Bande Utkala Janani ...

Last night while browsing thru the TV channels, we happened to get stuck at this show on NDTV Good times called “Highway on my Plate” . The 2 anchors on the show are on a long journey from Varanasi to Tamilnadu, and in-between they get the chance to taste the best offerings on the highway dhabas. What caught my eyes was the dhaba that they were showing at the moment - Chilka Dhaba.

Now for all those who do not know, Chilka is a place in Orissa, famous for being the largest brackish water lagoon in Asia, also called the “Bird watcher’s paradise” and it has a lot of freshwater fish, crab & prawns to offer. That is what those 2 guys were having, a special crab curry & chilli prawns.. And it looked Yummy!!

When I arrived at Ahmedabad for my graduation, the most common question asked to me in my college was where did I come from. The moment my classmates heard the name ‘Orissa’ their expressions used to fall. Orissa – Yeh kahan pe hai?? South India mein hei kya? Woh Nagaland ke paas hei kya ? Wahan bhi aise ghar, roads hei kya ? and many more.. That’s when I realized, people are so ignorant of my state. Well I would not blame them, it is the picture that has been created by the media and our politicians - Orissa, a poor state, with starving people, no food, no shelter, no economy.

But the actual scenario has never come to the notice of people who do not belong to Orissa. No doubt there are certain sections that really have such a picture, but certainly that is not the entire story. Every state has such divisions where a part of people are struggling and are under poverty level. That is true even to Mumbai, which houses to the extreme economy of people, i.e the rich & the poor.

Why isolate Orissa? It also has a rich history and cultural heritage. Jagannath Puri is one of the Chardhams marked important by Hindu pilgrimage. Plus Oriya people have proven themselves in all the fields, whether it is Administration or Literature, Science or IT. The major steel & IT companies have invested here.
Not to forget, the unique cuisine of Orissa. The seafood, the vegetarian delicacies & also the wide variety of sweets.Chhena poda, rasgulla, chennagaja, etc .History says the famous Rasgulla was invented in Orissa, but became more well-known as a Bengali sweet because, the brahmin cooks from Puri, were routinely employed in richer Bengali households during the Bengal renaissance. As a result Oriya specialties got integrated into Bengali kitchen.

Well there is so much to talk abt my native and that is why I got inspired to write something during a project in my last semester, wherein we had to design a webpage. And I slogged for some 15 days to come out with this.Thou it may not be a extensive page, I have managed to put in some pics and facts related to Orissa. My Professor still remembers me for this. He had rated mine to be the best among the others and I was happy that I cud atleast change the mindset of few who thot of Orissa otherwise. And its not only Non-Oriyas that have this outlook, I have come across many Oriyas too who are not aware of their wonderful state. But I have no qualms in saying that. I am proud to be from Orissa. !!!

A few lines from my webpage ::
Click on this for the whole page : Sonali

Seeing is believing and unless you get to see the beauty of Our Orissa you can never get the true essence of her exquisite beauty. It has not only the bounties of nature liberally sprinkled but also the marvels created by human hands in shape of Sculptures and other ancient monuments.
Amazing Seas, Temples, Lakes, Waterfalls, Wildlife, Monuments, Hotsprings, Tribals, Colourful Fairs & Festivals, Enchanting Dances and Rare Artistry, Orissa, a perfect blend of natural beauty and creativity, has it all.