Karam Parab Is an Invaluable Tribal Heritage We Must Preserve: CM Vishnu Deo Sai

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai offers prayers to Karam Raja during Karam Puja Parab 2026, organised by the Oraon (Sarna) Adivasi Vikas Sangh at the Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram premises in Raipur. Photo: primelookindia.com via CG/CMO

Chief Minister joins Karam Puja celebrations in Raipur, offers prayers and announces ₹50 lakh for an Oraon community building at Ganod village

Key Highlights

• Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai participated in Karam Puja Parab 2026, organised by the Oraon (Sarna) Adivasi Vikas Sangh, Raipur.
• He offered prayers to Karam Raja, seeking happiness and prosperity for the people of Chhattisgarh.
• Sai described the festival as an expression of reverence for nature, social unity and inherited cultural values.
• He announced ₹50 lakh for a community building for the Oraon community at Ganod village in Raipur district.
• The Chief Minister urged younger generations to remain connected with their languages, folk songs, dances and traditional festivals.

Raipur: Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai called for collective efforts to preserve Chhattisgarh’s tribal traditions while participating in Karam Puja Parab 2026 at the Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram premises in Raipur, according to a government release issued on Wednesday, October 28.

The programme was organised by the Oraon (Sarna) Adivasi Vikas Sangh, Raipur. Sai performed customary prayers to Karam Raja and wished the people of the state happiness, prosperity and well-being. He also inaugurated the programme by lighting a lamp before a portrait of Bharat Mata.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai addresses Karam Puja Parab 2026 in Raipur, emphasising the importance of preserving tribal culture and passing its traditions on to younger generations. Photo: primelookindia.com via CG/CMO

Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said Karam Parab represented the community’s rich tribal culture, traditions and ancestral heritage.

Sai said Karam Parab expressed reverence, affection and respect for nature, while reminding society of the importance of environmental protection, unity and community life.

A tradition rooted in harmony with nature

The Chief Minister said earlier generations had developed ways of living in harmony with nature, and that their traditions continued to offer valuable lessons.

He described Karam Parab as a living expression of this outlook—a festival bringing together gratitude towards nature and prayers for the well-being of families and society.

Sai said Chhattisgarh’s identity was closely connected with its tribal cultures, folk festivals and relationship with the natural world. Different tribal communities had preserved their distinctive traditions across generations, contributing to the state’s cultural richness.

He added that Karam Parab encouraged people to remain connected with their roots and move forward with affection, fraternity and mutual respect.

Connecting younger generations with their heritage

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, seated at the centre, with community elders and representatives during Karam Puja Parab 2026 at the Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram premises in Raipur. Photo: primelookindia.com via CG/DPR

The Chief Minister said cultural traditions carried ancestral knowledge, values and a spirit of togetherness. Keeping them alive and passing them on to future generations was a shared responsibility, he added.

Sai emphasised that progress and modernisation should be accompanied by a continuing connection with cultural identity, language, folk songs, dances and traditional festivals.

He said gatherings such as Karam Parab gave younger people an opportunity to learn about customs and practices from community elders. They also brought families together and strengthened relationships within society.

Sai appreciated the Oraon community’s efforts to preserve and promote its traditions, saying active community participation was essential to safeguarding cultural heritage.

₹50 lakh announced for community building

During the programme, the Chief Minister announced ₹50 lakh for the construction of a community building for the Oraon community at Ganod village in Raipur district.

He said the building would provide a better venue for social, cultural and community activities. It would also help community members come together to carry forward their traditions.

The announcement concerns a proposed community facility; the release did not specify a construction schedule.

Culture as a source of identity and strength

Sai said Chhattisgarh’s diverse tribal traditions conveyed values of respect for nature, cooperation, collective life and social harmony.

The Chief Minister said taking pride in these traditions must go hand in hand with the moral responsibility to preserve and nurture them.

Extending his greetings to everyone present, he expressed hope that Karam Puja Parab would bring happiness and prosperity and strengthen love, unity and fraternity within society.

Office-bearers of the Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, community leader Bindeshwar Bhagat, representatives of the Oraon (Sarna) Adivasi Vikas Sangh, elders and a large number of community members and families attended.