Dear Mr. Surendra Hota, 

      Thank you very much for posting photographs of Dhanuyatra on your website everyday. I am also from Bargarh, Hatpada. Due to some or other reasons I have not been able to visit Bargarh during Dhanuyatra since last 15 years. But during the festival when I see the reports on Dhanuyatra on different media my heart throbs like anything which only a Bargarhia can understand. Inspite of the presence of a number of entertainment portals the charm of Dhanuyatra has not faded away rather it has improved a lot. This festival has been able to bind all the people of Bargarh Area together. I still remember, when there was only one television channel and there was no internet, I was writing to Surabhi (Siddharth Kak) and Parakh (Vinod Dua) programmes of Doordarshan to broadcast Dhanuyatra festival in their programmes. Now a days many TV channels are broadcasting and youtube is flodded with clips of Dhanuyatra. Thanks to information technology. 

As we all claim, it is indeed the largest open theater in the world which nobody can deny. But to my knowledge, this fact has not yet entered into the Limca Book of Record or Guiness Book of World Record, which this festival deservs. You being in the media, can you please work in this direction so that Dhanuyatra will get world recognition and Brgarh will get a prominent identification in the world map. Once this enters into world forum Bargarh will definitely get many advantages.   Thank you very much and with kind regards, 

Yours sincerely 

Sushanta 

Lifetime Achievement in Social Service

        Charity begins at home. I have experienced this in my life when I was working as Assistant Surgeon, Govt.Hospital Gaisilat Dist.Sambalpur (now Bargarh) Orissa in my home village Gaisilat. On August 31, 1983 a general public meeting was held at Govt.High School, Gaisilat to establish the proposed Panchayat Samiti College Gaisilat. It was convened by a group of 12 persons of Gaisilat Block and I was the Chief Convener. It may be mentioned here that I was the only M.B.B.S. doctor to manage the 6 bedded hospital at Gaisilat. I had to deal with family members, relatives, friends, officials and public both in medical care and social service. Being a Medical Officer of local Hospital having widespread public liaison and a Native of the village, I was nominated as the Chief Convener to execute the proposal successfully. The nearest college at Sub- Divisional Hqrs.Padampur was situated at a distance of 28 K.M.not well communicated then by road. The people of Gaisilat Block felt the need of establishing a college at Gaisilat to facilitate higher education of their children nearest to their home at a nominal cost. Donations from public were raised to have a fixed deposit of Rupees One Lakh in the name of proposed college to apply for opening the college. Being the Chief Convener of proposed Panchayat Samiti College Gaisilat, I was the first person to donate Rupees One Thousand only (equivalent to my one month`s income) to raise the fund. Besides my routine duty hours and emergency services, I had to proceed with other members of the Convening Committee to conduct public meeting at different villages and panchayats to raise fund for opening the college by next academic session .The Pachayat Samiti College Gaisilat was established on July 2, 1984 with +2 Arts stream in the temporary campus of R.R.M.E.School Gaisilat.I was made Chairman, Academic Council of the Governing Body of the college. The recruitment of lecturers and office staff was done strictly on merit basis. I continued to devote my time beyond my duty hours for smooth and efficient management of the college till I left Gaisilat on March 22, 1986 for prosecuting my Post Graduate study leading to M.D. as an in-service doctor. I last visited P.S.College Gaisilat on November 28, 2007 during my inspection of Govt.Hospital Gaisilat as Chief District Medical Officer Bargarh.I was happy to note that the Panchayat Samiti College Gaisilat has grown up to a Degree college having science stream in +2 course in addition to arts stream up to graduation and the college is functioning in its own building & campus.Anchal College Padampur is a full-fledged degree college having +2 science and B.Sc. (Bachelor of Science) Pass & Honours course in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Botany and Zoology. During 1997-98 while I was working as In-Charge Sub-Divisional Medical Officer Padampur Dist.Bargarh, I was invited as Chief Speaker on Annual function of Science Society of the College. I talked on ‘Drug addiction among College Students’ with reference to my publication “Epidemiology of Non-medical Drug Use among College Students in the Educational Institutions located at Burla: Sambalpur (Orissa)” which was my thesis for M.D.in S.P.M. Again during 2004-05 when I was working as Sub-Divisional Medical Officer Padampur, I was invited as Chief Speaker on Annual function of Science Society of the College; and on this occasion I talked on ‘Building Career in Science & Technology’. Major portion of revenue Sub-Division of Padampur in Bargarh District was previously known as Borasambar and as such the post office of Padampur is named as Rajborasambar. I had the privilege to attend the 2nd day of Borasambar Mahotsav as Chief Guest held at Recreation Centre Padampur in 2003-04 during my service tenure as Sub-Divisional Medical Officer Padampur. I enjoyed the status of a public speaker amongst the educated mass at Padampur.
         Dhanuyatra is an open air theatre festival held in Bargarh in Orissa and is based on Lord Krishna’s visit to Mathura to witness the fair organized by uncle Kansa as mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana. Every year in the month of Dhanu or Pausa (December-January), it is celebrated for eleven days of the month from the 5th day of the bright fortnight till the full moon day. For this occasion the town of Bargarh becomes the city of Mathura, the river Jeera becomes the river Yamuna and Ambapali situated on the other side of Jeera becomes Gopapur. The plays are enacted in houses, streets, market places, fields, temples, ponds and river. This mass festival, which came into existence in 1948 with the inertia of festive mood due to celebration of Indian Independence and victory over unjust British rule, symbolically shows the victory of Lord Krishna, the embodiment of truth, justice and righteousness over Kansa who personifies arrogance and wickedness. This festival has earned its fame in the World as much due to the separate stages in different places along with movable stage used to show the mythological story as also due to the special involvement of the entire populace in the process. Therefore, this festival is called the greatest play in the world enacted in the biggest open air theatre. One day during the festival, all the District level officers of different departments are asked to attend Rangasabha (review meeting) conducted by Kansa Maharaj convened by the Collector-cum-President of Dhanuyatra Mahotsav Committee Bargarh. I had attended the Rangasabha; first time as Additional District Medical Officer Bargarh in 2005-06 and second time as Chief District Medical Officer Bargarh in 2007-08.I played the role of a guest artiste. I would like to mention here that I have acted in supporting roles in two one-act plays during my school days, acted in character roles in two dramas in college and directed one drama during my service career. I had to answer and explain health care services of the citizens of Mathura as asked by Kansa Maharaj on the stage with out previous rehearsal. The play was watched by thousands of audience in Bargarh and lakhs of audience in live telecast of ETV Oriya in Orissa and abroad. My role-playing had been appreciated much by the audience on both occasions.
      I was bestowed with State Honour by Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine, Orissa State Branch as an efficient heath care provider, manager and administrator as a lifetime achievement in State Medical and Health Services on January 12, 2008 while I was working as Chief District Medical Officer Bargarh.
           Now residing in Bangalore in the State of Karnataka, I identify myself with my Nationality as an Indian; and I am spreading the message of Yoga and Spirituality as social service to the country; and through World Wide Web to the World.

Dr Mahesh Chandra Panda