Monsoon both a boon and a bane in Odisha

A brainstorming session organised by the 11^th edition of “Odisha Manaska- All Things Odisha” dwelt on Odia people’s resolute fight with monsoon-related catastrophes, the resilience on their part to overcome Nature’s fury.

A good monsoon sustains agriculture, which is the lifeline of Odisha’s socio-economic identity. A bad or deficient monsoon equally affects agriculture, which paves the way for drought and famine. A great monsoon also triggers floods, compounds human misery. The Na’anka famine in Odisha is a classic example of a bad monsoon. The famine of 1866 was a devastating event that struck coastal Odisha (formerly Orissa), killing an estimated one-third of the region’s population. The monsoons also bring in their wake cyclones that adversely impact the state.

Advertisement

The session showcased lively discussion on monsoon, its beauty, bounties, and curses in shaping Odisha’s identity.

The monthly discussion forum highlighted various aspects of Monsoon- from its romanticisation to its role in forming the socio-economic and cultural backbone of Indian societies mostly of Odisha.

Participants from various walks of life share their thoughts, ideas, insights, and most importantly, their experiences to contribute to the collective wisdom. The theme of the session was Monsoon Melody: Kebe Khusi Kebe Tragedy (How the Monsoon has shaped Odisha’s identity?).

The session was conducted by Sandip Bal, Sonali Priyadarsini, while it was attended by eminent food researcher Ritu Pattnaik, writer and heritage expert Anil Dhir, Pranay Manjari, Director of Safe Odisha For Her, and many others.

Participants also suggested that Odisha should stress monsoon tourism as the state has huge potential.

Attending the session, TISS Mumbai student, Kshitish Panda hailed the discussion and the forum for bringing varied discussions around Odisha and Odia identity as he got nuanced perspectives around Monsoon and its melody and mayhem.