Chapter events
chapter events 2024
OSA-GA Youth & Family Meet Up & Labor Day Celebration (September 1st, 2024)
A Happy Labour Day in advance to all the hard working workers in every field 🧑🚀👨💻👩🏫
If you’re in town for the Labor Day weekend (Sunday, September 1), join us for a family and youth meet-up at the newly opened Delay Nature Park in Suwanee. Enjoy an exciting evening of volleyball and badminton as we take a break from the “labor” in Labor Day!
The park offers plenty of green spaces, scenic trails along a water fountain for evening strolls, and a kids’ play area. Light snacks will be provided to keep everyone energized.
Let’s celebrate Labor Day and create some unforgettable memories together with our fellow Odias.
YouTube Link to performance videos:
IFA Freedom Mela at Cumming Fairgrounds (August 17, 2024)
YouTube Link to performance videos:
Event: Freedom Mela by Indian Friends of Atlanta (IFA), Saturday August 17th
We, as a chapter, also participated in the Freedom Mela hosted by Indian Friends of Atlanta (IFA) on Saturday August 17th. Our Sambalpuri Dance team presented a folk dance and we also participated in the parade.
a. Odissi Dance by ADA: The Odissi performance by Abhinaya Dance Academy elegantly showcased our beautiful classical dance to the Indian community. The dancers were: Abhipsa Nayak, Bikhipta Panda, Deepa Moharana, Monalisa Mohapatra and Sagarika Pattnaik. The dance was choreographed by Bikhipta Panda.
b. Sambalpuri Folk Dance Rasa Jamudali by OSA Georgia: Our Sambalpuri Folk Dance team showcased our beautiful folk dance form to the Indian community audience by dancing to the melodious Rasa Jamudali song. The dancers were Ananya Buxi, Mamata Buxi, Monalisa Misra, Rashmi Rekha Tripathy, Soumyashree Sarangi, Subhashree Tripathy, Sujaya Dash and Swagatika Adhikari. The dance was choreographed by Ananya Buxi.
c. Parade: The Odisha team participated in the parade alongside all other states present in the Freedom Mela festival. Our dancers in colorful costumes and the two Chaiti Ghodas added color to our parade team.
The playlist here contains the OSA-GA performances in these three events. Please watch and share.
IACA Festival of India 2024 (FOI) at Gas south arena (August 17, 2024)
YouTube Link to performance videos:
Event: Festival of India (FOI) by India American Cultural Association (IACA), Saturday August 17th
As in the past years, this year too, we participated in the FOI event hosted by IACA on August 17th. Our members showcased our classical Odissi dance and Sambalpuri folk dance with our dance teams drawing a lot of accolades and awards. Here are the details of our participation.
a. Odissi Dance by ADA: The Odissi performance by Abhinaya Dance Academy won the 2nd prize for classical dance competition. This made it a hat trick prize for the team for winning it for three consecutive years. The dancers were: Abhipsa Nayak, Bikhipta Panda, Deepa Moharana, Monalisa Mohapatra and Sagarika Pattnaik. The dance was choreographed by Bikhipta Panda.
b. Sambalpuri Dance Performance by the OSA Georgia Chapter team: Our Sambalpuri Folk Dance team rocked the stage with their rhythmic steps, energetic moves, colorful costumes and smiling faces to the melodious Rasa Jamudali song. Through their performance, our chapter dance team certainly were our big ambassadors of our state Odisha in the local Indian community. The dancers were: Ananya Buxi, Aadarsh Diwan, Mamata Buxi, Monalisa Misra, Pallavi Mohanty, Rani Acharya, Rashmi Rekha Tripathy, Shilpi Mishra, Soumyashree Sarangi, Subhashree Tripathy, Sujaya Dash, Swagatika Adhikari. The dance was choreographed by Ananya Buxi.
c. Chess competition: Our chapter member Chittaranjan Behera won the 3rd prize in the adult chess competition.
d. Odisha Booth: We set up a booth at the venue featuring Odisha tourism, art and craft which attracted a lot of foot traffic. Even if a small percentage of the folks make Odisha a part of their itinerary during their next India trip, it will make our efforts very worthwhile. The following members helped in getting the booth set up: Bhabani Buxi, Lalit Barik, Sarthak Das, Rani Acharya and Soumyashree Sarangi.
Colors of India 2024 (COI) at Stone Mountain Park (August 11, 2024)
YouTube Link to performance videos:
Event: Colors of India hosted by the Stone Mountain Park, Sunday August 11th
As a sign of prominence of the Indian diaspora in the local demography, for the first time the Stone Mountain Park hosted a festival “Colors of India” on August 10th and 11th. It was our extreme pride and honor to have been invited with all other local Indian communities to participate in the first ever Colors of India event where we showcased 2 folk dances and 1 Odissi dance at the historic Stone Mountain park.
a. Ghoda Nacha and Jhumar(Mayurbhanj) by OSA Georgia: Our dancers opened the cultural festivities for the day with a rhythmic and energetic beautiful combination of Jhumar and Chaiti Ghoda dance. The dancers were: Aadarsh Diwan, Abhipsa Jena, Amrin Siddique, Itishree Sahu, Lopamudra Rautray, Monali Acharya, Namrata Mishra, Priyanka Priyadarshini, Sachikanta Mohapatra and Sushant Maharana. The dance was choreographed by Bikhipta Panda.
b. Sambalpuri Folk Dance Rasa Jamudali by OSA Georgia: Our Sambalpuri Folk Dance team showcased our beautiful folk dance form to the International audience by dancing to the melodious Rasa Jamudali song. The dancers were Ananya Buxi, Aadarsh Diwan, Mamata Buxi, Monalisa Misra, Rashmi Rekha Tripathy, Shilpi Mishra, Soumyashree Sarangi, Subhashree Tripathy, Sujaya Dash and Swagatika Adhikari. The dance was choreographed by Ananya Buxi.
c. Odissi Dance by ADA: The Odissi performance by Abhinaya Dance Academy elegantly showcased our beautiful classical dance to the International audience. The dancers were: Abhipsa Nayak, Bikhipta Panda, Deepa Moharana, Monalisa Mohapatra and Sagarika Pattnaik. The dance was choreographed by Bikhipta Panda.
d. Parade: The Odisha team participated in the parade alongside all other states present in the COI festival. Our dancers in colorful costumes and the two Chaiti Ghodas added color to our parade team.
OSA Convention 2024 at Nashville (July 4 - July 7)
Here’s the playlist with all the videos of Georgia performance at OSA Convention 2024.
YouTube Playlist:
Day 1 – 09/04/2024 Thursday:
OGT performances:
1. OGT: Prisha & Livna performance in OGT at OSA Convention 2024
2. OGT: Divyansh’s performance in OGT at OSA Convention 2024
3. OGT: Shreyanshi’s performance in OGT at OSA convention 2024
4. OGT: Anisha Buxi, Soubhagya Mohapatra, Shivangi Panda performance in OSA Got Talent at OSA Convention 2024
5. OGT: Ananya Buxi, Anoushka Misra, Aryaman Mohapatra, Ayush Panda performance in OGT at OSA Convention 2024
6. OGT: Sujata & Suprakash singing performance in OSA Got Talent at OSA Convention 2024
7. OGT: Sudipta’s performance in OSA Got Talent at OSA Convention 2024
8. OGT: Suprakash & Pramod Bhaina instrumental performance in OSA Got Talent at OSA Convention 2024
9. OGT: Shubham’s performance in OGT at OSA Convention 2024
10. Women’s Empowerment Seminar: Ananya & Anoushka at OSA Convention 2024
Day 2 : Friday 07/05/2024:
1. King Ashoka: OSA Georgia presentation at opening ceremony at OSA convention 2024
2. BOG Drama by the Members of OSA Board Of Governors:
3. Odia Shloka & short stories by Divyansh:
4. Subrina Biswal: Prisha’s performance in Subrina Biswal at OSA Convention 2024
5. Odissi Festival Performance by Team ADA Georgia Chapter by Nitu, Liza, Ranjita and Ankita
Day 3: Saturday 07/06/2024:
1. Gadbad – A Drama presentation by OSA Georgia at OSA convention 2024
2. OSAGA Closing act at OSA Convention 2024: Choto mora Gaan
3. Higher Education Seminar: Ananya at OSA convention 2024
Here’s the list of winners from the different competitions:
1- Sarvansh Mishra – 1st prize Meghna memorial creative writing 🏆
2- Divyansh Pal – 1st prize 🏆 OOL vocabulary contest
3- Suprakash Rath and Pramod Mohapatra – 1st prize🏆OSA Got Talent Senior category
4- Ananya Buxi, Anoushka Misra, Aryaman Mohapatra, Ayush Panda – 3rd prize OSA Got Talent Senior category 🏆
5- Priya Bhai, Sachi Pati, Shubham Rath, Smita Nani, Upendra Pal and Manas Padhiary – 3rd prize Inter chapter quiz competition. 🏆
Here’s the list of participation awards:
1. Pitha competition – Sujaya and Rashmi
2. Odia speech and vocabulary competition – Divyansh & Livna
3. Subrina Biswal performing arts competition – Prisa
Here’s the list of other participation:
1. Bhajana – Sujata & Suprakash
2. Mehfil participation – Rani Acharya, Paresh, Sujaya, Upendra, Smita nani, Suprakash
3. URMI editorial – Smita Nani.
4. Instrumental with celebrity artists – Sushant Maharana
OSA GA Vishwa Hindu Parisada(VHPA) New year & BAGA Baisakhi Mela (04/20/2024)
YouTube Link to performance videos:
Odisha folk Dhemsa & Jhumar performance at VHPA Hindu New Year celebration by OSA Georgia
Utkala Dibasa 2024 (04/13/2024)
YouTube Link: Utkala Dibasa 2024 Playlist
There were 370+ guests who attended the event and they had a brief meet and greet time over tea and our Odia classic Dahibara and Aludum prior to the start of the cultural program. There was a photo booth set up with all prominent tourism places depicted where everyone was seen clicking away pictures with their family and friends. The cultural program started at 4:30 PM as the youth emcees took the stage and invited the Chief Guest and the office bearers to start the proceedings of the day. The Chief Guest, Deputy Consul General of India at Atlanta Shri Madan Kumar Ghildiyal inaugurated the event by lighting the lamp. In his address, Shri Ghildiyal was effusive in his praise for OSA Georgia chapter for the way we have been actively promoting Odia culture locally in harmony and collaboration with the local Indian diaspora. There were 133 participants performing across 15 cultural programs spanning across Chanting, Odissi, Folk and Contemporary dance, Singing, Band, Drama and Kids Fashion Show. All the cultural programs were of high quality and provided a good mix of the rich cultural heritage of our motherland, Odisha. The cultural program ended at 8 O’clock and everyone was treated to a sumptuous dinner with Odia delicacies like Janhi Posta, Mutton Curry and Guda Rasagola and more. There were many rave reviews of the tasty food.
Overall it was a great event, and it was possible only because of the passionate leadership of a 45 strong leadership team.
National Drama festival (NDD 2024) (03/23/2024)
YouTube Link: OSA GA Adult Drama – Bagia ra booth
YouTube Link: OSA Georgia Adult Drama Full Drama festival link
YouTube Link: OSA Georgia Kids Drama Shree Ganesh
YouTube Link: OSA Georgia Kids Drama full drama festival link
YouTube Link: OSAGA NDF PLAYLIST 2024
RDF 2024 (03/09/2024)
YouTube Link: RDF 2024 OSA GA participation Playlist ((Ollywood Dance Dhamaka & Kids Fashion show))
Kalyan Jyoti 2024-1 (03/02/2024)
YouTube link: OSA Georgia Kalyan Jyoti 2024-1: MedShare, March 2, 2024
Republic day 2024 celebrations by Indian consulate in Atlanta (01/26/2024)
YouTube link: OSA Georgia Republic day celebrations by Indian consulate in Atlanta
Very proud to share that our chapter participated by invitation in the 75th Republic Day celebrations hosted by the Consulate General of India at Atlanta yesterday. The ceremony was presided by the Consul General Mr L Ramesh Babu and the Chief Guest was Congressman Dr Rich McCormick. There were a total of 4 cultural performances including ours – a folk dance with a beautiful combination of Mondei and Chaiti Ghoda Dance. Our dance performance completely in sync to a rhythmic folk tune, dazzling costumes and beautiful horses, was very unique and stole the show. There was very positive feedback from the audience including from Mr Ramesh Babu and Dr McCormick. The practice that all our performers put in, was clearly visible and we are so proud that we have such wonderful talent who make Odias positively stand out in the local Indian diaspora in Georgia.
The performers were,
Mr. Keshav Garg
Ms. Bikhipta Panda
Ms. Laxmi Garg
Ms. Mamata Buxi
Ms. Monalisa Misra
Ms. Rashmirekha Tripathy
Ms. Sujaya Dash Padhiary
Mr. Sachikanta Mohapatra
Mr. Sushant Moharana
Ms. Bikhipta Panda
Ms. Laxmi Garg
Ms. Mamata Buxi
Ms. Monalisa Misra
Ms. Rashmirekha Tripathy
Ms. Sujaya Dash Padhiary
Mr. Sachikanta Mohapatra
Mr. Sushant Moharana
Chapter events 2023
Youth Engagement 2023 (12/09/2023)
Youth Engagagement(Holiday craft & Baking) 12/09/2023
OSA GA at IACA Diwali 2023 (11/11/2023)
YouTube link: Chapter participations at IACA Diwali 2023
Our chapter participated in the Diwali celebrations organized by IACA (India America Cultural Association) Georgia at the North Point Mall on Saturday November 11th. It’s the first time IACA was conducting the event at the mall, and it was very well received by a large audience present. Many local communities, cultural associations, dance and music schools participated in the event, and we were proud to participate as a chapter and showcase Odia eminence in two areas.
a) Folk Dance presentation: Ladies from our odia community presented a beautiful Sambalpuri Dance performance to the melodious Rangabti song by Sona Mohapatra. The performance was highly appreciated by the audience, and people were seen inquiring about the dance, the beautiful attire and jewelry. Our sincere appreciation to the 9 ladies
Gayathri Shriram
who practiced on a short notice and presented it so well in front of the audience.
b) Konarka Banner: We had set up a large free standing Konarka banner with the wheel prominently at the center. It was placed centrally near the main stage area and was the chief attraction for the audience to take pictures. Thanks to the prominence of Konarka background at the welcome stage during the G20 summit, many knew Konarka already and were happy to click pictures with it. For the few who didn’t know and had questions, it was exciting to explain to them about our rich art and sculpture. Even if a small percentage of the folks make plans to visit Odisha during their next India trip, it would be a great accomplishment for all of us.
In addition to these two items, our Odia families participated in other events as well. Sujaya Dash Padhiary and Monalisa Mohapatra Liza participated in a multi-state fashion show, Ranjita Palei Bariik participated in a fashion show, Kids (Neerja, Tanishi, Gargi, Mrinal and Uma) from Abhinaya Dance Academy presented a mesmerizing Odissi Dance performance, and our teens (Kashish, Ayushi, Anisha, Anie, Shivangi) participated in one flash mob and Tarushi participated in another.
Overall, these 6 different cultural presentations by 23 different participants and the Odisha banner that strongly demonstrated our Odisha presence at IACA as a strong community in the local Atlanta area. It has been possible because of active participation and leadership by all of us. Let’s continue this trajectory and continue to showcase Odisha and Odia prominence in the local area.
Jai Jagannath
Kumara Utsava 2023 (10/28/2023)
YouTube link: Kumara Utsava 2023 Playlist
This year, we got the opportunity to celebrate on the actual day of Kumar Poornima, October 28th, and sure enough the divine blessings were with us for a wonderful day. There were 350+ people who attended the event and cheered for the performers. The theater was almost full to capacity the entire time. Having such a supportive audience is instrumental for encouraging our performers and keeping our culture alive in this faraway land here.
The wonderful display of cultural programs by kids, teens and adults defined the word perfection. There were 138 performers. When one includes parents, choreographers and Gurus, it must be about 200 people who put in their heart and soul into practicing to bring perfection to us. We had a great lineup of cultural programs right from Shloka chanting, to Odissi, Bharatanatyam, Bollywood dances, Odia and Hindi vocals, Band and much more. In addition, we had two very unique additions this year; (a) traditional Chanda Puja and (b) a very innovative and trendsetting Odia teens Beauty Pageant Ms Utkalini. All the cultural programs were of very high quality and were much appreciated by the audience.
The venue was very well decorated with a beautiful full moon themed photo booth, hand crafted Tulasi Chaura and hand painted Boita backdrop and a large Konark Chakra backdrop. The food with an impressive spread of Garam Chai, Dahibara, Aludam, Alu Potala, Chhena Tarkaari, Mangsha Jhola, khata, Dali, Mitha Dahi and Chhena Gaja kept our stomachs deliciously filled throughout the day.
This event was made possible because of the tireless and passionate effort of 42 leaders across teams and many more volunteers. We are certainly fortunate and proud to have such a spirited team of leaders in our community to continue to deliver such high quality cultural programs to nurture and promote our Odia culture.
OSA Georgia Community Outreach: Raksha Bandhan with Police Department (10/14/2023)
OSA Georgia Community Outreach: Raksha Bandhan with Police Department
Youth engagement 2023: Diya making (10/07/2023)
RDF 2023 Regional Drama Fest hosted by OSA Georgia (08/26/2023)
The RDF 2023 was held at the Lanier High School theater on Saturday August 26th. We had a total five (5) dramas featured in the RDF with one from the Southeast chapter, two from the Southern Chapter and two from the Georgia chapter. The drama topics ranged from contemporary social topics to history and mythology with active participation from adults and kids. All the drama presentations were highly appreciated by the 225+ audience present.
In addition to the excellent drama presentations, there were many other cultural programs ranging from solo dance and singing to instrumental and stand-up comedy. Our visiting artist Ms. Nazia Alam graced the occasion with her presence and some soulful singing of Bhajans as well as melodious Odia and Bollywood numbers. There were group dance performances to her beautiful live singing on stage.
The great line up of cultural programs were nicely complimented by some mouthwatering food starting from tea, snacks (Kachoodi Aludum and pizza), to a full course dinner (veg and non-veg options).
Keeping with the spirit of RDF, there was great interaction before, during and after the event between the members across Southeast, Southern and Georgia chapters. The chit-chat (read khatti) went on until 3:00am in the morning following the event. The RDF 2023 may well have been over, but through that we have built new relationships that will continue to flourish over the years.
YouTube link: Regional Drama Fest 2023 Playlist
OSA Georgia hosted our first event involving our neighboring chapters along with us. We had 5 wonderful dramas accompanied by some solo and group performances as well as live singing by our invited artist, Dr Nazia Alam! There were the 5 dramas one each by Southern kids, Georgia adults, Georgia kids, Southern adults,
and Southeast adults and kids.
– ମାଡ ହାଣ୍ଡି କଥା – by Southern kids
– USA vs India lifestyle – by Southern adults
– ସାନ ସିନା ସିୟେ, ଦାନଟା ମହାନ – by Southeast adults and kids
– ମୋ ସ୍ତ୍ରୀର ବାହାଘର – by Georgia adults
– ଶ୍ରୀ ଗଣେଶ – by Georgia kids
IACA Festivals of India 2023 (08/13/2023)
YouTube Link: Folk dance at IACA Festival of India 2023
Incredible Odisha @ Incredible India
We are so proud and honored to have participated in this year’s Festival of India organized by IACA in Atlanta Georgia. The event attracted over 5000 attendees from Indian and American diaspora join the celebration for the 75th Indian Independence Day. It was graced by the consul general, India In USA (Consulate General of India, Atlanta) and Bollywood actress Sonali Bendre Behl as chief guests! It was an honor to participate and represent our state Odisha there.
We represented Odisha in the Incredible India initiative and had a booth where we displayed artifacts on art, craft, tourism and heritage of Odisha. We had a TV proudly displaying the different attractions of our motherland, our beloved state Odisha, India’s best kept secret. Many visitors stopped by, discussed and learnt about the wonderful things about our state Odisha!
We also had a chapter booth where we showcased our chapter, it’s activities and promoted our Odia entrepreneurs!
Our youth and children participated in a flag March with people from all Indian communities, and led by Sonali Bendre, the invited Bollywood star from India.
Our community members presented Odisha classical and folk dances at the function. Our Odissi dance team from Abhinaya Dance Academy won the coveted 1st prize in the competitive dance segment. Our folk dancers will go in the afternoon presentation ceremony and dazzle the stage!
Very proud and humble moment indeed to get the opportunity to represent Odisha in the wider Indian community!
OSA Convention 2023 at Chicago (07/07/2023 to 07/09/2023)
YouTube link: OSA Convention 2023 Chicago, OSA Georgia performance Playlist
FRIDAY 7/7
OSA Georgia OGT Performances :
1. Ananya, Anoushka, Ansh, Aryaman, Soham: https://youtu.be/WqQkrnXVIaU
2. Anisha, Shivangi, Som: https://youtu.be/lPBaQb_cM6A
3. Shubham and Sharlav: https://youtu.be/XviLjvPbtHw
4. Livna and Shreyanshi: https://youtu.be/RXtNQia7o9w
5. Nirja: https://youtu.be/3Bn0U4kkzbA
6.Swagatika: https://youtu.be/UstLVxRv3C0
SATURDAY 7/8
1. Georgia chapter Inaugural performance (18 participants from GA) at OSA Convention 2023: https://youtu.be/BdRs-vxzkoo
2. BOG Drama Presentation: https://www.youtube.com/live/
3. NextGen performance at OSA Convention – Georgia participation https://youtu.be/EzvB1sTOaWY
4. Awards (Quiz and OGT) at OSA Convention 2023: https://youtu.be/8ocsca2s_Ac
SUNDAY 7/9
1. Promode Patnaik Interchapter Drama Competition (14 performers from Georgia) – Georgia Drama ‘Odia Toka’: https://youtu.be/Ks9b7-uhVqE
2. Odissi Multichapter Performance by Georgia Chapter by Nitu, Liza and Ranjita: https://youtu.be/L-x3XeqW8Ls
3. Closing Performance by Georgia chapter: Sujaya, Ranj, Anoushka, Ananya, Mona, Pallavi https://youtu.be/fSgbNu3lwZ4
Here’s the playlist with all the videos of Georgia performance at OSA Convention 2023 YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/
Here’s the list of winners from the different competitions:
1. Quiz prize – 1st prize: Chinmaya, Sarthak, Manas, Reena, Satya, Suryamani Mausa (Liza’s father)
2. OSA Got Talent
a) 18+ : 1st prize – Ananya, Aryaman, Ansh, Anouska, Soham
b) 13+ : 2nd prize – Soubhagya, Anisha and Shivangi
c) 6-12: 3rd prize – Shubham and Sharlav
3. Odissi Champu Chhanda
a) 18+ : 1st prize – Soham
4. Pitha competition
a) participation award – Sujaya
5. Mehfil participation
a) Rani Acharya
b) Aparna Nani and Ankita
Utkala Dibasa 2023 (04/22/2023)
YouTube Link: Utkala Dibasa 2023 performance playlist
We celebrated Utkala Dibasa in Georgia on Saturday April 22nd. It was very well attended by people from all over Georgia spanning from Cumming to Columbus.
As guests started trickling in they mingled over delicious Odia Dahibara Aludum , while socializing over cups of steaming tea and getting ready for the cultural functions coming up. The cultural programs included Sloka chanting, Odissi dance, Sambalpuri dance, Ollywood style dance, group singing and walking the ramp with Odia Sarees n Ethnic wear. The timely ending of the show was commended by the guests who were glad to do ଗପ ସପ and chat while enjoying the sumptuous Odia dinner. Everyone loved to get a flavor of their favorite Odia food with “ଛେନା ତରକାରି”, “ଆଳୁ ପୋଟଳ ରସା”. The non vegetarian folks were seen enjoying “Chicken ତରକାରି”.
The venue was beautifully decorated and people were seen clicking away, taking pictures and creating memories with their families and friends. There were several stalls showcasing their products and services ranging from financial services to jewelry.
This year OSA-GA also welcomed a few postgraduate students who were delighted to find Odisha right here , home away from home.
The participants thoroughly enjoyed the event and there were requests for continuing to conduct this program to celebrate Odia culture in the upcoming years. The success of the event was evident in the joyful smiles of one and all who attended and were testimony to our happily growing ODIA family of the larger Atlanta area.
National Drama Festival NDF 2023 (03/25/2023)
YouTube link: Promo of NDF 2023 (National Drama Festival)
YouTube Link: NAARI by OSA Georgia kids at NDD 2023
Kalyan Jyoti 2023: Meals By Grace in collaboration with Vibha (03/26/2023)
YouTube Link: Meals By Grace in collaboration with Vibha
Chapter events 2022
Kumara Utsava 2022 (10/08/2022)
It was an excellent Kumar Utsava and we showcased our Odia community really well.- ~500 people attended the event – Addressed virtually by Hon Governor of Odisha Prof Ganeshi Lal, and subsequently by Hon Chief Minister of Odisha Shri Naveen Patnaik – Inaugurated by Chief Guest Hon MOS for external affairs and parliamentary affairs Shri V Muraleedraran and Hon CGI Dr. Swati Kulkarni – There were 132 unique participants, 69 adults and 63 kids – 45 strong leadership team leading 9 streams of work. – 16 performances with 3 of those from wider Indian communities – 14 mouth watering food items not including chips and cookies
YouTube Link: Kumara Utsava 2022
Folk dance from Odisha at IFA Freedom Mela 2022 (08/20/2022)
YouTube Link: Folk dance from Odisha at IFA Freedom Mela 2022
Folk dance from Odisha at Consulate Independence Day 2022 (08/15/2022)
Folk dance from Odisha & Odisha stall at IACA Independence Day 2022 (08/13/2022)
World Culture Day (07/22/2022)
*W O R L D C U L T U R E S D A Y*
It’s indeed a proud moment for our OSA Georgia chapter to present Indian culture as a part of World Cultures Performance at the Senior Services center at Forsyth county! And what a day to get this opportunity , when we have our first ever Odia woman president of India getting elected to office! Truly a proud day!
Our 35+ talented performers showcased Indian culture to the 100+ audience including 40+ Seniors and mesmerized them through 11 performances spanning over an hour! Our EC team (Rani, Rashmi, Sujaya and Prabir) planned and executed the program to the tee. We started the program on time, had high quality performances one after the other without any glitch, finished the program on time and gave a very high professional experience!
The county personnel and the audience were in awe of our performance today! We surely lived up to our reputation based on our Utkala Dibasa event. Kudos to our performers, parents, choreographers and the EC team for a job fantastically done! We received a participation certificate for our chapter!
A very proud day indeed!
YouTube Link: World Culture Day
OSA Convention (07/01/2022 to 07/03/2022)
YouTube Link: OSA Convention 2022
A. Performances:
- Opening Song: The opening song “Samparka Setu” was a massive production with 46 singers singing in unison, and it was great to see our own Monali as a part of the team on the stage.
- Chapter cultural: Bandhana Ra Srota – A thematic presentation with Ananya, Aryaman, Vedic, Nitu, Monali, Mamata and Ranjita performing to a beautiful song on our relationship with our village and nature, choreographed by Nitu and Ananya.
- Tiki Duniya – Livna performed a beautiful Odissi dance, and was probably the youngest dancer on the stage.
- Odissi dance festival – Ranjita and Nitu mesmerized the audience with their “Kalavati Pallavi” dance in the Odissi Festival.
- Konark Express: A show by OSA Youth, it was completely executed by the youth team and was one of the best cultural programs of OSA 2022. Our chapter kids Aryaman, Ananya and Anisha participated in the show and stole the hearts of the audience
- Mehfil – The Qawwali by our Georgia team (Asit, Chinmaya, Monali, Munu Apa, Rajesh) in collaboration with the Southern and California chapter was a unique presentation. It’s amazing to see the idea conceived by Smrutirekha during our Utkala Dibasa celebration being performed in the convention. Monali also sang a beautiful Odia song in the Mehfil.
- Fashion show – Ranjita, Monali and Vedic walked the ramp in style, during the fashion show as a part of the closing ceremony.
- Opening Ceremony: Livna also did the honors of handing over the bouquet to the mayor of Sacramento during the opening ceremony
- Drama: We presented a fictional drama “Samaya Setu”. Our actors Asit, Bhabani, Chinmaya, Lalit, Priya Bhai and Rajesh traveled through time and brought back a key message for our audience. The drama team was supported by Manas, Rani, Ananya and Mamata.
- Chess: Vedic played in the chess tournament on-site and was (no surprises!!) undefeated through the championship.
B. Awards:
- Samik Singh Youth entrepreneur award: 3rd prize : Anisha Buxi.
- Chess: 1st prize Vedic Panda. Vedic was undefeated through the entire competition and was the champion by a BIG margin.
- Pramod Patnaik Drama Shield: OSA GA drama team. This is the first time we competed as a chapter team in the drama competition and won the award.
Utkala Dibasa 2022 (04/16/2022)
YouTube Link: Utkala Dibasa Playlist 2022
YouTube link: Utkala Dibasa 2022 Full video
What an awesome evening it was! We did anticipate 250 people, and it’s humbling to know that we had over 300 people attend the event! Everyone enjoyed the event, the variety of cultural programs, the food and the overall organization! Kudos to all the performers and volunteers for their hard work, diligence and a job excellently done!
The performers (yes, 97 performers) practiced hard to perfect their performances! Be it dance or singing, all the performances were super awesome!! The choreographers showed all their creativity!
The volunteers, and a 42 strong volunteer team, literally moved a mountain to bring this wholesome experience for us!
The cultural team led the cultural planning to make sure we have a good mix of cultural programs with wide participation across age groups! The flyers and promos kept building the hype and visibility of the program. The scheduling of programs, organizing and running the tech, everything made the program run smooth and on schedule! Truly a job really well done!
The backstage team did the heroic job yet again keeping all performers ready in time for their turn! The programs ran like a clockwork without any delay in transition.
The food team left no stone unturned to have a variety of mouth watering food to satiate our taste buds! There was in excess of 350 lb of food cooked, not to include so much yummy food procured from our favorite caterers! The food team made cooking a fun event, enjoyable and look easy, but it sure was a lot of haaaarrrd work! And the result was soooo goood! The odia delicacies were just so very perfect and everyone was going ga ga over the food!
The photo and video team had the best view of the stage, but were looking at the performances through the lenses all the time to make sure they capture all the moments forever in the beautiful pictures and videos! We’ll get to see the excellent pictures and videos coming out in a few days!
Our youth did a fantastic job yet again! Right from helping out in receiving guests, to emceeing to helping out in food, backstage, technology, cleanup etc our youth helped out everywhere ! They certainly deserve a lot of applause and we will give them volunteer hours credit for the help extended!
Our audience were very appreciative; they patiently sat through the program, enjoyed every moment, applauded the performances and encouraged our performers!
OSA Georgia Drama for NDD 2022 (03/26/2022)
YouTube Link: Pressure Cooker OSA Georgia Drama for NDD 2022
Republic Day by CGI Atlanta (01/26/2022)
AVAHANA 2022 (1/22/2022)
YouTube Link: AVAHANA 2022 Playlist
By the grace of Lord Jagannath, we witnessed an immensely successful, engaging, musical and soulful evening of Avahana 2022.
Heartfelt thanks to the audience from across time zones, for actively participating and encouraging the participants and artists.
There were so many unsolicited hugely positive appreciation of the overall experience in the Avahana event! If we try to summarize in three words, it is Team Georgia Rocks!
We all know that it takes a lot of preparation to pull off an event of this high quality. A lot of personal dedicated time, effort and creativity has gone into bringing this wholesome experience!
Our event team, Smita Suvadarsini Panda, Suprakash Rath, Reena Sahoo, Sachikanta Mohapatra and Snehansu Bhuyan left no stone unturned to make sure we have an excellent line up of programs, planned and executed so nicely near perfection! A special mention to Sachikanta for the professional video editing and creative promos. Reena’s ability to to pull together the yoga team and organize the yoga event cannot be matched! Smita Nani and Suprakash brought all their experience, kept all of us organized and on our toes to complete our actions on time! And Snehanshu was always there when needed!
The event team was consistently supported by Subhashree Tripathy and Rani Acharya right through in planning and organizing!
The emcees (Reena, Madhusmita Khuntia and Madhu Pradhan, Subhashree, Rashmi Rekha Tripathy, Smita Nani, Bikhipta Panda, Rebati Sethy and Asit Sahoo) each brought in a different flavor and made the presentation so professional and beautiful! Kudos to the team!
All the performances were fantastic! It takes a lot of practice to bring such level of perfection! We are very grateful to the Georgia families and the wider OSA family outside Georgia to participate actively in yoga and singing! We demonstrated our one OSA family spirit. Kudos to the performers, especially our young performers and their parents!!!
Our invited artists (Pradip Palai for patriotic songs and Anusaya Nath, Purna Chandra Sahoo, Jagabandhu Muduli and team for devotional songs) and guest speaker (Nivedita Ganapathi) were exceptional! The singers from Odisha presented so very professionally without a glitch a very wholesome experience! Nita Ganapathi’s discourse was so enlightening and engaging! Gratitude to our invited artists and guest speaker!
Our sponsors and donors opened their hearts (and pockets) to support the event! Big gratitude to them. Kudos to our young and dynamic Lalit Barik for driving the sponsorship effort, as well as the membership drive!
Teamwork makes dream work!
Team Georgia Rocks!
Chapter events 2021
OSA Convention 2021 at Houston (07/02/21 to 07/04/2021)
YouTube Link: OSA Georgia at National Drama Day(NDD) 2021
OSA Georgia at National Drama Day (NDD) 2021 (05/30/2021)
YouTube Link: OSA Convention 2021 performance Playlist
Banabhoji 2021 (05/15/2021)
