Odisha to host 5th EMRS national cultural and literary fest; begins on Monday

BHUBANESWAR: The 5th EMRS (Ekalavya Model Residential School) National Cultural and Literary Fest and Kala Utsav - 'UDBHAV' will be held here from Monday, an official statement said. This festival is being organised by the Department of STSC Development, Minorities and Backward Class Welfare Department of Odisha and is funded by the National Educational Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), the statement said on Sunday.

Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, Durgadas Uikey and Odisha minister Nityananda Gond are scheduled to grace the opening ceremony of the event, it said. The event will be organised at 'Sikhya O Anusandhan' University here.

More than 1,300 students and 250 teachers from EMRS of 22 states are likely to participate in the cultural extravaganza.

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About 'UDBHAV' cultural fest

The cultural fest will provide tribal students with a national platform to showcase their hidden talents in different spheres. Students will be competing with each other in 47 events such as storytelling, music, dance, singing, debate, elocution, etc. This year’s event is observed as a tribute to the 150th birth anniversary of tribal leader Birsa Munda, the pride of the nation.

Best efforts have been put in place to give participating students vivid and unique experiences, officials said. Besides, innovative and creative workshops are also planned in which students can learn new skills and sharpen their existing ones, they said.

This four-day long event is likely to give students a platform, on which students from the entire country come together, to celebrate the spirit of learning, competition, and cultural celebration amidst fun-fare. Previous editions of the festival were organised in Dehradun in the year 2023, Bengaluru in 2022, Udaipur in 2019, and Jamshedpur in 2018.