie Padhi. “Despite my busy schedule, I make it a point to keep myself free during the Raja days. The swing is my main weakness. After our childhood days, most of us don’t get a chance to swing. But Raja is the time when we all get to play on the swing. I have always got a number of gifts during the Raja festival, which is also an occasion to pamper the girl child. And you also get a lot of mouthwatering delicacies to eat.”