All about Dhenkanal

Just a couple of days back, we celebrated our 61st Independence day ( read this interesting article on contemporary India by Chetan Bhagat ). At a time when India seriously needs young and dynamic politicians, I came across this news article on "8 Lessons of Leadership" from a leader who is as big as Mahatma Gandhi. He is none other than the African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela, who turned 90 last month. Given below are his 8 lessons on leadership. No. 1 Courage is not the absence of fear — it’s inspiring others to move beyond it No. 2 Lead from the front — but don’t leave your base behind No. 3 Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front No. 4 Know your enemy — and learn about his favorite sport No. 5 Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer No. 6 Appearances matter — and remember to smile No. 7 Nothing is black or white No. 8 Quitting is leading too

Eight out of the 23 wards of Dhenkanal Municipality has been reserved for women candidates. Moreover, the Chairman's post of the municipality has also been reserved for women. With the promulgation of municipal election, all the political parties have started their frantic search for women candidates for various wards of the municipality. Complete article here

Dhenkanal boasts of many beautiful and scenic places, therefore its well connected by air, rail and road to promote tourism. The nearest airport, located at Bhubaneswar, is 100 km/ 60 miles from Dhenkanal. Everyday buses run - from 4.30 AM in the morning through 9.00PM in the night- from the state capital Bhubaneswar to Dhenkanal. The travel time is ~ 2.00 hrs and the fare is Rs 40.00 (~ US $1). The bus passes through a very beautiful scenic patches of woods. Local train is another popular mode of transportation from Bhubaneswar. The train schedule can be obtained from www. indianrail.gov.in website. A few authorized travel agencies (obtained from Orissa Tourism website ) can also help in scheduling the tour/trip. Given below is a list of travel agents and their contact addresses. Also given is a list of hotels situated in the center of the town. A. A list of travel agents and their contact addresses: 1. Blue Fox Traveling Agency 9-Municipal Market Building, Dhenkanal Ph: (0676...

Its been 7 years since I last attended Dhenkanal's famous Laxmi Puja. Even though I have been to Dhenkanal quite a few time since 2001, but I was never there during the time of Laxmi Puja. Thats why I felt emotional and nostalgic while watching the following series of videos on Laxmi Puja. Part 1: A brief introduction on Dhenkanal and the origin of Laxmi Puja Part 2: Greetings from a few Municipal administrators Part 3 and Part 4 : Laxmi idols of all the Bazaars and their light work and decorations Part 5: Expositions and exhibitions (includes Dhenkanal Mahotsava, cultural programmes and all the fun rides) Part 6: Kapilas and Saptasajya (I will write more about it in future) Part 7: Joranda

Brajanath Badajena High School (BBHS), Dhenkanal celebrated its 112th foundation day on 1st of July, 2008. Established as "Dhenkanal State High School", the school was rechristened to "Brajanath Badajena High school" - after the famous War Poet - in 1950. Despite of being one of the oldest as well as largest school (with a strength of 1100) in the state of Orissa, it still does not have basic facilities - such as drinking water, a cycle stand, a play ground- for its students. Moreover the auditorium, which I expected to become a state-of-the-art facility, is in incomplete state for the last 5 years. I earnestly hope that Dhenkanal's MP, MLA and other eminent personalities as well as BBHS's alumni will come together to improve the condition of the high school. Excerpts from Oriya daily Dharitri (02nd of July 2008) .

Traditionally Dhenkanal is considered to be a place well-known for its value for education. Its no-surprise why Dhenkanal District has done exceedingly well in Matriculation exams and has always remained in top slots (in terms of pass percentage) among all districts for a long time. This result at High School level has certainly carried over to technical education. Now, Dhenkanal district boasts of 2 Engineering colleges besides a few Diploma schools. The Engg. colleges are 1. IGIT, Sarang and 2. SIET, Dhenkanal . 1. IGIT or Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology , one of the oldest Govt. Engg. colleges of Orissa, was instituted in 1982. Presently, the institute offers Bachelors degree in 6 different disciplines (Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Mechanical and Metallurgy and Material Engineering). The institute also gives Diploma in Civil, Electrical, Electronics and Telecommunication, Mechanical and Metallurgical Engineering. Its alumni web-page can be found here . 2. Synergy Institute o...

Indian Institute of Mass communication (IIMC) was set-up in August 1993 as a branch of IIMC, Delhi . The institute offers 2 Post Graduate Diploma courses in Oriya and English Journalism. Besides teaching, the institute carries out media studies and research work. In the past, the institute has conducted assessment study for State AIDS cell and also for Ministry of Tribal Affairs on NGOs working for tribal community. The institute has been instrumental in operating a few FM stations for villages in the outskirts Dhenkanal ( Read Ex-Resident Director, Prof. Bibhuti Bhusan Mohanty's comment ). Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal Photo obtained: From here The Institute is situated right behind the Rajbati. For the first few years, the institute was operating from a make-shift class room in Kunjakant Temple. The institute had rented, in Kunjakanta area, a few buildings/houses and used them as Boys and Girls hostels. After 3/4 years, the institute moved to their own c...