BHUBANESWAR: Ambassadors, high commissioners and diplomats from 15 ASEAN, Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) and pacific countries will be given a feel of Odisha’s maritime heritage as they are set to visit the historic Balijatra fair in Cuttack on Friday.
The envoys will be taken on a scenic boat ride along the Mahanadi river before reaching the Balijatra grounds, where they will witness the grandeur of the festival and experience the maritime legacy.
They will board a specially decorated boat from the Silver City boating club to Gadgadia ghat. From there, they will take e-rickshaws to the South-East Asian exhibition on the Balijatra ground. The international delegates will visit the exhibition and special pavilions like Cuttack-in-Cuttack, Evolution of Odia Cinema, national-level Pallishree mela and Pitha Mahotsav - The flavours of Odisha in every bite before attending the inauguration of the fair with Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
This is for the first time that the Odisha government has invited the international delegates to showcase the state’s rich maritime heritage.
The government expects that the participation of the global representatives will enhance Odisha’s visibility as a tourism and cultural hub and create lasting bonds with nations that share a history of maritime commerce.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the state government have made elaborate arrangements for the visit of the envoys. Cuttack collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde said all arrangements have been made for the envoys.
The international representatives include ambassadors Ina H Krisnamurthi of Indonesia, Maj Gen Vetsop Namgyel of Bhutan, Pattarat Hongtong of Thailand and Bounmy Vanmany of Lao PDR.
High commissioners Kshenuka Senawiratne of Sri Lanka, Patrick John Rata of New Zealand, Dato Muzafar Shah Bin Mustafa of Malaysia, Md Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, Alice Cheng of Singapore, Kane Amandus of Nauru, Jagnnath Sami of Fiji, and Dato Alaihuddin Mohamad Taha of Brunei will be in attendance. Minister counsellor WI Amarasinghe of Sri Lanka and minister (economic) of Nepal embassy Tara Nath Adhikari will also be part of the delegation.