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This Odisha village gets electricity after 41 years of wait

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Bhubaneswar, March 12 (LocalWire): When linemen came calling to their village last week, they knew all too well that their long-and-arduous wait for electricity will end soon.

Although it situated just 25 km from the state’s busiest city of Bhubaneswar, Kandalei village had to wait 41 years for electricity. Last Saturday, though, the residents were finally able to witness something majestic, as their village lit up with lights from streets and houses.

Since Kandalei is situated adjacent to the Chandaka-Dampara Elephant sanctuary, villagers had been deprived of their most basic necessity of life. After dusk, Kandalei engulfs in darkness. Children skip studies and sleep.


However on that day, it was a break from their routine. Villagers took to streets and celebrated village electrification with same excitement and fervor as they would on a diwali night.

Though established in 1978, Kandalei’s first breakthrough came after a joint meeting of panchayat members, block officials and politicians, including Ex-MLA Bibhuti Bhusan Balabantaray.

ASSRA, a local NGO, had also played a major role in pushing its case in government offices.

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Netas worried over Danda Nata and 1st phase poll date clash

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Berhampur, March 12 (LocalWire): The Berhampur constituency will vote in the first phase of polling for both Assembly and Lok Sabha seats on 11 April but several villages in Ganjam and Gajapati districts will not have full voting percentage as hundreds of people participating in Danda Nata will be away from their villages and not be able to exercise their franchise.

The residents of the region take part in the annual Danda Nata – a seasonal folk dance – which continues at a stretch for 14 days to 21 days to appease Lord Shiva and Shakti.

Beginning in the Odia month of Chaitra, it comes to an end on Maha Visubha Shamkranti or 14 April.

Participants or Danduas travel in troupes consisting of 21 to 1000 members from almost all the villages in the district to perform while roaming from one village to the other.

Berhampur Lok Sabha constituency, spreading over Ganjam and Gajapati districts with five (Berhampur, Chikiti, Chhatrapur, Digapahandi and Gopalpur) and two (Mohana and Paralakhemundi) Assembly segments respectively, will go to poll during the first phase.

The leaders of all political parties and their candidates are worried over the poll schedule announced by the election commission.

They faced a similar situation in 2014, when polling was affected due to Danda Nata. ‘The schedule is contradicting the EC’s 100 percent polling idea, particularly in Berhampur Lok Sabha constituency,’ said BJD secretary T Gopi.

‘We will request the Election Commissioner to change the date of polling,’ said the working president of Ganjam district Congress committee Deepak Patnaik.

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Odisha women fight malnutrition with backyard gardens

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Bhabanipatna, (Kalahandi), March 11

Pramila Behera, 27, of Pengdusi village in Kalahandi district has started her nutrition garden in a small patch of land beside her house. The garden offers her the freedom to decide what kind of food she serves her family.

She grows seasonal, as well as perennial crops like radish, carrot, cauliflower, peas, cowpeas, beans, okra, spinach, coriander, brinjal, tomato, onion, a variety of edible tubers, gourds and greens, to make her garden a rich and reliable source of fresh and nutritious food.

Similar to the traditional kitchen garden, the difference is that Behera grows a wide range of vegetables and legumes so as to fulfill the micronutrient needs of her family.

Nutrition gardens are gathering popularity in many districts of Odisha, including KBK, the area covering Kalahandi, Balangir and Koraput that has been split into eight districts, known for poverty.

Financial liability

“Earlier, I couldn’t fulfill the food needs of my children since we bought vegetables from the market, where prices were too high. We could hardly spend Rs 200 a week on vegetables and provisions,” Behera, working in her garden, “We don’t buy vegetables anymore.”

At least 12 women of Pengdusi have their own gardens in the backyard and grow more than 15 varieties of vegetables and greens. “We save money we spent earlier at the market buying vegetables at a high price, and eat fresh vegetables that are good for health,” said Radhamani Nayak, the village daycare center worker.

For Padma Naik, 45, of Telguda, buying food from the market to feed her 7-member family was a huge financial burden. “We spent over Rs 1,500 a month on vegetables and that was not sufficient,” Naik said.  “That’s why we started this; now, we are free to decide our menu.”

A study found that 31% of the households in the region spent Rs 1,000 or less per month on food items, and 55% spent between Rs 1,000 and 2,000. Their food budget was 57% of the total monthly household expenditure.

“Being poor, buying vegetables was a huge burden for us. We could not buy many vegetables because we couldn’t afford them,” said Akshaya Lima of Marathiguda village in Rayagada district. “I am happy now as my wife Nalini has made us food sufficient by growing over 15 varieties of vegetables and greens.”

Balanced diet

Dibyasini Nayak, 16, is happy with the nutrition garden because of the choice it offers. “Earlier we took whatever my mother served. Now, I get to pick – a cucumber, a tomato or a handful of greens,” she said. In Telguda, 25 women raise nutrition gardens to fulfill the nutrition needs of their families.

“When you have to buy vegetables, pulses, eggs and fish, you’ll automatically buy vegetables or whatever is cheaper,” said Sweta Banerjee, Kolkata-based public health nutritionist at Welthungerlife, who has studied nutrition gardens and their role in empowering women and addressing malnutrition in KBK. “But, when you grow vegetables, you can buy eggs or fish since animal protein is also important in the diet.”

Organic produce

Women show interest in nutrition gardens, as there is no financial investment, only some labor. Also, they can feed their family fresh vegetables where no chemical pesticide or inorganic fertilizer has been used.

“We get seeds from farmers and distribute among women. We do not advocate use of hybrid or high-yielding varieties, chemical pesticides or fertilizers,” said Debjeet Sarangi of Living Farms, a non-profit organization that promotes nutrition gardens in the region, with Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives (APPI) and Odisha Livelihood Mission (OLM).

“There’s no input cost as improvement of soil health and pest management are through ecological methods,” Sarangi said.

Dietary diversity

Dietary diversity is key to improving nutrition security. “Women plan the crops to ensure consistent supply,” said Banerjee. “It ensures consistent micronutrient for the villagers, particularly women and children, who are more prone to malnutrition and ensuing issues.”

Nalini Lima of Marathiguda village takes pride in serving her family’s favorite vegetables and greens, and fulfilling their nutrition needs. “The objective is to improve nutrition status of pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls and under-5 children, through dietary diversity,” said Sarangi.

Dietary equity

According to the dietary guidelines of Hyderabad-based National Institute of Nutrition, ‘Nutrition is a basic prerequisite to sustain life,’ and ‘variety in food is…the essence of nutrition and health.’ “There is no dietary balance, if the woman has no control over what she cooks; with nutrition garden, she has,” Banerjee said.

The gardens also promote equity without any discrimination between male and female members of the family. “Usually male members have the prime share. In families with a nutrition garden, such discrimination is not there,” said Basanti Bag, the accredited social health activist (ASHA) of Telguda.

Mother of an adolescent girl, Sitaguru Kadraka of Krushna Patraguda village in Rayagada district said, “We need not discriminate when we have enough food. Secondly, as future mothers, girls need nourishment.”

Tackling malnutrition

The target being 7,50,000 households, to address chronic malnutrition among tribal population, more than 80,000 households in two malnutrition-affected districts, Rayagada and Kalahandi, have started nutrition gardens.

Diagnosed undernourished six years ago, Alladini Bhanda, 27, and her husband Ashok Bhanda, 34, of Ratanpur village in Balangir district gave credit to their nutrition garden for their weight gain from 35kg and 48kg, to 45kg and 64kg respectively.

“Till I started the nutrition garden in 2013 with support from Reliance Foundation, our daily meal was of rice and one vegetable, cooked or roasted,” said Alladini Bhanda. “Today, I feed my children vegetables so that there won’t be any malnutrition-induced physical and mental weakness.”

Gardens of hope

In Balangir district there are over 2,000 nutrition gardens. “Since they are poor and hit by regular draughts, we supply fences and garden tools,” Abagyanta Das Naik of Reliance Foundation said.  “We also link women with government departments for farming and nutrition-related advices.”

Since it is fenced, many of us grow banana, lemon and moringa trees to make the gardens more productive,” said Mathura Podha of Ratanpur.

In the tribal pockets of Odisha, 51.8% of adolescent girls and 30.3% of women are undernourished according to a UNICEF report. As per a baseline survey of Women and Child Development department, 72% of under-5 tribal children in the 15 high-burden districts, including KBK, are anemic.

National Family Health Survey 4 (NFHS 4) 2015-16 confirms high prevalence of stunting and wasting among under-5 tribal children in KBK. When the data are so discouraging, nutrition gardens bring hopes of nutrition security.

*Written by Basudev Mahapatra for Village Square and republished here in arrangement with Village Square.

Stop body-shaming: Why women should support each other (Special)

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Bhubaneswar, March 11 (LocalWire): Despite campaigns against body-shaming and its adverse effects on mental health, the cruel practice continues to haunt young girls in campuses today.

The problem is more visible when they join colleges, as they step into a world of new possibilities and freedom from their regimented school life and close care of parents.

At such an age, body-shaming can leave them in a state of permanent psychological trauma, as they become more conscious about how they look, or how others think or talk about them.

Speaking to LocalWire, several young girls have recently narrated their own personal experiences of body-shaming, and how they’ve managed to cope with such a situation.

Many, though, have revealed that support from fellow girlfriends has been a major help in overcoming the painful situation.

Shruti, a university student, said that she had seen all too closely how body-shaming and “character assassination” by fellow mates had caused her an enduring mental pain.

“I would never forget the remarks that echoed in the hallways of my college,” she said. But what troubled her most was the fact that those belittling voices had come from girls.

She said, “I was a little shy, and introverted; so I was never a part of big groups growing up, which is not a problem at all. But I used to hear girls in my class gossip about other girls.

“It wasn’t long before I started hearing talks about myself,” Shruti said.

She recalls how at times she had doubted herself. “It affects your confidence, when they throw such things at you, especially from those who should stand with you.

“A non-judgmental approach to life can be the best solution for the problem,” Shruti said.

Krishna, a graduation student of a women’s college in Bhubaneswar, said she always had insecurities about her body and how she looked.

She, though, had come out with a solution herself to deal with the problem, and that worked for her.

She had decided to post a picture of herself on social media, with a caption about her body. “My post was the topic of discussion for everyone when I went to college next day. They were laughing at my pictures and accusing me of being a fake feminist.”

“Every time a woman talks about another woman in such a way, it’s a step back for the entire community. If it weren’t for the unity of women in New York in 1908, protesting for equal rights, we wouldn’t have had this movement.

“Had women not stood up with the victims of the #metoo movement, the evil voices would have won over. The common factor in these scenarios is women supporting each other,” she said.

She has now put all that behind her, and finally is able to appreciate her looks.

LocalWire

LumsLeeshdiaries: Odisha’s Gen-Next bloggers (special)

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Bhubaneswar, March 10 (LocalWire): Here’s a story of two blogger sisters who are all set to storm the online world with their passion for fashion, make-up, fitness, travel and food.

Meet Luma and Leesha Rath, both professional lawyers, but also making their presence felt in the blogging world.

The sister duo agrees blogging is now in sync with their lifestyles.

“Nobody can feed you fashion sense in a spoon, it’s self-taught. That’s how we polished our skills,” said Leesha.

Asked about any disagreement between them over any work issue, Luma said, “A little flexibility always helps, you surely find a solution.”

“Challenges came our way, but when we got organized and learned to have patience the results began to show,” said Luma.

The sisters love to travel, and blog about different cultures.

They had been to US, Europe, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Dubai in their quest to learn about other cultures.

Their website lldiaries.com was launched on 12th March, 2018 and is full of fresh content for the viewers.

They are already collaborating with many national and global brands like Lavie, Masaba Gupta, Bausch and Lomb, Lenskart, Ranee by Aashka goradia, Precious You, among over 100 brands.

The bloggers sisters are already a big hit on social media.

Asked if they have a message for women entrepreneurs like them, they said, “Be a stronger version of you.”

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BJP seems to be winning the perception war!

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Bhubaneswar, March 9 (LocalWire): With the induction of former Kendrapara MP Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda into the party, the BJP seems to be winning the perception war against its main rival, the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal.

Compared to BJD’s latest import, former works secretary, Nalini Kant Pradhan, who is widely speculated to be the party’s likely candidate from the Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat, Panda not only enjoys a clean image but is also seen as suave, sophisticated and articulate, attributes currently on a premium in the BJP.

Add to this, the fact that Panda hails from a resourceful family and he becomes irresistible for a party like BJP, which is looking for leaders with a high public profile in the state.

As an acquisition, Panda seems to be much more valuable for the BJP even compared to the likes of former Mumbai police commissioner Arup Patnaik, whom the rival BJD had welcomed with great fanfare.

Bureaucrats and police officers, irrespective of the image they earn during their service period and which sometimes becomes their public identity even in later life, come into politics with certain handicaps.

While they tend to become a prisoner of their image they also lack political experience.

Unlike them politicians, even as novices, enjoy much more flexibility and strike a rapport with the people with relative ease.

Panda’s prospects in the BJP would be even better because he is not only pretty experienced but also enjoys a certain social cache which his rivals in other parties lack.

No wonder the party has made him its national vice-president and spokesperson.

The extra responsibility being thrust upon him will act as a spur for him and also help his rise within the party.

Talking of perception the BJP has been lucky in being able to attract new faces like former IAS officer, Aparajita Sarangi who can easily strike a rapport with the people because of the goodwill she had earned as a bureaucrat.

If the party fields her from the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency, as it being speculated now, she can give any candidate in the BJD a run for his or her money.

This is because of her public image as an upright and efficient bureaucrat who had made a name for herself during her stint as the commissioner of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation.

She has the image of being people-centric and will be able to sway the voters in an urban dominated constituency like Bhubaneswar.

The BJD will struggle to find a match for her.

Even if the ruling party fields Arup Patnaik, as is being speculated, Aparajita will prove to be a much better candidate.

Patnaik, after all has never worked in the state and is still seen as someone with a stiff upper lip.

The BJP, thus, seems to be one up on the BJD as far as the perception game is concerned.

However, the party needs to work harder on its campaign machinery and must scale up its psychological war against the ruling party as the elections near.

LocalWire

Perseverance is the key: a young boy’s rise from poverty (Special)

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Bhubaneswar, March 7 (LocalWire): To reinstate one’s faith in hard work, one must meet 23-year-old Kishan Digal of Gumarh, Phulbani, who defied all odds to build a financially stable life for himself and his family.

His parents separated when he was barely two years old and unable to bear the villagers’ taunts, his mother escaped to the capital.

They took refuge in a slum in Bhubaneswar and she eked out a living by doing odd jobs.

Kishan credits his mother for her grit and determination.

She enrolled him in a government school despite facing monetary problems.

Kishan, too, proved his worth, and worked so laboriously that the school provided him free education under the fee waiver scheme.

The boy pursued a diploma course from a reputed private college after completing his school with a good academic record in 2010.

But as luck would have it, he did not get a good job and ended up working in a grocery store. But still, he never stopped dreaming big.

‘I took a bold step in 2016 and moved to Pune in search of a job and after struggling for two months I found one. There has been no looking back since then,’ Kishan told LocalWire.

Recently, he took his mother on a tour of Maharashtra which made her extremely proud.

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Eye on tourists, govt expedites work on 30 eco-tourism sites (Special)

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Bhubaneswar, March 7 (LocalWire): Keen to market the bounteous natural beauty of Odisha the state government has expedited work on the 30 eco-tourism sites spread across 22 districts of the state. Facilities for tourists are being developed at these sites which have been carefully selected with an eye on their potential to attract the footloose and fancy-free travellers.

A joint initiative of forest and tourism departments it is being hailed as a game changer in the field of tourism.

While the forest department is responsible for developing the required infrastructure at these places including staying facilities for the tourists the tourism department will take care of publicity.

Forest officials said that work was at an advanced stage at most of the sites including Mangaljodi on the banks of the Chilika lake where lakhs of migratory birds from various parts of Asia and Eastern Europe congregate to spend the winter.

“ One can see the birds at Nalabana island and in Mangalajodi and Sorana areas. Hence developing tourist facilities at places like Mangalajodi is very important,” said Chilika assistant conservator of forests, Maheswar Patnaik.

Chilika Development Authority (CDA), the body tasked with development and ecological conservation of the lake, has renovated the bird interpretation center called Bihanga Bhavan at Mangaljodi at an estimated cost of Rs.10 lakh.

The center, a major attraction for foreign tourists, has maps and charts depicting the migration pattern of birds, their ecology and congregation sites.

Mangaljodi, a wetland with villages on its edge, attracts migratory birds in large numbers. Even the Bombay Natural History Society has hailed it as an ideal congregation ground for the winged guests.

Talking of developmental initiatives at Managalajodi steps are being taken to construct at least a dozen rooms, watchtowers and nature trails.

Interestingly the place till a few years ago was notorious for the poaching of migratory birds. However, Patnaik said that Mangalajodi was now a safe place for birds with steps having been taken to curb poaching.

“ Our department has created awareness among the villagers and worked hard to turn even hardcore poachers into protector of birds. Birds are now safe in the area,” said the officer.

Other sites being developed by the state government as part of this new tourism project include Barakhandia and Dhodrokusum under the Hirakud wildlife division, Kumari and Jamuani the under Baripada wildlife division, Deras and Godibari under the Chandaka wildlife division and Tarava and Chhotkei under the Satkosia wildlife division.

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Jay Panda’s saffron turn and its implications

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Bhubaneswar, March 6 (LocalWire):Former Kendrapara MP Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda’s entry into BJP was not only expected, but it was also eagerly awaited since he quit Biju Janata Dal (BJD) last year following serious differences with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

What was surprising, however, was the long time he took to make up his mind and publicly acknowledge the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.

Political analysts believe that the leader, who not very long ago was the intellectual face of BJD in New Delhi, was weighing the pros and cons of taking the saffron plunge.

He decided to switch loyalties only after being convinced about reaping the political dividends of the move.

It is significant to note that he has joined the BJP following a sudden surge in the popularity of the party and Prime Minister, Narendra Modi following Indian air strike at the Balakote terrorist camp inside Pak occupied Kashmir.

The capture of Indian pilot, Abhinandan, instead of dampening the popular nationalist fervour and denting Modi’s image gave a boost to both.

It was, as any political analyst would agree, the most opportune time to ride the saffron bandwagon and contest an election which is knocking at the door.

Even though chief minister, Naveen Patnaik still remains the most popular leader in Odisha there is also a strong under-current in favour of Modi.

Quite a large number of people want to see Patnaik winning a fifth consecutive term in office but they are equally eager to make Modi the Prime Minister of the country for a second time.

“ Naveen in Odisha and Modi in Delhi” is the recurring theme of conversations at tea stalls and betel shops which have always been the barometers of political mood in the state.

Hence Panda seems to have taken the right decision at the right time.

But things are not going to be easy for him if he chooses to contest from his traditional constituency Kendrapara   which  has the reputation of being a BJD bastion.

In the long history of the constituency the people have hardly ever favoured the BJP. Their aversion towards the Congress has been equally pronounced.

Besides Kendrapara has always treated late Biju Patnaik, father of incumbent chief minister and BJD supremo, Naveen Patnaik as its favourite son.

It was the main theatre of his political activities for a long time.

In fact, it was Biju Babu, more than anyone else, who turned the constituency into a socialist bastion.

Equally significant is the fact that chief minister, Naveen Patnaik would pull out all stops to ensure that Kendrapara Lok Sabha seat remains with his party.

Defeating Panda, his current bête noire, would be a prestige issue for Patnaik.

It was a similar dislike for former ministers, Dilip Ray and Bijay Mohapatra, both currently without any party affiliations, which had made him go all out against them in the past.

That is bound to make things difficult for Panda if he insists on contesting from Kendrapara, a seat dear to him because of the way he has nurtured it and the fact that he still has some sympathisers within the BJD there.

Finding an alternative seat would be an equally daunting task for the former MP who then seems to have hardly any other option than contesting from Kendrapara.

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Biju’s ancestral village bereft of pomp and show on 103rd birthday (Special)

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Berhampur, March 5 (LocalWire): The people of the state celebrated the 103rd birth anniversary of former chief minister Biju Patnaik today by paying rich tributes.

The state government also marked the day as Panchayat Raj Divas but the ancestral village of the legendary leader was devoid of any pomp and show.

Only a few youngsters gathered near the temple at the outskirt of G.Nuagaon, the village where he was born, about four-kilometres from Bhanjanagar, a sub-divisional headquarter town in Ganjam.

Relatives of Biju Babu, who lived in the village distributed study materials to the needy students on the occasion.

Pramod Kumar Patnaik, a nephew of Biju Babu, who lives in the village, cleaned and opened the room where the legendary leader stayed during the elections in 1971 to the public.

Some items used by the leader are still in the house.

These include a big cot, a chair, watch and some photographs of Biju Babu and his father Laxmi Narayan Patnaik.

Other items were destroyed during Phailin, which hit the district on October 13, 2013.


‘Naveen Patnaik, after he became the chief minister, also visited the village and saw the room where his father stayed,’ said Prasant Kumar Patnaik, another nephew.

‘He was very happy on seeing the articles which were used by his father still intact,’ he said.

Nihar Ranjan Pradha, one of the youths in the village said some institutes should be set up here in his name to remember the great leader.

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