My City Links: July 2022 Issue

Book excerpt: The past two years saw Rath Yatra celebrations without devotees as everyone grappled with the deadly COVID 19 pandemic. This year’s event comes amid renewed hope that the worst is behind us. In our Cover Story, we look at the preparations for the annual religious festival that promises to be back with the same grand splendour that it has always been associated with. With expectations of a huge crowd of devotees this time, it is little surprise that the allied functions associated with the Rath Yatra are also back in business. Flying into the danger zone is something that Commander Amit Mohapatra has been doing for many years. Recently, he added another feather to his cap when he became the Commanding Officer of Indian Naval Air Squadron 316. He is featured in our CityZen section where he talks about his passion and life in the armed forces. The section also profiles Sanya Shah who has been empowering women by helping them to come out with their creative best. Her NGO Sapne strives to make their dreams come true. ‘Sons of Darkness’...the book's name is enough to conjure up images of a grim, dark world. And this is exactly what author Gourav Mohanty has done; he has come up with a proper dark fantasy, one that creates an instant connection thanks to characters like a pirate princess from Kalinga. Read more about this in our Literature section. Inclusivity, equality, and freedom. These are a few sentiments that are generally associated with the Pride movement. With June being celebrated as Pride Month, City Lights brings you the Pride Lookbook. The monsoon brings relief after a scorching summer but it also comes with a fair share of health problems, particularly gut-related ones. In Health & Fitness, we list a few simple steps to keep disease and illness away. Odia content on OTT platforms finally seems to be coming of age. In Screen Shots, we look at the recent series ‘Gangs of Puri’ that seems to have struck the right chord with the audience. The people behind this show explain what went into its making. We also catch up with the multi-talented Pragyan Hota, who has been singing her way to success. She tells us about her early days excelling in academics and how she later embarked on a musical journey. The section also features Biraj Rath, who talks about his latest Odia album.