6-day children’s festival, Anjali, starts

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 9: Anjali is the new best friend of every child in the state.
The sprawling Adivasi exhibition grounds in the state capital was chock-a-block today in the evening with children from all over the nation who thronged the Eight Annual Anjali National Children’s Festival.

The only children’s art festival in the country, Anjali has been educating, entertaining and inspiring young minds since 2001. The theme for this year is “Many faces, one nation”.
Nearly 800 delegates, including special children from across the country, will remain busy for 12-hours (8am to 8pm) every day for the next week. The fair concludes on Saturday.
Anjali will be a pot-pourrie of programmes offering dance and musical recitals, workshops and competitions and a bit of magic — to be performed by national magicians.

The participants will be experiencing five essentially Indian festivals such as Kumar Purnima, Id, Onam, Christmas and Holi, through the programmes this year as the theme is the idea of unity through diversity.
“For the next five days in camp Anjali, everyone is a kid. We will strive to present programmes that excites and challenges children of all ages,” said chief co-ordinator of the festival, Shruti Mohapatra.

“We wish to make this an international children’s festival by 2011,” said Mohapatra.

“This year apart from the programmes focussing on the religious festivals, we have also put up a petting farm and a mini zoo. There will also be a museum on wheels complete with a telescope to view the night sky, philately exhibitions and a game zone,” said Pritish Pattnaik, an organiser.

The festival will conclude on November 14 coinciding with the Children’s Day celebrations.
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