Bhubaneswar: International children festival Anjali kick-started in Bhubaneswar Thursday on occasion of Children’s Day.
A carnival was taken out to mark the occasion which was attended by participants from several countries and children from several states of the country. The rally started from Sainik School and ended at Rail Auditorium.
Odia actor Sabyasachi Mishra and former MP and actor Siddharth Mohapatra were present to encourage the children.
Social organisation ‘Swabhiman’ has been the children’s festival ‘Anjali’ since past 17 years. This event is aimed at encouraging children with disabilities and those without disabilities to come together for in an inclusive camp in Bhubaneswar for five days.
The organisers say, “Anjali is a dream for an inclusive world where all children, sans all barriers, learn and interact together that transform the children’s understanding of the world around them.”
Over the years, Anjali has grown to become the only international children’s festival of the country, said Dr Sruti Mohapatra who conceptualised the event back in 2011.
This year, Anjali event turned 18 and has opened its arms to the youth. It has seen participation of Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Australia and UK. As many as 25 states and two UTs and all 30 districts of Odisha have participated in the event, the organisers claimed.
PNN
