Expatriates from the eastern state of India Odisha, residing in Riyadh, marked their seventh grand annual day in Riyadh on Friday to popularize the culture, art and ethos of Odisha. The event was held under the banner of Riyadh Odisha Socio-Cultural Association (ROSA). The program included speeches, prizes, felicitations, raffle draw and cultural programs. The chief guest of this International Pravashi Odiya Program was the pride of Odiya community and Utkal Jyoti, Dr. Dev Mohanty, a dedicated social activist and philanthropist of Odisha. Dr. Mohanty congratulated all the members of ROSA for serving the Odiya People, developing talents of young children and spreading the goodwill of Odisha in the foreign land. Binod Bihari Sahoo, a fellow Odiya from Utkalika, Jubail, was the guest of honor at the function. In his welcome speech, ROSA President Sisir Kumar Mund gave an overview of the aims and objectives of the community group and explained the organization's mission to make Odisha visible to the rest of the world. ROSA Advisor Mohammed Fazal Haque briefed the audience about the rich art and culture of Odisha. A special souvenir was released to commemorate the occasion, which was coordinated by another ROSA Advisor Mohammed Shamsher Ali. The lighting of the candle was coordinated by ROSA Mentor Dr. Mahendra Patra. ROSA General Secretary Debasis Rout read out a report on the ROSA activities and the development of its website. Vice President, Raziq Wakil offered the vote of thanks. The whole executive committee, members and their families put in their best efforts to make the evening a memorable one. The program was anchored by a team of young girls Zaib and Shafaq under the able guidance of Ms. Bilquiss Ali. The central attraction of the event was a variety cultural program masterminded by the ROSA cultural secretaries Saroj Panigrahi, Azeemuddin and Dr. Patra. ROSA children and elders presented excellent dance performances, which were choreographed by Ms. Deepa Panigrahi , Ms. Chandana Das, Ms. Bhavna Rout, Ms. Sampashree Mund and Ms. Jagruti Herna. The cultural program was ably anchored by Ms. Mund, Ms. Patra, Ms. Bhavna, Vivek and Dr. Patra. The evening came to a close with the raffle draw co-hosted by Razik, Azeem and P. K. Das. The program was also attended by A. K. Das and Sharafat with their families, the members of Utkalika - the Odiya association of Eastern Provinces of Saudi Arabia. — SG
