Vocal For Local

It is said- "As in Rome, do as the Romans do." 

Anywhere in the world, can we speak the way we generally do?

We speak to be understood.

We speak to convey our feelings.

If we are in Rome, Tokyo, Lima, or Timbuktoo, we must speak the local language to be understood.

I came across this article in the Economic Times earlier-

"When In Venice, Do As The Bengalis Do"-

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/et-commentary/when-in-venice-do-speak-as-the-bengalis-do/articleshow/114177255.cms?

In this article, the writer mentions about Rabindra Sangeet too.

But, look at the spelling mentioned-

"Robindrosongeet"

Sri Rabindra Nath Tagore composed and promoted Rabindra Sangeet.

However, the pronunciation and spelling used as as shared in the above news report.

Odia in Festival of Indian Languages

"The explosion of media over the past two decades means local stories can be told in local languages at a mass level in ways that was impossible in the past.

In print. On radio. On TV. Online. On digital video. Even on hoardings. As the regional language pipes grow, brands have wonderful new avenues via which they can speak to their consumers.

Festival of Indian Languages (FOIL) is a conference that will try to paint the linguistic patchwork that keeps together the magical idea of India.

Are we tapping all the opportunities that localisation of language offers? What more could we do? FOIL is the first such multimedia conference in the country that explores the power of local languages in mass media. It has been organised by afaqs!"

Languages are special.

Languages keep us connected.

They truly provide a "linguistic patchwork." 

Odia New Year: Pana Sankranti - Mahabishuba Sankranti

The Odia New Year is called Pana Sankranti or Mahabishuba Sankranti.

Details about Pana Sankranti are in my previous blog posts here.

This time let us all ensure correct representation in our social media posts.

As per the Purnachandra Odia Bhashakosha, an Odisha encyclopedia- a monumental 7-volume work of about 9,500 pages published between 1930 and 1940 by an illustrious son of Odisha, Sri Gopal Chandra Praharaj (1874-1945):

 ବିଷୁବ ସଂକ୍ରାନ୍ତି— Bishuba Samkrāntiସଂ. ବି—ସୂର୍ଯ୍ୟ ବର୍ଷକରେ ଯେଉଁ ଦିନଦ୍ୱୟ ବିଷୁବ ରେଖା ଉପରେ ଗମନ କରନ୍ତି; ତହିଁର ପରବର୍ତ୍ତୀ ସଂକ୍ରାନ୍ତି ଦ୍ୱୟ; ଜଳବିଷୁବ ସଂକ୍ରାନ୍ତି ଓ ମହାବିଷୁବ ସଂକ୍ରାନ୍ତି; ବର୍ଷକରେ ଯେଉଁ ଦିନଦ୍ୱୟ ସୂର୍ଯ୍ୟ ପ୍ରଥମେ ଯଥା— କ୍ରମେ ମେଷ ରାଶିକୁ ଓ ତୁଳ ରାଶିକୁ ସଂକ୍ରମଣ (ଗମନ) କରନ୍ତି—The two Saṁkrānti days in the year falling after the equinoxes; the passage of the sun to the next sign at the vernal and autumnal equinoxes; the passage of the sun to the first points of Aries and Libra after the vernal and autumnal equinoxes; the equinoxial passage (Apte).

ବିଷୁବ— Bishuba3। ମେଷ ବା ବୈଶାଖ ସଂକ୍ରାନ୍ତି; ପଣା ସଂକ୍ରାନ୍ତି; ମହାବିଷୁବ ସଂକ୍ରାନ୍ତି—3. The Saṁkrānti or the 1st day of the month of solar Ba̲i̱ṡākha; the first point of Aries which the sun enters after the vernal equinox (Apte).

Chhenapoda and Podapitha - Foods of Odisha

Chhenapoda is a delectable dessert of Odisha that is prepared by using Chhena (cottage-cheese).

More information about Chhenapoda in my previous posts here.

There is a lot of misinformation regarding Chhenapoda.

More awareness is needed.

What is the name of the following bhoga?

Source

Full Time Live Maid

Today, I found a request post in a Facebook group that I am a part of. 

Usually, many of us are part of many online groups, but unable to participate in group-discussions.

I do not even check the group activity most of the times. I chanced across the said post a short while ago and now that I think of it, this was for a reason.

White letters on a pink background always look pretty and attractive.

But, after reading the words expressed, I am left wondering and pondering about life.

I am sure this mother's son, who has been an active member of the FB community and who has posted this message, has his own reasons. Perhaps, it is their family's joint decision.

We all have our reasons for acting or behaving in a certain way. Nobody and no way is perfect.

Agree that we cannot judge anyone without wearing their shoes or knowing what they are going through.

Social media does not give the full picture.

UK-based Khandua Saree-clad Marathon-runner Odia Lady

Yes, one can run the full distance of the Marathon wearing a Saree!

A UK-based marathon-enthusiast woman, Ms Madhusmita Jena Das, proved this when she ran the Manchester Marathon dressed in a traditional Khandua Saree last Sunday i.e. on 16th April 2023.

This week, we first got to see this smiling Person of Indian Origin (PIO) Odia lady participating in a Marathon and conquering hearts.

Madhusmita Jena Das’s marathon participation images and videos are now viral.

Languages of Bharat - Bandhgala of I&B Minister at Cannes

Last week, I had shared how an upcoming Hindi movie's team did not feel it essential to showcase the sixth classical language of India - Odia, though they had well planned, projected and shown almost all the other official languages of India.

India has 22 official languages.

This week, it is great to see the Indian Bandhgala of the Information & Broadcasting Minister, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur.

It is a wonderful concept and showcases "Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat"- One India, Best India.

India boasts of 'unity in diversity".

There are six buttons where engraving has been done in six regional languages namely-

• Hindi
• Gujarati
• Urdu
• Bengali
• Punjabi
• Malayalam
• Tamil

Source

Whenever I see such lists, I look for Odisha. "Where is Odia?".

As India has 22 official languages, it is not possible to include all in such cases.

True that there is no Odia. We understand

Odia is the sixth classical language of India.

Only two classical languages have been included in this case namely- Malayalam  and Tamil.

Had the theme for this been "classical languages of India", then south would have got extra focus as most of the classical languages have southern links.

In that case, they would not have been truly representative of the the nation.

In order to do so and to portray Bharat, there has to be at least 1 language from 4 corners- East, West, North and South.

When there are only six buttons and choice has to be of six languages, usually only one is selected from eastern India. In 99% such cases, Bengali makes it to the list. 

Yes, Bengal and Bengali is considered representative of eastern India.

I want to know- 

Who decided which languages to include in this particular Bandhgala buttons case?

Someone must have made the tough decision.

What made her/him to select the above six only and why not the others? 

Under whose guidance/orders, did they do this?

These are just for my curiosity. Trying to understand why a language is excluded.

Would definitely love to see more inclusion of Odia and Odisha.

What about you? Would you like your mother-tongue to be included too?

Do share in the comments below.

Official Languages Of India

Some Quiz Questions about the Official Languages of India

1. How many official languages does India now have? 

2. Which Schedule of the Indian Constitution lists the official languages? 

3. At the time of writing the Constitution of India, how many languages were mentioned?

4. Is Hindi the "National Language of India"? 

5. Is Hindi an official language of India?

6. Is English an official language of India?

7. How many classical languages are there in India?

8. Which was the last language to earn the classical language status?

9. Which was the first state of India to be formed on linguistic basis? 

10. In which year was the first state formed on the basis on language?

Do you know the answers to the above ten questions?

Time To Blow The Odisha Conch Shell

Consider this case-

There is a school excursion. The headmaster had invited most of the students for the outing. 

All the invited students had a great time together and were a part of the group video. That was shared via social media by the star student and generated great excitement. 

However, the few students, who had not been invited for the excursion, saw the video and felt hurt as they had been left out. Why did the headmaster or the teachers not include them? 

They were not sure whether this had been done intentionally or unintentionally by the headmaster. Why did the headmaster or staff treat them differently than the rest of the class? 

The ignored students and their supporters publicly confronted and complained to the headmaster, the staff and the star student involved. The aggrieved students threatened that they would adopt non-cooperation and boycott classes.

Seeing the quick condemnation, social media outrage, and the deluge of posts regarding this issue, the school-staff including the headmaster feared the loss of face and revenue i.e. school-fees. What if the ignored students really decided to quit school? 

Dahibara Aloodum

I love the delicious dish "Dahibara Aloodum". It is tangy, sour, sweet, spicy and lots more with a host of flavours! Twin cities- Cuttack and Bhubaneswar of Odisha- are well-known for this dish.

Like a true fan, I am always ready for a plate of Dahibara Aloodum.

From 2019 onwards, March 1st is being celebrated as "Dahibara Aloodum Dibasa". #DahibaraAloodumDibasa is a day to celebrate the dish- "Dahibara Aloodum".

Today being celebrated as Mahashivaratri, and many like me being on a fast, not getting a real plate today. However, e-Dahibara Aloodum is allowed!

Pic1: Plate full of Dahibara Aloodum

Sharing some images of homemade Dahibara Aloodum, prepared by my sister-in-law, Sradha last month. Yes, "pictures speak more than a thousand words."

Pic1 above shows the final dish. Had been planning to share and today is a great day to finally do so.

Odia - Not Oriya Or Odiya

 February 21st is celebrated as "International Mother Language Day".

As we celebrate this #InternationalMotherLanguageDay, I proudly & patiently share with all that my mother language is- ODIA.

The attached image by ABP Live has interesting facts about language. But, it has the old spelling- Oriya.

If you share a WhatsApp or social media group with me, you must have seen my messages regarding the need to use the correct spelling- Odia.

No, it's not Oriya anymore.

No, it's not Odiya either.

Many of us have read about "Oriya" and "Orissa" in school having done our schooling before 2011 when the said change name change from ORIYA to ODIA and from ORISSA to ODISHA happened thanks to our Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik Babu.

Yes, it is Odisha and not Orissa anymore.

We surely need more awareness sessions. Charity begins at home. Everyone is responsible.

Spellings Are- Odisha, Odia And Odissi

ODISHA

Odisha refers to a culturally and naturally-rich beautiful state located in eastern India. 
Odisha was the first state of India that was formed on linguistic basis. We celebrate 1 April every year as Utkala Dibasa.
Note- Odisha was previously called "Orissa." 
The spelling has been changed to "ODISHA" in 2011.

Courtesy: Odisha Tourism

Many are still not aware and continue to use the old spelling.
Others have to use the old name i.e. "Orissa" as their company/office's name is yet to be changed viz. "Orissa Minerals Development Company.".
Some others cannot change their name viz. the Geographical Indications (GI) of Odisha that had been filed when the state had its old name; thus - "Orissa Ikat" and "Orissa Pattachitra".
Odisha has been known by many names over the centuries- the most famous names being "Kalinga" and "Utkala". More information here.

ODIA

Odia refers to Odia language.
Odia is the sixth classical language of India. This classical Indo-Aryan language is spoken in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the official language in Odisha
As per the Wikipedia, Odia is the 10th-most-spoken language in India by total speakers (36,609,122)

#Odisha has skilled weavers who specialize in calligraphy on cloth!
Imagine weaving in Odia, Hindi & English!
Lord Jagannath wears Odisha Handlooms too.#blog #handlooms #weaves
Handlooms of Odisha-https://t.co/Vk6Xf7FCYF#NationalHandloomDay #NationalHandloomDay2018 pic.twitter.com/VYo1YJ6OVk

— Dr. Anita Sabat (@anitaexplorer) August 7, 2018

Odia refers to Odisha's literature, food, festivals, songs etc. - anything related to Odisha.

Odia also refers to the people of Odisha.

If someone asks you, "Are you an Odia?", they probably want to know if you are born in an Odia family i.e. born to Odia parents.
If you answer in the affirmative, they may start conversing with you in Odia language.
I have often done this on meeting 'Odias' outside the state, and then realized that not all Odias can speak Odia. Reasons:
1. Some Odias born to Odia father and non-Odia mother know their "mother-tongue" that's not Odia, but a different language.
2. Some Odias, born to Odia parents, but raised outside the state, know the local language better than Odia; they can barely read and write Odia, at best they can understand a few words and sentences...

Thinking on broader terms, an Odia is anyone related to Odisha in the past or present; also those who are or who were residing in Odisha. This can be stated by taking into consideration the profiles of members of many "Odia" groups in social media; such groups constitute of people with links with Odisha.

If someone asks you, "What are the people of Odisha called?", please give the correct answer - ODIA.
Note- Kindly DO NOT answer- Oriya/Odiya/Oriyan/Orissan/Odissi... as all these are past/incorrect spellings.

ODISSI

Odissi refers to the classical dance form of Odisha.
Odissi also refers to the classical music of Odisha, mostly used for the dances.
More info about Odissi is in the posts- Odissi Dance and Perfect Odissi Odyssey.

Renowned for its lyrical grace, rhythmic variations and dramatic expression, the Odissi dance celebrates the divine and the human, the sublime and the ordinary. #IncredibleIndia @tourismgoi pic.twitter.com/QWBDfhnOAg

— Incredible!ndia (@incredibleindia) April 15, 2019

Humble Request- If you find anyone misspelling the name of our state, language or dance etc., please inform them and ask them to use the correct spellings.

Had you heard about Odisha, Odia and Odissi? What are your views? Do share in the comments below.



O for- Odisha, Odia, Odissi
I am blogging related to Odisha, India for the #AtoZChallenge this year.
Do check out my other #A2Z posts here.

Odia TV Shows

What my conversation told me about Odia Channel Packs

We were discussing about TV programmes in our office. We spent most of our waking hours outside home and at office. After we get back home, we look for some relaxation or entertainment while performing the household chores. I was interested to find out which shows and channels our team-members usually watched. That’s when I realized that most of them watched Odia TV shows and found Odia programmes interesting. Zee Sarthak channel is watched by them and their family-members!

Probing further, I inquired, “What is special about this channel’s shows? Why do you watch it?”

I got the following responses:

Talent Shows

Our designer Sasmita said that she likes to watch the talent shows on Zee Sarthak especially the music talent shows for kids.

Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs 2019 is Sasmita’s favourite as she likes music and kids. 

She watches Sa Re Ga Ma Mega Challenge too.

Serials

Our tailor, Sandhya said that she watches many serials with her family. Zee Sarthak has many family dramas, romantic dramas, etc. It was interesting to be briefed about the stories of some popular drama shows:

Family Dramas

To Pain Mun (I Am For You)

To Pain Mu is an Odia romantic drama TV series showcasing the life of a simple girl named Bhoomi and how she brings her wayward husband to line.

Jwain No.1 (Son-in-law No.1)

Jwain No. 1 is an Odia drama TV show about a businessman, who strives to better the relationship between his wife and his proud mother-in-law.

Mu Bi Ardhangini (Even I Am Wife)

Mu Bi Ardhangini is an Odia romantic drama TV show. The protagonist is a widower, guilt-ridden and latching on to the memories of his late wife. A young girl who is in love with the man in spite of the age difference wants to see him happy at any cost.

Shhh! Don't Tell Anyone

Chosen as a WOW Post HERE

A Std-IX girls party was on in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.

"Truth or Dare?"

When Siddha chose "Truth", her friends asked her to reveal a secret.

She had to share a secret which she never wanted anyone to know.

The honest girl that she was, Siddha did share what she had kept hidden for long.

Even her closest friends did not know.

"My nickname is 'Bayani'."

There was a pin-drop silence and then all the girls burst out laughing. 

'Bayani' means 'mad girl' in Odia language.
It is quite the same as the word 'Pagli' in Hindi language.

Anyone who knew Siddha, could vouch how mismatched her nickname was with her know-it-all and responsible personality. Her great grandmother had zestfully nicknamed her 'Bayani' and the name had stuck with her extended family. Her parents called her 'Siddha'- that means 'an ascetic who has achieved enlightenment'. 

The girls were laughing out loud as if it was the funniest joke they had heard.

Rasagola Day

Odisha is an Eastern state of India.

Despite it being 'the Soul of Incredible India', Odisha is yet to get credit for so many things- like the Rasagola.

Rasgulla/Rasagolla/Rasagola...spell it in anyway, prepare it in any shape or size or have it in any part of the world, the fact is that Odisha is the birthplace of the Rasagola.

There are many variations and innovations that are found in different parts of India. However, the most amazing, yummiest, finest, softest and delicious Rasagolas are found in Odisha. One has to come to Odisha and get the taste of mouthwatering varieties of Rasagolas.

In my post Kaleidoscopic Indian Culture, I had compared Indian culture with Rasagola and had mentioned the great varieties of Rasagolas as follows:

Rasagola

There were many comments:

Blog Comment

Blog Comment

How many of us know that Rasagolas have been offered for centuries in the Shree Jagannath Temple, Puri in Odisha? 

Dalma Hotel, Bhubaneswar

The food belonging to the state of Odisha i.e. Odia cuisine is very nutritious and delicious.
Though we have it everyday at home, this weekend we tried out a popular restaurant named Dalma.
This hotel is named after a famous dish of Odisha- Dalma dish is prepared using Dal (Pulses- Arhar or Moong) along with vegetables and coconut.

Dalma restaurant has three branches in Bhubaneswar and also has branches in other cities like Delhi, Kolkata & Bengaluru. We visited the Unit-4, Madhusudan Nagar branch in Bhubaneswar.

Here is my post about Dalma Restaurant for www.askme.com

Dalma Hotel, Unit-4, Bhubaneswar

I was excited to find Saura Art on the walls leading to the restaurant. Saura Art is a beautiful tribal art of Odisha that depicts humans, animals and nature.

Pakhala Dibasa #PakhalaDibasa

Pakhala (In Odia language- ପଖାଳ) is an Odia term for a rice dish in the state of Odisha in India.
As per the Wikipedia:

"The term Pakhaḷa is derived from Pali word Pakhaḷiba as well as Sanskrit word Prakshāḷaṇa which means washed/to wash and it is made by cooling the rice by adding water and keeping the cooked rice in water and curd. The word Pakhaḷa was used in the poems of Arjuna Das in his literary work Kaḷpalata (1520-1530 AD)^"

Cooked rice is immersed in water & fermented. The liquid portion is called Torani. There are many variations of Pakhala. It is had with other dishes.

Courtesy

Prathamastami - Festival Of Odisha

Incredible India has some incredible festivals.

Odisha, a state of India, has some unique & interesting festivals.

Today is the eighth day in the Odia month of Margashira (8 days after Kartik Purnima). It is celebrated as Prathamastami. (Prathama means first & Astami means eighth day)

Prathamastami is celebrated in Odisha for the wellness, long-life & prosperity of the first-born or eldest child in a family. Gender is not an issue, qualification needed is one has to be the first-born child of her/his parents!

First-borns have some special privileges and are entrusted extra responsibilities in India. Being the eldest has its perks too - rewarded with extra “share” called the “Jyeshta-bhaga” (Part/share of the eldest).

Prathamastami makes the siblings jealous when the eldest sibling gets the attention & new clothes! Who doesn’t want new clothes, good food & special treatment?

Their argument- Why should the first-borns have all the fun? ;)

In some families of 4-5 members, where both the parents happen to be the first-born, a majority in the family is first-born! They celebrate Parthamastami for all their kids so that the younger ones don’t cry or feel left out!