utkarsa - the odisha society of the americas | the ...¬‰ତ କର ଷ, ମ ର ଚ ଷ ୦ ୫...

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UTKARSA NEWSLETTER OF THE ODISHA SOCIETY OF THE AMERICAS

Volume 52 March 2015

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UTKARSA

Newsletter of the Odisha Society of the Americas

Volume 52 March 2015

Tapan Padhi

President

Sikhanda Satpathy Vice President

Sabita Panigrahi Secretary

Prashanta Ranabijuli Treasurer

Satya Pattanaik Editor

Soman Panigrahi

Technical Editor Spring: Photo courtesy Babru Samal

Suchitra G. Das Cover Art

Babru Samal

Mrutyunjaya Behera Photography

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CONTENTS

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Executive Messages:

Tapan Padhi 6 Sikhanda Satapathy 9

Sabita Panigrahi 10

Prashanta Ranabijuli 11 12

13 Gagan Panigrahi 23

Bigyani Das 24

Barun Pani 25

Swarupa Samanta 26

Sarthak Das 27

Satya Pattanaik 28

Girija Shankar Mishra 29

Prashant Bhuyan 30

Sasmita Mohanty 31

Parashar Mishra 32

Shashadhar Mohapatra 34

Sulochana Patnaik 36

Subrat Mohanty 37

Amiya kumar Mohanty 38

Aryabela Nayak 40

Raghunath Dass 41

Sabita Samal 42

Sikhanda Satapathy 43

Nrusingha Mishra 44

Surya Nayak 45

Anwesha Ranabijuli 46

Tanmay Panda 48

Suchitra G Das 49

Sunanda Mishra 50

Darshan Panda 51

Babru Samal 52

Sobha Dash 53

Raju Sharma 56

Interview with Prof Chitta Baral 58

Interview with Isha Mohapatra 63

Profile: Vaibhab Mohanty 65

Profile: Siddharth Misra 70

Nabakalebar 2015 74

Odia Translation Work 90

Amiya Kumar Mohanty 129

News 140

Chapter Report: CANOSA 142

Global Odia Convention 146

BOG Minutes of Meeting 152

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(selfless volunteering) , ? , (hidden agenda) ,

(timepass) , ,

(self motivated)

,

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Tapan Padhi President, OSA

Dear Friends,

I take great pleasure in inviting you and your family and friends to attend Global Odisha Conference at The

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and OSA annual convention in Gaylord National Resort

and Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland, USA on July 1 through July 4 2015.

The Odisha Society of Americas (OSA) is developing a unique international platform to promote

collaboration and partnership among Odias residing in developed countries and in Odisha. The Conference

is envisioned to bring in a transformational change to the Odia diaspora. It is an initiative to congregate

successful Odias in various professional, cultural and educational field around the world to contribute to

the development of Odisha and India. This is in line with the vision of the Government of India that each

state should constitute its own global talent pool. Our effort is geared towards accepting the challenge to

globalize Odisha.

In addition to providing a platform, we are also looking forward to building this network of immigrant

Odias from all developed countries who share same challenges and social life in an adopted country.

Raising our children in a foreign land who are the second generation immigrants with a proper inculcation

of our own Odia pride and culture, has been a mammoth task for every immigrant parents.

We are inviting several key stake holders from USA and India, and internationally acclaimed personalities

in Indian art, culture, education, business and media. Highlights of some of the planned activities are a

spectacular cultural program in the Kennedy Center, White House Briefing, Capitol Hill luncheon, meeting

with U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and business visits to national institutes of interest.

As far as OSA activities are concerned, on the occasion of Utkala Divas to commemorate the Odisha

foundation day, let us take this opportunity to salute Odia pioneers - Utkala Gaurav Madhusudan Das,

Utkalamani Gopabandhu Das, Fakir Mohan Senapati, Gangadhar Meher and many others who have left

behind their legacy that we are so proud of. Odia immigrants around the world celebrate this occasion and

some chapters of OSA have also plans for celebration this month. I am very glad to share following

activities of OSA.

1. New Chapter Inauguration Celebration: Our youngest chapter - Rocky Mountain chapter celebrated the

inaugural program on January 10 at Broomfield Auditorium in Denver, Colorado. I had the rare privilege

to inaugurate the program and am extremely proud of local chapter members who showcased Odisha and

Odia culture to more than 300 Non Odia speaking attendees through acts, dance, drama and above all

displaying multitude audio visuals. Under the leadership of Sadhu Behera and Subrat Mishra, these 15

Odia families had put their heart and soul to organize and delivered an excellent program.For further

details - please contact Sadhu Behera .

2. OSA Help Line: OSA has introduced a Help Line available through our website

(http://www.odishasociety.org/). This "help an individual" number HAI-888-4OSA (424-888-4672) is

mailto:[email protected]://www.odishasociety.org/tel:%28424-888-4672

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actively monitored by volunteers. We have defined mission of OSA Helpline, How it

works, What is Offered, Administrative Requirements, Designing and structuring OSA telephone helpline

service, Who will benefit from OSA telephone helpline, What issues should the helpline service

cover, Helpline timing, How to manage OSA Helpline service etc. This has been possible due to sincere

effort of BOG members Prashanta Ranabijuli ([email protected]) and Pramod Mahapatra

([email protected]). Please contact them as we need volunteers to make this helpline useful to

those who truly need it.

3. OSA Library Initiative: It is a matter of great news that Govt of Odisha has accepted OSA's proposal to

invest the money donated by OSA members to modernize public libraries in Phailin affected area. The

effort will be carried out by Odisha Govt to implement the proposal submitted by OSA. I have attached the

latest official order received from Odisha Govt for your reference. In normal circumstances, the donors to

chief minister relief fund can not determine how the donation can be applied. OSA contacted Chief

Secretary, General Administration department and initiated the effort with letters and phone

calls. However, due to persistent effort of our local member Mr. Ashok Rath, Library committee chair

Nishikant Sahoo, library committee members Priyadarsan Patra, Sandip Dasverma and many others, this

could be possible. Lot of follow up is needed to ultimately reach the goal. Please contact Nishikant Sahoo

at [email protected].

4. New website: We would like to acknowledge our new web design committee members Dr Rupa Misra

and Susant Routray who spent countless hours to collect survey data and followed website research results

of current trend to design a new website for OSA. This website is not yet fully developed but the beta

version is available at www.odishasociety.net. You have any comments, please contact Bikash Panda at

[email protected] or Ranjan Tripathy at [email protected].

5. OSA Investment: After the thorough review/recommendation of Finance committee and after due BOG

approval of the proposal, OSA treasurer Prashant Ranabijuli led the effort to invest OSA deposits in safe

investment and I am glad to report that we have increased the balance by more than $3000/ so far as a

return of our investment.

6. Membership database: OSA Executive Committee has recommended to develop a new membership

database which will be sole official property of OSA to be administered by OSA Treasurer and OSA

Secretary. The design of this database and development of the program is in progress. If you have any

comments and suggestions, please contact Prashanta ranabijuli at [email protected].

7. Champu, Chanda, Odissi: For the first time, OSA has now included instrumental program participant in

addition to vocal participants in CCO competition. For further details, please contact Sabita Panigrahi at

[email protected].

8. OSA Awards, Convention Guideline and Guests: OSA Vice President is pursuing constitutional

mandated programs regarding various awards to be awarded during convention and chairs the guest

selection committee of OSA. For further details please contact Sikhanda Satapathy at

[email protected]

9. OSA Election: OSA election is conducted by election committee and as per the election committee

message in OSANet, the ballot papers have been mailed to each OSA Member. For some reason if you

have not received the ballot paper please contact election committee at

[email protected]. Please note that OSA Election Committee operates independently without

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.odishasociety.net/http://gmail.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

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any Executive Committee members involvement. For any election related questions,

please contact election committee at [email protected]

10. Global Odisha Conference: Our vision of globalizing Odisha does require partnership between OSA,

global Odias and GoO, both in terms of intellectual partnership and funding is necessary to facilitate

it. The funds from Govt of Odisha are meant to be Odisha government's share to participate in GOC that

OSA is putting together with it's own fund through registration and fund raising. Your active participation

is very much needed to make this conference successful. Please influence your friends and families who

reside in other countries to join this conference. Please contact convener Pratap Das at

[email protected], co convener Leena Mishra at [email protected] and Co-convener/Vice

President Sikhanda Satapathy at [email protected].

As you are aware by now, Global Odisha Conference has six symposium tracks under leadership of

accomplished OSA members. This symposium tracks are critical to the success of this conference. For

example a track on Health is planned where professionals in health related areas will deliberate on several

focus areas of interest to global Odia diaspora and issues related to Odisha. Health and Family Welfare

Minister of Odisha Government's participation would make deliberations effective and the successful

establishment of collaborative efforts with Government of Odisha would be possible. Please contact track

chairs to better understand the goal and vision, share your ideas, and offer in which way you would be able

to participate, contribute to make this symposium successful.

Track Chairs

Education - Mr. Binod Nayak - [email protected]

Business - Dr. Ajay Mohanty - [email protected]

Tourism - Dr. Chitta Baral - [email protected]

Health - Dr. Pinaki Panigrahi - [email protected]

Spiritual - Mr Satya Patnaik - [email protected]

Literature - Dr. Bigyani Das - [email protected]

If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at

[email protected].

Regards

Tapan Padhi

President, OSA

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

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Sikhanda Satapathy Vice President, OSA

OSA has been busy in the last quarter with regular business of the society such as

convention planning and the election.

Convention: This years convention is being planned at a scale hither-to-unseen in OSA

history. Many exciting items are in the cards for the attendees as you can find on the

convention website. There would be celebration of Odia culture, dance, drama, literature and art. As the adults

seep in Odia bonhomie, the young adults will participate in many youth activities specifically designed for

them. For those with interest in developmental and intellectual pursuits, a two-day Global Odisha Conference

preceeds the convention with a variety of tracks on education, business, literature, tourism, health and

spiritualism. Many volunteers from the Washington DC area and outside are actively engaged to make this

convention successful. Please register soon and make plans to attend the celebration from July 1-4.

Election: This year we have two sets of good candidates for the OSA election. The candidates have contributed

heavily to OSA in various capacities as executives, convener, chapter president and volunteers for Odia cause.

Irrespective of who wins, I am confident that OSA will be in good hands. The election committee has carried

out its duties timely and cordially. I would like to thank all OSA members who have participated in this

important business of the society. I certainly hope that there wouldnt be any undue psephology post-election

and all will stand behind whoever wins the popular vote.

Last convention: Last years convention finance report is almost ready. Thanks to the organizers of the

successful convention that there was a net profit made at the end. Some may argue that the convention shouldnt

be used to generate any net funds for the society. First of all, it is very difficult to balance the income and

expenses given the uncertain nature of fund raising, which perhaps forces the organisers to be on the safe side

and underspend. Secondly, if one accounts for the sweat dollars of volunteers, there is a tremendous value for

the attendees irrespective of the net proceeds. Another issue from the last convention has also been passionately

discussed in private and public. It turns out that some attendees in the Ohio convention did not pay OSA

membership fee. While it is unfortunate that despite good efforts from the executives and some organisers such

error crept into an otherwise successful convention, the solution is not in finger pointing at volunteers, rather it

lies in improving the procedures to prevent such issues in the future. The latter approach is being pursued.

Nepal disaster and OSA emergency funds: Several thousand lives were lost in the unfortunate recent earth

quake in Nepal. The Odisha Society of America grieves for the great loss to human live and limb and the

massive set back faced by the local economy. We urge all our members to generously contribute to the charity

organizations who are carrying out excellent relief work in that region. Some have suggested that OSA

Emergency fund could be used to support this purpose. While this suggestion has some merit, the current

emergency fund guideline stipulates that the emergency fund should not be used for non-Odisha disasters, even

though members should be encouraged for direct support. The primary reason for this policy, in my mind, is to

channelize our limited collective effort to Odisha needs and mobilize members for direct donation for all other

needs, be it elsewhere in India, Nepal, or elsewhere in the world.

I am looking forward to seeing you at the convention this year. Thank you!

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Sabita Panigrahi Secretary, OSA

Dear members,

Namaskar!

The web address for OSA is http://www.odishasociety.org/. I highly recommend that you visit the site

frequently. You can find information about our activities, newsletter Utkarsa, monthly Board Of Governance

(BOG) meeting minutes, yearly general body meeting minutes and many more. Also you will find various

guidelines such as convention guidelines and award guide lines. In a nut shell you will find answers to many of

your questions and important information about the organization. If you want to contact the executives or any

chapter representatives you can also find the contact information. I encourage each and every member of OSA to spread the message of the organization and help educate fellow

Odias to become members of OSA. I also repeatedly request all of the OSA parents to encourage their adult children, who are above 18 years old, to

become OSA members.

I have attached this quarters BOG meeting minutes.

http://www.odishasociety.org/

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Prashanta Ranabijuli Treasurer, OSA

Dear Friends, The strength of a volunteer based organization is a measurement of the cohesiveness of its members and their

willingness to work together towards a common goal. Having seen OSAs operation closely in the past two

years I have appreciation of OSAs volunteers. Anything and everything we see at OSA there is someone behind

it. For every little success there is someones effort. Let us aim high. If there is a problem let us find the root of

the problem and address it. Let our success not be over shadowed by a few shortcomings. In this report I want to update on the following items. OSAs long-term investment update

OSAs long-term investment grew solidly in this quarter. As you know $150,000 was invested for long-term

growth in November 2014. You will be pleased to know that in just 5 months the investment account has grown

by more than $3,000. The investment balance as of 03/31/2015 stands at $153,114.18. Helpline update

OSAs Helpline (424-888-4672 or HAI-888-4OSA) is now functional in pilot mode. Within a month of

operation we have already received a call from a distressed family through the Helpline.

Currently the Helpline is being monitored by OSA Executives and Helpline Committee members. But in order

to make this program successful we need more volunteers to watch the Helpline. If you are interested to

volunteer, please contact me. Emergency Relief Fund update

Thanks to the donations by members, Emergency Relief Fund balance has increased to $15,305.62 as of

03/31/2015. This is not a large sum yet but still large enough for small emergency situations. I hope more

donors will participate in the Annual Fundraising Event in 2015 to improve the Emergency Relief Fund balance. Miscellaneous updates

I am happy to inform you that OSA has obtained a PAN card from the Income Tax Department in India.

In recent years receiving money from India had become a challenge because of the requirement to furnish PAN

number of the recipient. As OSA receives a lot of funding from India during conventions it became necessary

to obtain a PAN card for OSA.

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Reward of Boldness

Nrusingha Mishra

Emboldened in the face of snow, ice, blizzards, cold chill standing strong and tall Spring kept fighting back against all these odds to see the enemies fall

These forces kept persistent attacks to come back and reign furious

But the power of spring ultimately prevailed and came out victorious

Things settled down with waves of new zest and vigor in the animals and plant vegetation

Gentle breeze from the south and warmth from the bright sun brought magical transformation

Luscious green foliage with colorful flower blossoms filled the landscape in unparalleled scenery

Golden orioles and cuckoos filled the air with unforgettable musical symphony

Germantown, Maryland

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Melting into Eternity

Surya Nayak

Cloudy Sky, Rain-drops hanging like a canopy;

Making the atmosphere dim,

And thoughtful.

Standing lone on my balcony

I looked at the horizon

I see you smiling at me,

From within your almond-split eyes

My heart rushed towards you,

Fully drenched with your smile,

I felt a meaningful jerk within me,

And goose-bumps populated over my

skin.

It is not,

That I cannot live without you, but

I do not want to live without you.

I want to absorb,

each of the sun rays

That reflects towards me

From the touch of your body.

I want to breathe the air,

That swirled around you

and breeze past you

I want to feel your hairs

that caress your breasts and

spears towards me

I Closed My Eyes,

I feel your soul to dissolving in me, and

You melt slowly like a candle

Your breasts, pressing my ribcage.

You make me melt into eternity.

Germantown, Maryland

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A poem for Spring

Anwesha Ranabijuli

The first splatters of rain drip

drop

drip

The pouring showers that rage

drip

drop

drip

The rivers that overflow into our domain

drip

drop

drip

Water is life

the stimuli to all

Water is also a sign

of nature shouting Spring's call

The flowers that blossom that bloom

some as round as the full moon

even the buds that are

too late

too soon

couldn't have grown without the help of

a dew

a dew

a drop

a dripping drop of dew

so many names for one substance

many seemingly new

But it can be shown

through words alone

that water is spring

and spring must be shown

the birth of a baby

whether it be

human

rooster

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lamb

signals the start of a new life

but that life cannot continue

without a helping hand

so Water is a necessity

to bring life to the Land

Water is life

Water is substance

Water is even what allows us to dance

but truth be told

I think we all know

that Water is Spring

and Spring must be shown

The first splatters of rain

drip

drop

drip

The pouring showers that rage

drip

drop

drip

The rivers that overflow into our

domain

drip

drop

drip

Water is life

the stimuli to all

Water is also the foundation

of what makes Spring different from Fall

Round Rock, Texas

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SPRING

Tanmay Panda

We had lost all the colours Amidst the whiteness of the earth

Forcing us into the interiors

Winter has been showing its wrath.

But nothing is permanent

So you O winter

You have to and you must go

See the people have already started to cheer

After the dull and dreary winter

The spring is back again

People will enjoy their weekends

In parks, lakeshores and their small garden

The grass will turn green

All around there will be flowers

Nature will manifest its marvellous beauty

With bright sunshine and light intermittent

showers

Men will come to Bermudas

And women will have their dresses of best

colour

Camps, picnics, outings and long drives

Will keep busy everyone outdoors

O spring you are the best gift of the nature

You make our lives livelier

Even though I know you have to go

I cherish I can keep you throughout the year.

Toronto, Canada

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Cherry Blossoms and Time

Suchitra G. Das

Boulevards fluff up in cotton-candy Blooming in boughs; scent of soil mingle

Woodsy fragrance of partial flowers,

White, and baby pink, soft petals

Rain at the hint of a breeze;

At a distance, migrating south,

Pollen lifts bird-like in a swarm

When wind whips up a storm.

I had my own, a single cherry tree,

In front of my red door, telling time

In spring, pink; blood maroon in summer,

Leaflets mottled in fall, leafless winter.

Cast the perfect hour, it did in precision,

No heat could sear; nor blustery cold bend

It away from its job

From sun up to sun down.

From the parting of its branches

I see moon peep out quarterly.

From the shadow of its leaves,

I discover a pattern of stars.

Keeper of time, sentinel of dark

Harbinger of spring, blossoms amuck.

Fremont, California

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Stranger

Sunanda Mishra

Fragrance is in the air, I m walking on with grace.. Luscious, green grass is reflecting the sunlight on my face

Smile is hanging from my lips, but my eyes have to tell something else..

Looking up at the sky.. I can see your face..

Painted with smile on the huge canvass..

I've turned into a stranger, with a smile that is fake..

Eyes are crying loudly with the series of pain..

Those you had gifted me when you were the dearest..

Hugged all the pains thinking these must be called love..

I was deep drowned in love then when love was a stranger..

Opened my eyes & found myself in deep darkness..

Unable to feel the beauty of this spring, puzzled with color blindness..

Crossing your path with a smile that is fake..

I am a stranger to you with a long silence & unwelcome flashback...

Detroit, Michigan

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My Dear Flower

Darshan Panda

Inside this flower Lies my small world

Flower, my dear Flower

As your petals opened

I saw a never seen beauty

Is she from a different world ?

Flower , my dear flower ,

As your petals leave you ,

And you go back to that absolute power ,

Where go all

Will you take my kiss

For your coronal ?

Flower , my dear Flower,

I too would go ,

And mingle with that absolute power ,

Why to be sad for that

Where we will dwell in infinity

And where light is shadow of a shade

Cuttack, Odisha, India


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The Spring Break

Babru Samal

After our release from the penitentiary of winter

We, the cocoon confined caballeros, were walking

Basking in the middays sun

Caressed by the scented breeze of the spring

The delicate and elegant displays called flowers

Jostled to invite us,

Look at me first, please!

We were all walking in the same path

But within our microcosm,

Happily confined inside our own bubble

By the language we spoke

By the color of our skin and hair

By the dress we were wearing

By the company we kept

Without noticing others

Or being noticed

Or interacting

We took photos

Admired the flowers

And wondered at the ever spanning blue sky

We elbowed our ways

To take a break inside Starbucks

Where we were all happy and glee

With the chai latte touching our lips

With our eyes glued to our smart phones

We all set down quietly

Communicating with others

With the touch of our fingers.

April 12, 2015

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CAIRO with Love

Shobha Dash

This is about our pet dog that we had named CAIRO. The Golden Retriever male puppy was only one month old when my husband brought it home for me. It was bit difficult for Tapan (my

husband) to select the weaker, smaller and sick puppy in comparison to a healthy Black Labrador

one only because I had insisted to have a golden retriever. That is how Cairo was brought to our

Tata Sponge colony bungalow in March 2005.

With the kids having grown up and moving out of the remote place like Joda for pursuing higher

education, I would dread coming to an empty home after work. I used to miss my childrens

company.the sharing of days stories, the togetherness, everything. One fine day I decided to

have one puppy, preferably a golden retriever, to give us company and I mentioned this to Tapan

that I wanted to get a puppy. .."A nice, playful dog to keep us company. Tapan told me that he

would check with his friends and look in the internets classified section to see if anyone had a

dog that would suit the two of us.

After a couple of weeks, when he was at Bhubaneswar on some work, he spotted a very small

advertisement in the Indian Express that said "Male Golden Retriever & Labrador mix, Free To

Good Home". He phoned me and told that he was going to call and inquire about the dog. I said

that if he liked it, he could pick it up and bring it home.

Tapan later told me that when the owner of puppy took him to see it, the puppy was lying inside

a box. The moment he saw it, he just fell in love with the puppy. The sleepy chocolate brown

eyes looked to him sad and as if imploring to take him home. His fur was white and tan and

extremely soft to touch. Tapan carried him on his lap all the way to Joda by car.

The name Cairo was given to our puppy without any reason. May be during those days I had

seen the movie The Mummy Returns which perhaps inspired me to name the puppy as Cairo.

Cairo was growing fast. His immunization schedule, de-worming schedule, vitamin and calcium

supplement everything was meticulously planned and carried out with proper record keeping.

Within couple of months Cairo became the favourite puppy of the colony.

Because of Cairos growing size we could see him changing his favourite sleeping place in the

house. Sometimes we had to search for him in and out of our house. Every time we would find

the little fellow in a new place taking a nap. Before going to office, we would ensure that we

keep the small backyard gate locked with Cairo having the entire garden and the shed for moving

around. One afternoon after coming back from office, I realised that Cairo was neither in the

house nor in the garden. I was apprehensive that someone had stolen away Cairo. Suddenly I

remembered of the hole on the back side wall which used to open towards Mr. Mishras

bungalow. Over the wall I looked towards the other side of the fence and I could see five big

German shepherds moving in his garden. With missing few heart beats I thought that if the little

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Cairo would have gone that side through the hole then the big dogs must have killed him

mercilessly by now. As I was moving away, I saw something moving inside the bushes. Little

Cairo was juggling to come out of the bushes to walk towards the German Shepherds totally

unaware of the danger. With choked voice I called Cairo-come- come. I was afraid to call

loudly as my voice might attract the dangerous beasts. After few calls Cairo looked back and

could recognise the known voice. He responded fast and through the same hole he returned back

to my arms.

When Cairo became six months old, we decided to start giving him basic training. We both

would take him outdoors for training. A choke chain, one belt, one ball and one dumbbell were

purchased. Cairo used to run around not listening to any of our commands. Whenever I would be

strict with him, Tapan would say that is enough. Todays training is over. After fifteen days we

realised we had trained him nothing. Few days later Tapan met one person who agreed to give

training. Every morning he would take Cairo for a walk to the nearby field close to Birikala

village and train him to shake hand, Sit, Down and some more tricks. We also made him do

homework practice of what he had learned with the trainer. I use to hide the ball and say Fetch.

Cairo would find the ball in no time.

One day I saw the trainer beating Cairo. I came out to find out what was wrong. It seemed that

the trainer was not in good mood that day. However we decided not to carry on with the trainer

and with the little knowledge we had acquired from books and other literature, we tried to teach

Cairo few more commands but ultimately Cairo remained half trained. He could not graduate.

As days passed, we realised Cairo was able to understand Oriya clearly. One thing he learnt very

eagerly was where is the Jhitipiti( the oriya name for lizard). He would look around the wall

and would find one and would jump to catch it. With deep concentration he would keep on

looking at it.

Gradually Cairo became the known face in the colony. He would take no time to jump on the

guests coming home and start licking their faces. This used to terrify the children and my friends

who would come home to meet us.

My children were completely in love with Cairo. Their phone calls to us would have the first

lines asking about Cairos achievements. Their visits home would turn the house into a mad

place with Cairo being the center of attraction.

It was the month of June with earth welcoming showers of first rain. It was morning routine for

me to go out every morning for a brisk walk and spend some time in the garden. The moment I

would open the door of the house, Cairo would jump to move out first. The same thing he did

that day. While I was going through the flower beds, Cairo ran barking after something to the

backside garden. I did not pay any notice as Cairo was a very hyperactive dog and required to

exercise very vigorously in the mornings. He would keep running round and round the garden for

quite some time every day. Running after birds, frogs, rats & lizards was his favourite sport. I

went inside leaving the door open and got busy in getting ready for the office. Before leaving for

the office, I called Cairo to feed him his breakfast as he loved me to sit around while he would

have his meals. He came jumping but showed no interest in his breakfast. As I was running short

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of time, I left his food in his tray and locked the door from outside, leaving him in the shed as I

used to do every day.

We found Cairo lying listlessly on the floor in the lunch hour. He had not touched his food and

nor he got up bouncing the way he used to do to welcome us. I was bit concerned and told Tapan

to call the vet. I observed that though I had carried him inside, he had again gone out to sit in the

rain. Every time I would pull him in, he would somehow stagger to go out and sit in the rain

looking at the sky. By the time vet came, Cairo had no energy to lift himself. The vet was of the

opinion that Cairo had perhaps eaten up something poisonous in the garden which had created

this situation. He was given injections and saline but by nine in the morning next day, Cairo

breathed his last. Our youngest son Kunal was home on vacation those days. Tapan had tough

time consoling both me and Kunal. However somehow Kunal dug a hole in the backside garden

and we laid Cairo there. I planted a tulsi plant on his grave which till today is there.

We never had any pets after Cairo as I understood that it was quite painful when your loving pet

passes away. Cairo was very special to us and I used to think about the person who had given

him to us. Cairo brought so much to our family; I don't know how they could've given him

away. We wouldn't have given him up for anything.

The Be aware of the Dog sign board is still hanging on the main gate. The food bowl is still

there in the corner reminding us of our dear Cairo.

To, Cairo with love. We will remember you forever.

Joda, Keonjhar, Odisha

http://www.babru.com/WaterLily14/slides/WaterrLily14 (144).html

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.... , , , , , ..........

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, ... ,

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Interview

I am very thankful for the existence of OSA - Prof. Chitta Baral, recipient of OSAs Distinguished Odia Award for 2014

Utkarsa: Dr. Baral, congratulations for receiving OSA's 'Distinguished Odia Award' for 2014.

Prof. Chitta Baral: What was your initial reaction when you knew about this?

Thank you. I was in Bhubaneswar when I received an email about this award from OSA Vice

President Sikhanda Satapathy. I was and am honored to have received this award.

Utkarsa: Did you expect to get the award this year?

Prof. Chitta Baral: My outlook towards awards and professional fellowships is that they will

happen when they will happen. One should not expect them or worry about them.

Utkarsa: What does this award mean to you? Will it impact your urge/intention to serve the

community?

Prof. Chitta Baral: I would like to dedicate this award to my dear father who passed away in

July 2013 and who has been my source of inspiration and my guide throughout my life. Working

for the development of Odisha has become my lifes mission for some time.

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Utkarsa: You were not present when your name was called for the award. Dr. Lalu Mansinha

received on your behalf. Any comment?

Prof. Chitta Baral: I was in Bhubaneswar for my fathers one year passing away ritual

(barshikia). My siblings also went to Bhubaneswar (from USA) for that. A year earlier I left OSA

convention in Chicago and flew to Delhi directly from Chicago after I found that my fathers

situation was critical after a surgery. So it was not possible for me to come to USA to get this

award at OSA convention. I am very thankful that Lalu babu agreed to receive the award on my

behalf.

Utkarsa: Could you please tell us briefly about your childhood? Your schooling and higher

education in USA?

Prof. Chitta Baral: One of my earliest memories of my childhood is being 3 year old and my

mother and grandmother carrying me in their arms in the rice fields near our village Baladia

Matha (halfway between Jajpur Keonjhar Road and Korei station) and teaching me math tables

and other elementary things. When I was five year old I was admitted to Kendriya Vidayalaya

(Central School) which had recently opened in Bhubaneswar and which fascinated my father as

he saw the kids going to and coming from that school wearing white and navy blue uniform. I

did my Class I to X at that school, Plus 2 Science from BJB College, B.Tech (hons) in Computer

Science at IIT Kharagpur, and MS and Ph.D in Computer Science from the University of

Maryland, College Park.

Utkarsa: I was going through your University website and saw you have written numorous

papers. How do you get time? Rather I should ask how do you manage your time among so

many things like profession, community service, family, Odisha connection etc.?

Prof. Chitta Baral: Besides my job at the university I devote a big chunk of the reminder of my

time on what has become my lifes mission. I must thank my wife for providing the environment

that allows this and supporting me full heartedly on this. I would also like to thank Dhirendra

Kar, who has been helping me for the last ten years on all my efforts towards Odisha.

Utkarsa: In FB page Odishalinks Odishagrowth, I saw you have shared a link about opening of

a new hospital in Bhubaneswar with an investment of Rs.200cr. Last week I saw a news in

Sambad, all the villagers of a remote village in Odisha have been suffering in high fever. There is

no hospital closer to them, no doctor is visiting the village. Men cant go for earning. There is no

food. The villagers wait for no one but miracle to happen or death. How would you like to react?

Prof. Chitta Baral: As there are several different facts in the above 4 lines. I have many

reactions to them. The common theme behind them is that a lot needs to done with respect to

Odisha as it is behind the rest of the country in many many aspects, from the despair in the

villages to educated people leaving Odisha (due to lack of suitable jobs) in hordes to other cities

in India and the world. All of us who have concerns about Odisha need to do whatever we can.

Utkarsa: People of Odisha think that Odias abroad do not think about them once they leave

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Odisha. How much they are correct? Do you think Odias of North America in general have some

role contributing towards the social, cultural and economic life of Odisha?

Prof. Chitta Baral: There are many Odias abroad who think about Odisha a lot. I know a large

number of Odias in North America who are passionate about Odisha and most of them have

specific talents that they can and do bring in towards the development of social, cultural and

economic life of Odisha.

Utkarsa: You must have heard about Odia language getting classical status a year back? Do you

think it is something beneficial for Odia literature or life of Odias? I want to add a point that

Odisha has not yet produced a professional writer yet. What I mean is, not a single Odia has

earned from selling literature to run his family, sending his children to school. How can we be

happy about classical status?

Prof. Chitta Baral: The classical status for Odia has energized many who are interested in

greater usage of Odia, and preservation of Odia as a language. It may lead to specialized

institutes and perhaps an Odia university (along the lines of similar universities on Telugu, Tamil,

Malayalam, Hindi and Urdu) that will also help the cause.

I think there are several Odia writers whose livelihood is intimately related to their writing. The

names that immediately come to mind are Manoj Das and Gourahari Das. In general, teachers

and professors in Odia language and literature and Odia journalists and Odia columnists who

write regularly have their writing and livelihood intimately interwoven.

Utkarsa: Tourism in Odisha is in its lowest form though Odisha has many tourist spots. You

have been organizing Buddhism track in last few conventions. Now you are organizing Tourism

track. What is your suggestion on improving tourism in Odisha?

Prof. Chitta Baral: Steps need to be taken in all aspects of tourism such as improving tourist

infrastructure, promoting Odisha sites around the world, commencing international flights, and

having a tourism set-up that helps tourists and potential tourists. In regards to the latter I was

impressed by the (old) Andhra Pradesh Tourism set up where they have operators standing by on

phone and Internet to help tourists. In regards to promotion, Odias in North America and OSA

can help in bringing a travelling exhibition of Odisha artifacts to top museums in North America.

Utkarsa: Odia second generation in North America is a big force and in next 10/20/30 years it

will be even bigger. Unfortunately we have not successful bringing them to the mainstream Odia

life. What is your suggestion to connect them with Odisha so that they can contribute to Odishas

economy and life?

Prof. Chitta Baral: I think cultural ties are the best way to go. Getting the youngsters involved

in Odishas dance forms, music, painting and other arts would help them remain connected with

Odisha. This approach has been successful with respect to many youngsters learning Odissi. This

can be further expanded. In this regards helping in the establishment of at least one Odissi school

in each major metropolitan area in North America will be helpful. In addition establishment of

some centers of Odisha studies in North American universities will also help.

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Utkarsa: What is your idea about OSA as an organization? How can we bring many non-

members to OSA?

Prof. Chitta Baral: I am very thankful for the existence of OSA. Among other things, it

provides a forum to interact and work together with other like-minded people on issues related to

Odisha and Odia.

One idea that can help in bringing more non-members to OSA is to hold more Odisha related

competitions (in topics where individuals can participate) as part of the OSA conventions. When

non-members participate in these competitions, they will get motivated to become members of

OSA.

Utkarsa: This is a personal question. You

may choose not to answer. But I am sure,

reader would love to know about this.

Where did you meet Mutsumi? From

which country is she? Has she ever visited

Odisha? How is her relationship with your

family and yours with her?

Prof. Chitta Baral: I first talked to her in

the campus of University of Texas at El

Paso. She has visited Odisha many times

and she is an integral part of our extended

family, as the elder bahu of the family. I

have been to Japan a few times and we will

be going to her native place in coming June

to see the house her late grandfather build

and where her father grew up.

Utkarsa: We have many established Odias

here in North America. Sometimes our

children look for mentorship, however we

do not have any such provision in the

community. How can we leverage OSA to

develop a mentorship program in various fields?

Prof. Chitta Baral: This is a great idea. I think OSA can serve as a good avenue to develop

mentorship relationship between the children and others beyond their immediate family.

Utkarsa: Dr. Baral, it is nice talking to you. You are a selfless volunteer. Most deserving for the

award. I am sure you will be always there with the community. Any final word to our young

community volunteers?

Prof. Chitta Baral: Thank you. In regards to final words, I would like to reproduce the

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acceptance speech that I sent Lalu babu in June 2014 to read out when receiving the award on

my behalf. To that I would like to add that a peer review of IIT Bhubaneswar mentions the two

big gifts they received from Dr. Sitakantha Das.

I am deeply touched and honored by this award. I am sorry that I cannot be here in person, as I

had to come to India. I would like to thank Sikhanda, the awards committee and OSA for the kind

words they have said. Most of the accomplishments they mentioned would not have been possible

without the help and inspiration of many OSA members and sister organizations such as SEEDS.

Looking towards the future I would like to suggest a few directions where we can all work

together for Odishas future and make some long lasting impact.

ONE. With several world class institutions now existing in Odisha, such as NISER, IIT, NIT,

Xavier University, AIIMS and Central University of Odisha at Koraput, it has become easier to

contribute, help and set-up specialized named centers as part of these institutions. In that

regards Dr. Sitakantha Das has signed an MOU for a Chair Professor position in the specific

areas of Bio-Molecular and Food Technology in the school of Basic Sciences at IIT

Bhubaneswar. It is expected that this will lead to the establishment of a new center at IIT

Bhubaneswar. I hope others will follow that example and help Odisha as well as establish a

legacy that may last hundreds of years.

TWO. Now that Odia has been accorded the status of a classical language, and Odissi was

earlier accorded the status of a classical dance, and efforts are on to make Odissi a classical

music, I think it is time we come together and figure out a way to establish 1-2 centers of Odisha

studies in a couple of top universities outside India; especially at least one in USA. For example,

such a center with respect to Bangla exists in Berkeley and for Tamil in Cologne, Germany. Such

a center on Odisha would promote the culture and heritage of Odisha in a big way. To establish

such a center, there is need for funds as well as collaboration with current researchers of South

Asian studies.

THREE. Finally I would urge the OSA community to help in the development of Odisha in the

knowledge domain. I believe that that is where we can have the most long lasting and far

reaching contributions. A specific example, explaining what I mean by knowledge domain, is

that currently Odisha has one world heritage site in Konark and three other sites in the

preliminary list (Chilika, Bhitarakanika and Ekamra Kshetra). In contrast the Kathmandu valley,

which I visited recently, has SEVEN world heritage sites. Getting UNESCO world heritage

designation requires a lot of documentation and research. I urge OSA members to help in this

documentation and research effort to get world heritage site designation for the three in the

preliminary list as well as other deserving sites such as Ratnagiri-Lalitagiri-Udaygiri,

Raghurajpur and Srikhetra, Puri.

Thank you again for inspiring me and for having kind thoughts about me. I look forward to

working with all of you in many more Odisha development projects in the future, especially the

three specific examples that I mentioned.

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Interview with Isha Mohapatra - winner of the 2014 Samik Singh Kalinga

Youth Entrepreneurship Competition (SSKYEC)

(Isha receiving $1,000 check from Tapan Padhi (president of OSA) and Ranjan Dash)

(Isha Mohapatra is the winner of 2014 SSKYEC. Isha lives in Easton, PA and goes to Moravian

Academy Middle School, Bethlehem, PA. She likes to paint, sing, dance and play lacrosse. Isha is the

daughter of Dr. Satish Mohapatra and Mrs. Simantini Das, both of whom are life members of OSA)

Describe your company and what it plans to do?

Isha: My company makes and sells bricks that are more insulating than normal bricks to reduce

the use of heat energy and heating cost in the common American household. To make my bricks

more insulating I have to lower their thermal conductivity, which is the ability of an object to

conduct heat, by making them more porous. I made my bricks porous by adding a paper pulp to

the mix before moulding and firing them. I will make the bricks in Odisha because all of my raw

materials are abundantly available there and the labor is much cheaper than here. From there, I

will ship to North America and Europe. I plan to build a $10 million business in 5 years after

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starting.

What motivated you to start your company?

Isha: I already had participated in two science competitions and won prizes there. This

motivated me to turn my science project into a business plan. I have also gone to

many Entrepreneurship Workshops organized by OSA and the local NY/NJ Chapter. In the

workshop, I liked working together in groups to come up with ideas for mock business plans with

friends.

How will you use your prize money?

Isha: I have already saved the money in my bank account for future use.

Please share your experience in participating the 2014 SSKYEC. Will you

encourage fellow odiya friends to participate in the competition?

Isha: I had a great experience participating in the competition. It provides a good exposure to

the participants to the world of entrepreneurship. Its hard work, but it pays off in the end. The

competition makes you feel proud of your project and it is also interesting to see the other ideas

people come up with. The greatest prize in the Competition is the high amount of prize money! I

think that if more people participate in the Competition, it will be more competitive and it can

become a big event in the OSA Conventions to come. I would encourage many people to

participate in this Competition.

We encourage the youths of odiya community to participate in the 2015 SSKYEC.

Visit http://www.orissasociety.us/keaward for details.

http://www.orissasociety.us/keawardhttp://samiksinghkalingayouthentrepreneurshipcompetition.cmail1.com/t/t-l-tjekyy-iruuhygt-r/

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Profile

Vaibhav Mohanty A Western classical music composer

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Vaibhav Mohanty is a composer of Western contemporary classical music who resides in Charleston, South Carolina. He is making a name for himself in the music world by composing

music for concert band, chamber ensemble, and jazz band. By age twelve Vaibhav was already

conducting performances of his own music by large and small ensembles, and by age fifteen he

had already established himself as a published music composer. His music compositions are

being performed at schools, universities, as well as at professional settings throughout the U.S. A

high school senior at age sixteen, Vaibhav plans to attend Harvard University in the fall of 2015

with a focus on music.

Childhood: Vaibhav was born in Durham, North Carolina, but soon he and his parents moved to

South Carolina, where he has grown up. In Charleston, he started learning piano at age four. He

composed his first piece of music for piano at the age of nine in memory of a late music teacher

from his elementary school. When he joined middle school at age nine, Vaibhav started playing

alto saxophone in the school band. Two years of experience of playing in band brought a change

in his music composition. Vaibhav started composing music for large ensembles (particularly

concert band) in eighth grade. In his nationally acclaimed high school, there is no band or

orchestra program, so he formed two music ensembles, one outside the school and one in the

school that kept his musical interests alive. In addition, he took guitar and music theory class in

school while continuing his piano and saxophone studies. He started teaching himself other

musical instruments as well, such as trombone. In his senior year, he has joined his high schools

drum group. During the summer, he attends a summer music program run by the Charleston

County School District (CCSD) Students Mastering the Academic ARTs (SMAART) program.

Initially a student, Vaibhav later became an intern, and in the upcoming summer he will be a full

time music teacher at the SMAART Program.

Music compositions and Recognitions: Vaibhavs first submission of a music composition for

piano, Floodgate of Happiness, to the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Reflections

contest in seventh grade earned him first place at the state level and a national honorable

mention. The following year, Vaibhav composed his first piece for a concert band at age eleven.

The nationally recognized symphonic band of the local Wando High School recorded his

Fanfare of Unity, which won Vaibhav his first National Award of Excellence from the PTA

Reflections Contest. In the spring of same year, Charlestons West Ashley High School Band

performed Fanfare of Unity, and Vaibhav appeared in concert as guest conductor to conduct

his piece. Since then he has been participating in PTA Reflections Contest and in six years of

participation he has won six state awards and at least three national awards so far (with the final

years results to be released in May).

In high school Vaibhav started composing music for chamber ensemble and jazz band. Recent

years have seen Vaibhavs music compositions winning major national and international awards.

In the 2012 Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) music composition contest, he won

first place in the state and the southern division and became a national finalist. In 2014, at fifteen,

he won the Grand Prize in the Sul Ross State University (SRSU) 3rd

Annual International Wind

Ensemble Composition Competition, which was a contest for musicians of all ages. Vaibhav also

became a winner of the National Association for Music Educators (NAfME) student composition

contest. In the same year, Vaibhav was declared a winner in the National YoungArts Foundation

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competition and was one of the 170 winners from among over 11,000 applicants of various fields

of art in the country.

Performances of Vaibhavs compositions: Vaibhavs music has been performed at various

venues around the country. Every summer since 2011 Vaibhav has been composing a piece (for

chamber ensemble) for the CCSD SMAART program, where high school and middle school

students who attend the program perform his composition. In 2013, the Charleston Catholic

School requested Vaibhav to write a piece for the schools band, which premiered Vaibhavs

concert band composition Skywalk. That month, Altitude, also written for concert band, was

premiered by Piedmont Wind Symphony (composed of about 50 adult musicians) in Winston-

Salem, North Carolina. Altitude, after being selected as a winner in the NAfME composition

contest, was performed by the NAfME All-National Honor Band, which was comprised of more

than 150 of the nations top high school musicians. The performance was at the world famous

Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee. Exuberant Overture, the composition for

concert band that won the international SRSU composition was premiered by the SRSU Wind

Ensemble as a winning composition in 2014 and has since been performed by the SRSU Wind

Ensemble for the universitys Presidential Investiture ceremony. Vaibhavs first jazz

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composition, called Verve Street, was written for and premiered by the Charleston Jazz

Orchestra (CJO), Charlestons professional jazz band in October of 2014. Scherzo, written for

mixed woodwind choir, was performed in 2015 at the New World Center in Miami, Florida by

members of the New World Symphony as well as other Miami musicians as part of the National

YoungArts Week Classical Music Concert. More recently, schools and colleges across the nation

have started performing Vaibhavs compositions.

Music publications: Some of Vaibhavs music compositions for chamber ensembles, namely

Humoresque, Train Ride, and Scherzo, have been published by JPM Music Publications in

Festus, Missouri. Altitude, the composition for concert band, is due soon for publication by

Lighthouse Music Publications in Ontario, Canada. Vaibhav is currently editing and preparing

other compositions to be published as well.

Music arrangements and performance: Vaibhav arranges Indian and Western songs for

various types of ensembles. Cut Time Ensemble, which he and his friends have formed, performs

Indian music as well as non-Indian music at various venues in Charleston including at festivals

and programs held by the Indian Association of Greater Charleston (IAGC). As a classical

pianist, Vaibhav has won multiple city-level competitions, and has performed at several honors

recitals; he has competed at the state level. Vaibhav also plays alto, soprano, and baritone

saxophone, trombone, guitar, and percussion in addition to piano.

Utkarsa contacted Vaibhav:

What are you composing to present at the 46th OSA Convention in Washington DC?

Vaibhav: I am currently working on a piece that fuses the stylistic elements of Odissi and jazz

music. I am utilizing exclusively western instrumentation while the central motifs and thematic

development of the piece are fundamentally based in Odissi. My goal is to try to bring together

two genres of music that seemingly do not mix to try to bridge the gap between Eastern classical

and Western non-classical music through commonalities in, for example, the emphasis placed on

improvisation. In doing so, I would like the piece to be accessible to a wide audience, including

both Odissi and jazz enthusiasts and all who fall in between. The piece is still in its initial stages

of development, but I envision that most of the melodic content of the piece will tend towards

Odissi in style, but the harmonic background will be strongly influenced by jazz. The piece will

also feature significant improvisation, which will give the performers the liberty to influence the

general sound as well. Overall, in writing this piece I am trying to strike a balance between

two genres to create a cohesive fusion.

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Some links to Vaibhavs compositions, arrangements, website, and articles/interviews:

1. Scherzo (uploaded by National Youngarts Foundation):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qym4jePb0g

2. Altitude (audio; uploaded by MUSC Humanitas magazine):

http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/humanities/humanitas/audio/BE141a_Altitude.mp3

3. Exuberant Overture (uploaded by SRSU):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1ZeEnBxJ78

4. Indian raga Madhmad sarang (with Dr. Mayuresh Abhyankar; uploaded by Vaibhav):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TazMg2Rx94E

5. Disney medley (arranged by Vaibhav and Seong Hwan Lee; uploaded by National

Youngarts Foundation):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3SMCUUGkw0

6. An interview of Vaibhav on the opening of Charlestons famous Gaillard Center:

http://www.yourgaillard.com/vaibhav-mohanty/

7. Vaibhavs music website:

http://www.vmohantymusic.com/

(Every child in our community is gifted. They are our future. If you would like to share

about your gifted child or any child in the community who would be an inspiration,

please share. Utkarsa is the best platform for this.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qym4jePb0ghttp://academicdepartments.musc.edu/humanities/humanitas/audio/BE141a_Altitude.mp3https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1ZeEnBxJ78https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TazMg2Rx94Ehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3SMCUUGkw0http://www.yourgaillard.com/vaibhav-mohanty/http://www.vmohantymusic.com/http://www.babru.com/Azalea13/slides/azalea13 (59).JPG

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Profile

SIDDHARTHA MISRA Odia boy who pursues Opera as career

Indian-American tenor SIDDHARTHA MISRA has quickly established himself as a versatile performer in

the tenor repertoire. His performance credits range from a house debut at the Opera Company of

Philadelphia as Paris (Romo et Juliette) to Don Basilio (Le nozze di Figaro) and Spoletta (Tosca) with

OperaDelaware and premieres with Center City Opera Theater in the title roles of Daniel Catans Il

postino and Gregory Spears Pauls Case, which the Philadelphia Inquirer praised as one of the citys

Top Ten Classical Music Performances of the year.

Highlights of his young artist career include the Brahms Liebeslieder Wlzer, Op. 52 with the Mark

Morris Dance Group at the Tanglewood Music Center; and excerpts as Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi) in the

Sarasota Opera Apprentice Program. His portrayal of Cacambo (Candide) with Light Opera Works was

lauded by the Chicago Sun-Times as heartfelt with brilliant comic timing and his performance as

Guiscardo (Pasatieris Padrevia) with Opera Alterna was praised for a purely honeyed sound and

layered performance. Other summer festival credits include the Caramoor Festival, Opera North, Lake

George Opera and the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Chiari, Italy.

In concert, Siddhartha has performed Tobias Ragg (Sweeney Todd) and as a soloist in

Mozarts Requiem and Coronation Mass, Handels Messiah and Beethovens Choral Fantasy. He has

appeared as a soloist with the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra and the Northwestern University Chorale

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and has also appeared with the Philadelphia Singers, Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia and the

Mendelssohn Club.

Siddhartha holds a masters degree from Temple University, where he performed Le pecheur (Le

Rossignol), Le petit vielliard (LEnfant et les sortileges) and Spalanzani (Les contes dHoffman) and

holds undergraduate degrees from Northwestern University, where he performed Tamino (Die

Zauberflte) and Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi). Other roles include Alfredo (La traviata), Nemorino

(LElisir damore), Ernesto (Don Pasquale), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), and Belmonte (Die

Entfhrung aus dem Serail).

A native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Siddhartha studied at the Longy School of Music and was an

accomplished violinist prior to pursuing a career in opera.

Delco tenor leads a double life with Opera Philadelphia reports Delco Times

When Sid Misra first learned of the line-up for Opera Philadelphias current season, he was

especially excited about Don Carlo, the epic grand opera by Guiseppe Verdi.

Its one of my favorite operas, says Misra, a member of the Opera Philadelphia chorus. Some

of the arias are complete show stoppers: a synthesis of drama and music.

Don Carlo continues Wednesday and Friday evenings and Sunday matinee.

Although the arias are sung by soloists, members of the chorus have a significant role.

This is one of the largest chorus weve used, says Misra, who is in his seventh season with Opera Philadelphia. Typically, an opera has a 32 member chorus, but in Don Carlo, there are 68 singers. Although were a large group, we have to function as one cohensive unit, Misra said. And

there are some moments when the orchestra is creating an especially big sound, so we have to

project our voices to the fullest. But we still have to blend in as part of the group.

Its not only the actual singing thats a challenge with a large group. Even the entrances can be

difficult.

For instance, the stage for Don Carlo is set up with a ramp so that there are two levels. In one

scene, the 68 chorus members have to enter quickly in 12 seconds but they are entering on

two different levels. And theyre carrying swords and axes.

So there are almost 70 people running onto the stage carrying a bunch of swords, said Misra.

And we have to do this safely and quickly, so it requires a high level of discipline.

To prepare for an opera, the chorus spends three and a half weeks in rehearsals. The three-hour

rehearsals are held in the rehearsal hall of the Academy of Music. At first, the rehearsals are held

once a week, but as the opening date approaches, they rehearse four or five nights each week.

This leads up to dress rehearsals before opening night.

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His future wife Valerie Haber was already in the chorus.

She enjoyed it and so I auditioned, he said. The audition was successful and hes been a

member ever since. Its great! Misra said about sharing this activity together. They lead

separate working lives during the day.

So its on the rides home from rehearsals that we really get to catch up, he said.

His own life has taken a new direction ever since January when he became a member of the

administrative staff of Opera Philadelphia.

Misras official position is Subscriber and Member Services Coordinator, a full-time position in

the ticket office, where he takes phone calls from subscribers and donors and helps with

whatever issues they have.

For instance, if theyre calling to renew a subscription, they may want to change their seats for

the new season. Other callers may want to exchange tickets for another performance, but the

same seats may not be available, so Misra tries to meet their requests for the new seats.

Most times, they have no idea they are talking to a member of the chorus.

I dont announce up front that Im a singer, said Misra. But when the conversation veers

towards questions about a particular production, then I can give first-hand responses.

He can be especially helpful when callers have questions about new operas.

Thats when I try to give some insight into what to expect, he said. So hopefully, by having

me in this role, the callers get a more informed opinion.

Misras double life with the company is unique. He is the only singer who is also a member of

the administrative staff.

Ive been interested for a while in working on the administrative side, Misra said.

Before this, he was a freelance performer with varied out of town companies and productions.

But this lifestyle involves lots of travel. You can be on the road for 35 weeks and I realized I

wouldnt be happy with that, said Misra.

His transition from freelance singer to full time staff person went smoothly.

I was brand new to this side of the table, but the staff was very encouraging, said Misra.

Despite his busy double life with Opera Philadelphia, this committed singer still makes time for

other musical activities. He has sung with the Philadelphia Singers, the Choral Arts Society, and

with the choir at the First Baptist Church.

Moreover, he and his wife, a Delco native, have produced several operas for the Poor Richards

Opera company. Theyve been performed at the Wallingford Presbyterian Church.

We wanted to bring opera performances to Delaware County, he said. Right now, the Delco

tenor is focused on singing in Don Carlo, one of his favorite operas.

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Sid Misra works the business and singing side for Opera Philadelphia. Photo courtesy of Opera Philadelphia

Verdi is a master of being able to take the mood of the moment and encapsulate it in a sound,

said Misra. You dont get that in any other art form, and thats what makes opera compelling.

He is now committed to this art form both onstage and off.

I feel Ive made a strong commitment to further this art form, both as a singer and an

administrator, Misra said. Hopefully this dual life gives me the chance to find solutions that

serve both sides.

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Utkarsa Special:

NABAKALEBAR 2015

Nabakalebar- as the word denotes, is the periodic renewal of the of the wooden idols of

the four principal images (Chaturda murti) Lord Jagannath, Lodr Balabhadra , Goddess Subhadra and

Lord Sudarshan.

Nabakalebara means the new embodiment. This ceremony resembles the phenomenon of life and

death on earth, as has been described by Lord Krishna to Arjuna in Bhagabat Gita.Anybody taking a birth

on this Martya loka(Earth) has to leave the same one day on the other which is enevitable. Nabakalebar

occurs when the hindu lunar calendar has two Asadhas; joda asadha, aslo called purusottam masa. This

falls in the interval of 19 years or sometimes 8 years or 12 years. During the last century Nabakalebar

has taken place in the years 1912, 1931, 1950, 1969, 1977 and 1996.

There are two types of Nabakalebar

1. Change of idol along with Brahma

2. Angaphita : Neither Idols are changed nor the Bramha is replaced . Only the body of idols are

repaired

The very first event of Navakalebar is the search of specific Darus( Neem wood) for the Chaturda murti.

The countdown to the Naba Kalebara starts with the formation of the search party that would go out to

locate the Holy Tree. The following is the lists of Darus collected from the following areas in the

following years .

Year Jagannath Balabhadra Subhadra Sudarshan

1912, 16th July Prataprudrapur Niali Polar Mahal Fatehgarh

1931, 17th July Gabapada Satwikpur Niali Kakatpur

1950,16th July Khadihara Nauapatna Durgeswar Jalarpur

1969, 16th July Champajhar Bhakar street Kahnupur Balara village

1977,18th July Raychakradharpur Bhogeswar Baraboi Niali

1996,17th July Dadhimachhagadia Ramakrishnapur Maladavillage Bisoidih

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The search party consists of:

1 member of the Pati Mahapatra family

20 Dayitapatis

1 Lenka

9 Maharanas

16 Brahmanas

3 Deulakaranas

30 police officers

2 inspectors of police

The characteristics which are to be followed for the selection of the Darus are

For Lord Sudarshan :

The bark should be reddish in color.

The tree should have three branches

There should be a sign of Chakra(wheel) with a small depression in the middle.

For Lord Balabhadra:

The bark of the neem tree should be light brown or white in color.

The tree should have seven branches

The tree should have sign of plough and pestle etc.

Nearby there should be heritage and graveyard

The upper branches and twigs of the tree should form a canopy looking like a hood of a

cobra.

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For Devi Subhadra:

The bark of the tree should be yellowish.

It should have five branches.

Mark of a lotus flower with five petals.

For Lord Jagannath:

The color of the tree should be dark.

The tree must have four main branches.

The tree should be near a river or a pond or on a crossing of three ways or else be

surrounded by three mountains.

There should be a cremation ground near the tree.

There should be some hermitage not too far off the tree.

There should be Shiva temple in the neighborhood of the tree.

The tree should be free from the parasites plants and creepers.

There should not be any nests of birds on the tree.

The tree must not have been struck by lightning nor partially broken before by storm etc.

There should be ant hill near the tree and snake holes at the roots of the tree.

Signs of sankha and chakra must be present on the tree.

The tree should be surrounded properly with the trees of varuna,sahada and bilva.

The tree should be away from human settlement but should not stand in a swamp

surrounded by marsh or mud.

The specific event for searching the Darus also termed as Banayaga Yatra commences on the 10th day of

bright fortnight of the month of Chaitra i.e the day following Shri Ram Navami. On this day after the

mid-day worship (madhyahna dhupa) Pati mahapatra , the priest, takes out three Ajnamala or the

garlands of orders, which are pieces of te read strings tied with nirmalya in the middle. He distribute

these garlands to the head of the respective Daitas of the respective images and retains the Ajnamala of

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Sri Sudarsan with himself. Then Bitarachha Mahapatra ties sarees of 12 hastas in length on the head

of the Daitas and that of Pati Mohapatra is a longer one.This function is done near Kalahat door insider

the temple. Then Patajoshi Mahapatra ties new clothes on the heads of Lenka Sevayat and four

Biswakarma Sevayat(Carepnter). This function starts near Jaya Bijaya door. The traditional trumpet and

drums are played. The procession including Daitas, priests , Viswakarma, Lenkas,Karanas, Pati

Mohapatra etc starts and goes through sata pahacha via Anand Bazar and comes to lions gate. From

there they proceed towards the kings palace. After meeting the King & his Rajguru, the procession goes

to Jagannath Ballav Math where the party rests. The next day the journey starts to Kakatpur Mangala for

her blessings and guidance. The total group offer prayers for the success of the mission.

The goddess Mangala directs the Daitas, in dream to the places from where the Darus are to be

collected.

After the Darus are located , the ritual bath of the tree is completed by sprinkling it with sacrificial water

. It is applied with sandal paste and vermillion. Flowers are offered and new cloth is wrapped around the

tree. After this, Pati Mohapatra places the Ajnamala of the deity on the respective trees. Yajna is

performed in the sacrificial pavilion erected on the western side of the tree. Then follows Ankurropana.

Some varieties of seeds are sown for germination. After the seeds germinate, homas are made reciting

vedic mantras continuously for two days. Then the axes are worshipped. Pati Mohapatra strike the tree

with golden axe, then Viswavasu or Daitapati with silver axe and at last the Viswakarmas with iron axe

cuts down the tree. After being cut, the tree must fall only in the northern, eastern or north-eastern

direction. A log of about 2.5 meters in length is cut out from the tree trunk and rest of the tree is buried

underground at that very spot. The Daru is disbarred and given a quadrangular shape. It is then wrapped

up in a silken clothes. During this period the party do not take either food or water. No one is allowed to

see the cutting of the Darus as per the Sastras. Then the Darus are transported to Puri by a specially

constructed cart made up from the wood of kendu tree. The wheel of the cart are made of vata tree and

axle made from tamarind tree. The localities of the places through whiles the cart passes pulls the cart

and then Daru reach Puri. After as stoppage at Nrusimha Temple of Gundicha house, the Darus are

brought to Koili Baikuntha trhough the northern gate of the Shrimandira.

On the full moon day o fthe Jyestha month i.e on snana purnima, the Darus along with the old images

are brought to Snana Mandapa for the usual bathing ceremony. After this the old images are taken to

Anabasar room. Usually Anabasar is for 15 days. But during Nabakalebar it is for 45 days and termed as

Maha Anabasar. The Darus are taken to Nirmana Mandap where the images are carved by Viswakarmas.

The temple is closed for publ

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