Post News Network
Balasore, Sept 27: Even as the birth anniversary of the Bhagabat will be celebrated Monday, ‘Bhagabat tungis’ in villages that are key to promoting Bhagabat culture in the state, have become a thing of the past.
These are the places where village people gathered in evening after their days of hard work and listened to recital of the Bhagabat. These ‘tungis’ kept the villagers together and more often than not they sorted out their mundane difficulties in the comforts of these ‘tungis’.
A change in lifestyle with the advent of modern gadgets such as cable TV and mobile phones gradually took a heavy toll on the the ‘Bhagabat tungis’. Realising the need for ‘Bhagabat tungis’ in rural areas, the state government wanted to revive them with financial help. It came out with a notification in this regard June 30, 2013.
People were asked to apply for ‘Bhagabat tungis’ through the block administration. Over 100 proposals were received from different villages. They were sent to the culture department through DRDA.
Finally, the culture department okayed 99 proposals – 35 from Bahanaga block, 49 Sadar block and 15 in Soro municipality.
Keshab Charan Panda of Juruda has been making efforts for revival of ‘Bhagabat tungis’ since 1982. Over 100 ‘Bhagabat tungis’ in Sadar, Remuna, Bahanaga, Soro and Khaira were revived.
The state government has provided `15 lakh to the district administration for revival of 60 ‘Bhagabat tungis’. Each ‘tungi’ is entitled to receive `25,000. But the funds have not been provided to them as yet.
Contacted, district culture officer Ananta Sethi stated that BDOs of chosen blocks have been asked to send the lists of ‘Bhagabat tungis’, but the latter sent the lists only two days ago. Funds will be disbursed soon, he added.