Former Union Minister and Sambalpur MP highlights the spiritual strength of Nuakhai and calls for greater national and global recognition of the region’s culture, crafts and tourism
GTNS, SEPTEMBER 15, 2026, SAMBALPUR: The cultural identity of Sambalpur came into sharper focus as former Union Minister and Sambalpur MP Dharmendra Pradhan participated in a special programme organized by the Rangbati Forum, bringing together delegates and distinguished personalities from across the country.
The gathering created a platform to look beyond the traditional celebration of Nuakhai and explore the deeper cultural, spiritual and social values attached to the festival.
Pradhan highlighted Nuakhai as an important expression of the region’s collective identity. The harvest festival, he noted, carries a significance that extends beyond the arrival of new crops, linking generations through faith, family traditions and social unity.
The discussion also brought traditional cuisine into the cultural conversation, with ‘Sarastia’ highlighting how food traditions preserve the memories and identity of a community.
Sambalpur’s wider heritage was another key focus. Situated on the banks of the Mahanadi, the region has a distinctive cultural landscape shaped by folk art, literature, Sambalpuri handicrafts, music and traditional practices.
The region’s natural assets add another important dimension. Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary, together with Sambalpur’s surrounding landscapes, offers considerable potential for strengthening eco-tourism and heritage tourism.
The programme also raised a larger question: how can Sambalpur’s living traditions move from regional recognition to a wider national and international platform?
With its combination of festivals, folk culture, handicrafts, cuisine, literature, wildlife and natural beauty, Sambalpur possesses the ingredients of a strong cultural tourism identity. The need now, participants stressed, is to document, preserve and promote these assets through coordinated efforts.
For Sambalpur, Nuakhai remains much more than a harvest festival. It is a living cultural bond that connects people with their land, traditions and community—and offers an opportunity to present the region’s distinctive identity to the wider world.