Bhubaneswar: The beautifully crafted Odisha tableau, showcasing women empowerment in Raghurajpur heritage village, has been adjudged the best tableau among the states/UTs. It has won the first prize in Judges Choice category at the 75th Republic Day parade, the state I & PR department informed, Monday.
The tableaus from Gujarat and Tamil Nadu have been adjudged second and third, respectively. Sixteen states and Union territories had showcased their tableaus at the parade. Odisha was not able to put up its tableau on the Kartavya Path in New Delhi during the Republic Day event for three consecutive years. This year, Odisha’s tableau featuring the state’s heritage craft village Raghurajpur participated in the parade January 26. The design of the model was prepared by noted artist Kirti Kishore Moharana, while the fabrication of was done under the supervision of eminent artist Gajendra Sahu. Speaking to Orissa POST, Sahu said, “We had integrated two themes in our model showcasing women empowerment. We put the image of Kandarpa Hati along with Pattchitra- which are symbols of progressin the backdrop of Raghurajpur village.” The tableau from Odisha rolled down the Kartavya Path accompanied by Sambalpuri dancers during the 75th Republic Day parade. The 45-ft long, 14-ft wide and 16-ft high tableau had two components – a replica of a Kandarpa Hati (a popular Pattachitra design depicting Krishna Leela where nine women are entangled with each other to form the shape of an elephant) and women artisans of Raghurajpur village in Puri. The central part highlighted the contribution of women to the global positioning of the heritage crafts village in Puri district while acknowledging their adaptation to technology and entrepreneurial skills in selling the handicrafts online.