Odisha has proposed a ₹10 crore grant for this year’s Kataka Bali Yatra, with preparations reviewed at a Culture Department meeting on November 3. The proposal was discussed ahead of the Cuttack festival scheduled for November 24 to December 1; the review did not establish that the grant had received final approval.
Culture Minister Suryabanshi Suraj chaired the meeting, which considered arrangements for a plastic-free festival, 500 stalls associated with ORMAS and a prominent place for handloom and handicraft sellers. Plans include two performance stages and the Kataka-in-Kataka pavilion, highlighting cultural connections between Odisha and Bali through food, language, dress and palm-leaf manuscript traditions.
The review also covered the Odisha State Book Festival, scheduled in Bhubaneswar from December 4 to 14. Suggested features included children’s literature, author interactions and themed pavilions.
For visitors, the practical distinction is that these are planning details for forthcoming events. Funding proposals and suggested displays should not be read as completed installations or a final visitor programme.
Archive illustrative photograph of handmade pottery, not stalls at the forthcoming Bali Yatra. Photo: Handmade clay pottery and colorful mango and parrot figurines purchased from a local fair, displayed on a wooden table. by Shaddam Hossain, CC0 1.0 Universal.
