BHUBANESWAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday invoked the historic Baliyatra, which is currently underway in Cuttack, to cite the strong ties between India and Indonesia that goes back to thousands of years.
Addressing an Indian community programme in Bali on the sidelines of G20 Summit there, Prime Minister Modi spoke about the ancient trade ties between Odisha and Bali and Baliyatra’s significance. “As I speak to you in Bali, 1,500 km from here in Cuttack city of India, Baliyatra Mahotsav is underway on the banks of river Mahanadi. This mahotsav celebrates thousands of years of trade relations between India and Indonesia,” said Modi.
Stating that people of Indonesia will be very happy and proud seeing pictures of this year’s Baliyatra on the internet, he said after two years of Covid-19 pandemic, the Baliyatra Mahotsav is being celebrated in Odisha in a grand way with great fervour and mass participation of lakhs of people.
“I have been told that to mark Baliyatra, people of Cuttack will make paper boats and sail them in a bid to create a world record during the mahotsav. This means people who have now congregated in Odisha are physically present there but their soul is amidst you all in Bali. We usually say it’s a small world and this holds true for India and Indonesia relationship,” the PM said at the programme.
Referring to the ancient kingdom of Kalinga, Modi said there was a time when through the kingdoms of Kalinga and Medang, India’s culture and heritage reached Indonesia. “Now, in the 21st century, both India and Indonesia are moving together towards development,” he said.