Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed delight in Odisha’s tableau, which took part in the Republic Day parade in New Delhi on Tuesday and won first place. During the 75th Republic Day procession at the Kartavya Path in the nation’s capital, a tableau highlighted the state’s strong handicraft and handloom industry as well as the empowerment of women in the state.
“It is a matter of pride to be adjudged the state tableau in the Republic Day parade in New Delhi. The theme of women’s empowerment is beautifully conveyed in magnificent artworks of painting and handicraft and cottage industries. My best wishes to the sculptors who made it so interesting,” Patnaik posted on X.
During the major ceremonies, which were attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, a total of sixteen tableaux from states and Union territories and nine from central ministries and departments rolled down the Kartavya Path.
Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Manipur, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Ladakh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Meghalaya, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana were among the states and Union territories that submitted their tableaux. Tamil Nadu came in third and Gujarat in second place in the judge’s category, he said. Union Minister of State for Tourism Ajay Bhatt presented the trophy and diploma to Odisha’s Assistant Information Officer Harprasad Mahapatra and renowned artist Kirti Kishore Maharana, who together with Gajendra Sahoo had designed the tableau. The ceremony took place in Delhi.
Artisans of the heritage crafts village of Raghurajpur near Puri created ‘Kandarpa Hati’ — a popular ‘pattachitra’ design depicting ‘Krishna Leela’ where nine women are entangled with each other to form the shape of an elephant — on the 45 feet long, 14 feet wide and 16 feet high tableau.
