Bhubaneswar: The 5th Ekalavya Model Residential School (EMRS) National Cultural and Literary Festival and Kala Utsav titled ‘UDBHAV’ will be held in Odisha’s capital city from November 12 to 15.
Organised by the ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Department of Odisha, the festival is being funded by the National Educational Society for Tribal Students (NESTS). The four-day event, to be held at Siksha O Anusandhan (SOA) Deemed to be University, will see the participation of more than 1,300 students and 250 teachers from Ekalavya Model Residential Schools of 22 states.
This year’s UDBHAV festival will commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of tribal leader Birsa Munda. Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durgadas Uikey and Odisha minister Nityananda Gond will attend the opening ceremony.
The fest will provide tribal students a national platform to showcase their talents in different spheres. They will be competing in 47 events such as storytelling, music, dance, singing, debate, elocution, etc.
Innovative and creative workshops have also been planned where students will be able to learn new skills as well as sharpen their existing skills.
The previous four editions of UDBHAV festival were held in Dehradun (2023), Bengaluru (2022), Udaipur (2019) and Jamshedpur (2018).