Governor Dr Hari Babu Kambhampati graces the celebration of Foundation Day of Rajasthan and Bihar

Governor Dr Hari Babu Kambhampati graced the celebration of ‘Foundation Day of Rajasthan and Odisha’ as the Chief Guest at Durbar Hall, Raj Bhavan. On this occasion, Governor Dr Hari Babu Kambhampati expressed his delight at being able to celebrate the commemorative foundation day of both Rajasthan and Odisha. He praised the unique features of Rajasthan such as its colour coordinated royal cities also remarking its geographical and historical significance, being home to Aravalli, the oldest mountain range in the Indian Subcontinent as well as Kalibangan, one of the cities of the ancient Indus valley Civilisation along with many famous forts and palaces. The Governor expressed his delight at the Odisha’s diverse flora and fauna and remarked on the wonderful culture and temples, being aptly known as the Temple State of India, hosting over 600 unique and beautiful temples. He also remarks on the important pilgrims in the state and praised it for being host to the Nandan Kanan zoological park, the second largest zoo in India.

The Governor applauds the ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’, an initiative of Government of India, launched to celebrate the cultural vibrancy of India, with a primary objective to strengthen cultural relations, and encourage mutual connection between people residing in different parts of the country. He hopes that this programme will be an integral step towards national integration. The modern state of Rajasthan was formed on March 30, 1949. The states of Jodhpur, Jaipur, Bikaner and Jaisalmer, joined with the United State of Rajasthan, and the region came to be known as Greater Rajasthan. The new state of Rajasthan was formed after the princely states signed the Instrument of Accession. Since then, 30th March has been celebrated as Rajasthan Day. Odisha celebrates its 88th Foundation Day, which is also known as Utkal Divas. Odisha was part of Bihar before it became the first state to be formed on linguistic basis. Earlier, present-day Odisha was the major portion of the ancient region of Kalinga. The British took over the administrative powers and divided it into small units in 1803.

 After three decades of revolution under prominent leaders, the state was separated from Bihar and became a separate province on 1st April 1936. In this programme, a video message of the Governor of Rajasthan was screened along with short clips of Rajasthan and Odisha showcasing their unique culture and traditions. Dr. Akhilesh Kumar Sharma, Asst. Prof. Dept. of Hindi, MZU made a short speech on the history and geography of Rajasthan, followed by Ghumar, a folk dance of Western and Southern Rajasthan, performed by NIT students, Mizoram. A folk song of Rajasthan was then performed by Nisha Kumari, an NIT student followed by a speech about Odisha’s culture and history by Dr. Kailashkant Nayak, Asst. Prof. Dept. of Philosophy, PUC. Cheraw, a Mizo Cultural dance was then performed by students of RIPANS with the programme concluding with a photo session of all the invitees.