The High Commission of India in collaboration with the Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Cultural Cooperation hosted an event to promote the state of Odisha, India. The event was held at the Institute for Cultural Cooperation in Mt. Hope, North Trinidad on March 31. It was celebrated on the eve of the foundation day (Utkala Diwas) of Odisha. It was titled “Incredible Odisha”
The event was held as part of the Government of India’ s aim of highlighting the growth, development and achievements of individual states. The event focused on promoting the historical, commercial and cultural aspects of the state. Attendees included the Indian Ambassador and staff at the High Commission as well as Members of Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. Prof. Sa who is attached with UWI St. Augustine campus and from the state of Odisha also attended the event. There was also an Indo-Trinidadian who is an alumnus of the Know India Program (KIP) and who spent time with a family in Odisha.
The program featured cultural performances, vocal, and Bharatanatyam and Odissi dances. There was also a folk dance.
The event began with the traditional lighting of the lamp. This was followed by a keynote address by His Excellency Mr. Arun Kumar Sahu, High Commissioner of India to T & T. The event was also addressed by feature speaker Hon. Vandana Mohit, Member of Parliament for Chaguanas East. A presentation was given by Prof. Bidyadhar Sa, Deputy Dean, Quality Assurance & Accreditation Director, Center of Medical Sciences Education, UWI, St. Augustine. This was followed by remarks from Ms. Angenie Sookdeo, 58th KIP Partner State Odisha. The event also had cultural performances by the MGICC Vocal teacher, MGICC Dance Teacher and students as well as artists of Nrityanjali Theatre of T & T.
Addressing the Incredible Odisha event, His Excellency Mr. Arun Kumar Sahu, stated that on the eve of the Odisha Day which is celebrated on 1st April this event is held in T&T to showcase the strength and beauty of Odisha, one of the 28 states or territories or provinces of India. He explained that States or provinces in India are linguistic entities, and “they represent a unique sub-culture of their own”. He added: “India is a country of culture within cultures. Odisha was the first linguistic state created on 1st April 1936, even before India’s independence. The people of this province speak Odia, which is written in Brahmi script and it is one of the six classical languages of India”.
The High Commissioner went on to say that Odisha is one of the eastern provinces of India, having a coastline of 485 kilometres at the Bay of Bengal. Its 47 million demography has astounding ethnic diversity. So is its topography. While the east has the sea, the west is mountainous. The South links to the Godavari basin, and the north to Kolkata, the eastern megapolis of India. Capital Bhubaneswar is the fastest growing cosmopolitan, smart city in India. It is also the temple city of the world, having more than 100 temples. Odisha has the lowest rate of unemployment in India. In addition, he said that 22% of its population represents 62 different tribes or indigenous people. This makes the State culture diverse and rich. While the Jagannath temple in Puri is one of the four divine abodes of the Almighty, according to Hindu believers, the mother goddess Samaleswari is believed to be the protector of the people of western Odisha. Sarees from Sambalpur are world-famous.
Mr Sahu mentioned that Odisha is the repository of 25% of India’s mineral resources. It has the highest percentage of chromite, nickel, bauxite, manganese and iron ore deposits in India. It is served by two important ports, Paradeepand Dhamara. It has a highway network of 10,000 kilometresand a railway network of 2,000 kilometres. The Government of Odisha has introduced a first of its kind single-window portal called Government of Odisha Single Window for Investor Facilitation and tracking (GOSWIFT) to facilitate the timely completion of industrial projects. High Commissioner also highlighted that Odisha is an Education hub. It has one central university, 18 state universities, four private institutes, 227 engineering colleges, 100 industrial training institutes, 66 management colleges, five architecture colleges and 32 pharmaceutical institutes. It has the All-India Institute of Medical Science and Institute of Physics in Bhubaneswar and the Indian Institute of Management at Sambalpur. It is a state which is mainly trilingual.
In his closing remarks, High Commissioner mentioned that Odisha is also the hub of field hockey, and it hosted the 2018 Men’s Hockey World Cup. The State has groomed many renowned players who represent India internationally in Hockey which is the National Game of India.
Also delivering remarks was Vandana Mohit, Member of Parliament for Chaguanas East. She stated that India is a country which connects closely to hearts of Trinbagonians and has similarities which is shown in T&T society. She said “that we all can learn from the rich cultural heritage that India has which we all can appreciate”. She added: “Odisha is known for this rich cultural heritage and it is important for us to appreciate the rich history and heritage that this State has to offer”. She encouraged Trinibagonians to visit India and experience the beuauty of the country.
Prof. Bidyadhar Sa, Deputy Dean, Quality Assurance & Accreditation Director, Centre of Medical Sciences Education, UWI, St. Augustine gave a pictorial presentation of Odisha State in India. He highlighted the cultural richness and history of Odisha and the various tourist attractions of the State.
Ms. Angenie Sookdeo, Alumni of 58th Know India Programme (with Partner State Odisha) also gave remarks at the event with a photo slide show. She stated she would embrace the cherished memories of the visit for her whole lifetime. She said she was very fortunate to have visited India particularly expressing gratitude to the Indian High Commission for the opportunity. She urged everyone to visit India at least once for the wonderful experiences it offers in a very special way.
The guests at the event were treated to a melodious vocal performance in Odia from Dr. Sadanand Brahmbhatt, MGICC Vocal Teacher and an enticing Sambalpuri dance performance by Ms. Sreeranjini Umesh, ‘Dance instructor and her students. The event also had a enthralling Odissi dance performances by the artists of Nrityanjali Theatre of T & T.Short Videos on various tourists attractions and trade potential of the Odisha State were also shown at the event. The event concluded with a vote of thanks by Mr. N. Lingi Chetty, Second Secretary (Commerce).
By Dr Vishnu Bisram
