BHUBANESWAR: IN a first in Asia, the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) and British Council, India hosted ‘Commonwealth Big Lunch’ here on Friday.More than 30,000 persons, including 27,000 students of the institute had sumptuous lunch with High Commissioners, Deputy High Commissioners and representatives from the High Commissions of 53 Commonwealth countries at one place. It was a big day for KISS, as it is the only organisation selected from Asia.
Director of British Council, India Alan Gemmell said KISS is an institution where one can realise the transformative power of education. “The event is an unforgettable celebration of the Commonwealth and importance of young people. We want to develop new relationships with young people all over the country to respond to their ambition in education and culture. We enjoyed the moment with indigenous students,” he said.
The event was part of the 70th year celebration of British Council’s inception. The big lunch initiative was launched by UK Prime Minister Theresa May in February this year ahead of the Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in April to encourage people to get together to celebrate their Commonwealth connections through food.
While the first lunch was hosted by the British Council in London on March 12, lunches of all shapes and sizes are set to take place in Australia, South Africa, Ghana and Edinburgh till April 22.
British High Commissioner to India, Dominic Asquith said the Commonwealth Big Lunch was the largest lunch that he has ever witnessed. “It was really a big day to have lunch with thousands of students,” he said.
Ten different dishes were served to the students and guests at three different venues inside the KISS campus. As many as 2,500 persons were engaged in serving the food while 500 volunteers supervised them. The dishes included rice, dal, vegetable mixture, tomato chutney, chicken curry, papad and rasagola.
Founder of KIIT and KISS Achyuta Samanta thanked British Council for selecting the institute to host the big lunch. “It is a matter of pride for Odisha to host the dignitaries from 53 Commonwealth countries. We are overwhelmed with the kind of appreciation we received from the guests,” he added.