Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan attended the Nuakhai Bhetghat 2026 celebration in New Delhi, joining thousands of Odias in the capital for the harvest festival. The event was organised by the Juhar Delhi group for the 27th year.

Nuakhai is western Odisha’s biggest agrarian festival, marking the tasting of the season’s first grain. Families offer the new harvest to the presiding deity before eating it together. This year, the main rituals were held on September 15 across Sambalpur, Bargarh and nearby districts.

At the Delhi event, Pradhan presented the Juhar Samman awards to achievers from the Odia community. He praised the organisers for keeping Odia culture alive far from home and called Nuakhai a celebration of the soil and brotherhood.

For the Odia diaspora in the capital, the Bhetghat is a home away from home. Folk music, dance and traditional food filled the venue, as old friends met and new bonds were formed.