PARAB-Koraput, a State Level Tribal Festival, a festival of indigenous people of Koraput, (Orissa), is being organised by District Council of Culture, Koraput since 1996. It is a leading festival of the State and is unique in its aim of spotting hidden talents in the field of art, culture and sports at the grass-root level as well as to promote the rich cultural heritage of this region. The objective of PARAB is to give scope to the talented youth lying idle in the rural areas and to encourage them to come forward and join hands with the district administration to attain the ultimate goal of nation building. In a month-long festival large numbers of people participate in the festival. About 60,000 artists and sportspersons participate in the G.P./ Block/ULB and District level competitions and celebrations. This shows Parab’s popularity. Conduct of competitions in traditional tribal events like tribal music, dance, art and craft, traditional sports, etc has helped in preserving the heritage of this region against the threat of extinction and deculturisation due to rapid industrialization, urbanization and other cultural invasions. Besides various cultural programmes like tribal and folk dance festival, Craftmela, Pallishreemela, Book-fair, Artist camp-cum-Art Exhibition, Seminar, Boat Race, Mountain Trekking, etc are being organised by inviting eminent artists and troupes from and outside the State. It is a forum of interaction and exchange among different kinds of tribal culture from all over the country. The District Council of Culture, Koraput is one of the leading councils of the State for the promotion of art, culture and literature and its brainchild “PARAB”, brought a cultural revolution in the State.

      It is heartening that PARAB, Koraput during its decade long eventful journey since 1996 has scaled many peaks. It reached out to the people, is organized up to Panchayat level and has become a people’s festival. It has become a symbol of cultural movement in the district, state and country and is declared as state level tribal festival. It is also a great leap in the promotion of Tourism in this land of Heaven’s own.

      Situated amidst the pristine splendor of the Eastern Ghats, Koraput is home to a number of tribals for whom festivals are a way of life. They celebrate various occasions of their lives with corresponding ‘PARABs’ like Pusa parab, Chait parab, Diali parab, Pond parab, etc. To honor their traditions, the District Council of Culture, Koraput decided to name its annual programme “PARAB”. Koraput region, being the mosaic of tribal life and culture of the country, specific emphasis is being given to highlight this cultural heritage through PARAB and to establish it as a National Festival of indigenous people and festivals of tribals.

      With the above objectives this year we are celebrating the 14th year of PARAB during November 2009 and the Main Celebration will be held from 16th to 18th November 2009 at Koraput Stadium, Koraput.

      We hope with the suggestions and support from various organizations, institutions and persons we will achieve our goal and make the ensuing festival a grand success.