Kalahandi (Lingraj Mishra): A research paper by Sudhir Kumar Dhangadamajhi, a young writer and researcher from Kalahandi, drew the attention of international researchers at the Brihattar Bharat International Conference, “Bharat’s Cultural Connections Across the Globe”, held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The conference was organised by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), under the Union Ministry of Culture, to mark the centenary of the Greater India Society. Scholars, researchers, academics, historians, ambassadors and guests from 50 countries, including India, took part. Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat inaugurated the conference. Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed his good wishes through a written message. Dhangadamajhi’s presentation, titled “From Mahanadi to Melaka: Mapping the Maritime Trade Routes of Kalinga Sadhabas”, focused on the historic maritime trade route from Asurgarh Fort via Sandul, Tel and the Mahanadi to the Bay of Bengal, the Melaka Strait and south-east Asia, and on the role of Kalinga Sadhabas in trade and cultural exchange. Former professor Patitapaban Mishra of Northern University of Malaysia and Iranian researcher Dr Rossana Heshmatipour analysed the presentation. Former Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, along with distinguished persons and institutions of Kalahandi and Odisha, congratulated Sudhir.
