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| "Geographical Indications (GIs) of Odisha" by Dr. Anita Sabat |
Just now finished reading the ebook "Geographical Indications (GIs) of Odisha" by Dr. Anita Sabat and I must thank her for the book 😊. It was truly an enriching experience. Because there were several things which I had no idea about, before this book (the primary reason being my laziness to dig deep, what a shame!) I didn't know that the pattachitras of the three deities, known as "Anasara Pattis", are worshipped as substitutes at the Puri Jagannath mandir during Anasara period of 15 days. All I knew was that since people are forbidden from visiting the three deities during this period, so they flock to Alarnath Temple at Brahmagiri (near Puri) instead.
Pattachitra, for the uninitiated, is a traditional art form of Odisha, believed to have originated in Puri (at the village of Raghurajpur to be specific, where the art form still flourishes) as per historical evidences. Depicting Hindu mythological tales through exquisite hand paintings, a Pattachitra art is truly a joy to behold.
Odisha is indeed a treasure trove of numerous such traditional and indigenous art forms and craftworks, handlooms and delightful comestibles. They all are, in fact, an intrinsic part of our cultural identity. However, sadly they are largely unknown to many and therefore are prone to appropriation. Rasagola is a good case in point; although there are enough historical evidences to prove that the sweet originated in Odisha, our neighbours haven't hesitated in making efforts to flat-out appropriate the sweet's legacy, often passing it off as their own. Funnily enough, Rasagola, in fact, finds a mention in the 15th century book 'Dandi Ramayan' too, written by Balram Das, way before Nobin Chandra Das - apparently the inventor of Rasagola as the Bengalis believe - was even born! In that regard, this ebook of Dr. Anita Sabat comes as a great help in creating awareness about our indigenous products, by throwing light on 17 registered GI products of Odisha in a concise manner. You too can go through the book at theblogchatter.com, it's up for download (all for free):
CLICK HERE