Hockey World Cup 2018: Odisha announces holiday for schools, offices on November 27

Bhubaneswar, Nov 27: The Odisha government has declared a holiday for schools and educational institutions on Tuesday (November 27) on the occasion of the inaugural ceremony of the Men's Hockey World Cup 2018.

A communication from the Odisha Chief Minister's Office stated that schools and educational institutions in Bhubaneswar will remain closed on November 27, while educational institutions across the state will remain functional till 1.30 pm.

Hockey WC: Full Schedule

Also, all the government offices in the state, including those in Bhubaneswar, will function till 1.30 pm. This apart, all educational institutions and government offices in Cuttack will function till 1.30 pm on November 28 which will host the inaugural event on that date, the notification further read. The opening ceremony will be held at Barabati Stadium.

Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik met the captains of all 16 participating teams in Bhubaneswar on Monday (November 26) and attended a photo session with them at Mukteshwar Temple.

Opening Ceremony:

The Opening Ceremony will carry the central message of oneness and a united world. To showcase the same the ceremony is all set to feature a first-of-its-kind theatrical production and dance ballet titled "The Earth Song".

Created, written and directed by Nupur Mahajan, the production will feature Madhuri Dixit as the central character, Mother Earth, joined by 1100 artists all of whom tell the story of humanity and a united world.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and music maestro AR Rahman will also be performing in the 90-minute long event on Tuesday evening, starting 6:30 PM.

The Earth Song unfolds over five acts and is a 40-minute performance with Shiamak Davar choreographing and Ranjit Barot having created the original music score. Adding to the grandeur of the show will be over 1100 live performers who will converge from across the globe to tell the story of "One World" and the innate oneness of humankind.

Exemplifying the oneness that the Opening Ceremony talks about 800 youth from Odisha, who are first-time dancers, are being trained to participate and be an intrinsic part of The Earth Song.