Jhajia Explained

Jhajia
Settlement Type:Village
Pushpin Label Position:right
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Orissa, India
Coordinates:20.3983°N 85.3149°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: India
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Orissa
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Cuttack
Unit Pref:Metric
Population Density Km2:auto
Demographics Type1:Languages
Demographics1 Title1:Official
Demographics1 Info1:Oriya
Timezone1:IST
Utc Offset1:+5:30
Registration Plate:OR-
Blank1 Name Sec1:Coastline
Blank1 Info Sec1:0km (00miles)
Blank2 Name Sec1:Nearest city
Blank2 Info Sec1:Cuttack

Jhajia is a village in Odisha, India, with a population of about 20,000. The village is about 97km (60miles) from the state capital Bhubaneswar. The village lies about 1km (01miles) away from the banks of the Mahanadi River on its southern side and 6km (04miles) from a forest reserve on its northern side.

Education

The village has a UP School and a High School. And most kids in the village attend school at least till the primary levels. After the primary level the drop out rate is pretty high. The village has devised a very innovative way to fund its schools where the proceeds from the fish cultivation at the village pond go to fund the development of schools.The Jhajia High School has made quite a name of its own in the area because of its results year after year it has been delivering more than 10 first division students. A rarity in this area. After school most of the students who are interested in pursuing further education leave for bigger towns like Cuttack, Banki, Athgarh and Bhubaneswar. Some also attend nearby colleges located at Baramba and Sankhameri.

Festivals

Jhajia is very famous for the celebration of a local festival called Danda Utsava. The main attraction during the Danda Utsava is the award winning dramatic team of Danduas who perform various mythological stories in plays. The elements of comedy and audience involvement as in a street play is what makes the Danda nacha so popular.

Food and water

Being a village of extremely hard working farmers, the village does not face any scarcity of food. It is famous for Badam and vegetables. The variety of vegetables grown by these farmers and consumed fresh contributes to the better health of the villagers in comparison to the villages around the area. But the main problem here is the scarcity of water in the summer. Jhajia is located on a tabletop hill, and hence during the summer when the water table recedes the villagers have a hard time finding drinking water. Gada chua & Nanda Chua, which are perhaps the best drinking water sources in the area, dry out quickly and are often not sufficient to fulfill the cooking and drinking needs of the whole village.