Bhubaneswar: In a deeply spiritual atmosphere, the Nabamatruka Puja was recently observed on the premises of Arya Samaj in Sahid Nagar, Bhubaneswar.
On this auspicious occasion, nine distinguished women — each excelling in her respective field and embodying the essence of motherhood — were worshipped and felicitated as part of the 13th State-level Nabamatruka Puja celebrations.
The ceremony was organized jointly by ‘Yugashree Yuganari’, ‘Nabamatruka Puja Abhyarthana Committee’, and ‘Baleshwari Kalakendra’. The rituals were conducted under the guidance of committee president Er. Priyabrata Das, while Dr. Shakuntala Baliarsingh coordinated the event.
Committee advisor Prof. Dr. Sanghamitra Mishra, editor of ‘Yugashree Yuganari’ Mamata Mohapatra, Dr. Prabhabati Panda, Vedic scholar Shonno Devi, Arya Samaj secretary Birendra Kar, joint secretary Sunil Kumar De, and member Dr. Kananbala Mohanty oversaw the proceedings of the Yajna. Artists Kesu Das and his wife Kanak Das offered oblations during the sacred fire ritual.
The nine revered mothers honoured were Labanya Nayak (Ideal Homemaker Mother), Sita Das (Homemaker and Service-minded Mother), Dr. Bimala Mohanty (Physician Mother), Kasturika Pattnayak (Social Worker and Inspirational Mother), Jharana Pattnayak (Literary Mother), Swarna Mishra (Socially Active Mother), Dr. Prabhati Mishra (Educationist Mother), Swaroopa Chakraborty (Vocalist Mother) and Dr. Snehaprabha Samantaray (Classical Dancer Mother).
Prominent personalities including Prof. Shantanu Kumar Acharya, Sailarani Mishra, Colonel Sarat Kumar Mahapatra, Dr. Ashok Kumar Mahapatra, Prasanna Kumar Swain (Vice-Chancellor, Culture University), Shubhankar Mahapatra, and Pratima Panda graced the event.
The ceremony concluded with a vote of thanks from Chittaranjan Verma.
Eminent Odissi dancer and Central Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee Dr. Snehaprabha Samantaray, who was among those honoured, remarked, “Such celebrations truly uphold and enrich the great traditions of Hindu culture. Today’s generation should draw inspiration from these occasions to show reverence toward elders. By doing so, they will receive the blessings of the divine motherly force and achieve fulfillment and success in life.”
