Bhubaneswar: Odia families residing in the UAE gathered at the foot of Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world on Thursday morning, holding placards ‘Bande Utkal Janani’ on the occasion of Utkal Divas.
They sang Kantakabi Laxmikant Mohapatra’s ‘Bande Utkala Janani’ to celebrate to occasion. It was for the first time ever that this iconic poem was recited at the foot of the tallest building in the world.
Through this symbolic gesture, the families also wanted to convey a message to the people back home, that their love for their motherland has not dimmed and they yearn to visit her as soon as the situation normalises.
Later, they relished traditional delicacies ‘Arisa Pitha’ and ‘Aloo Dum and ‘Bara.’
Richa Samanatary, a successful Odia entrepreneur who has been living in UAE for the past 10 years, said, “I personally prepared the Odia food and derived great joy in enjoying them in front of such an iconic structure.”
Priyadarshee Panigrahi, General Manager of an FMCG company said, “Remembering Odisha on her formation day at a special venue was indeed a great feeling.”
According to Rajesh Tripathy, who is working with a global business school, added that such symbolic celebrations inculcate a sense of patriotism and fraternal bonding among the fellow Odias residing in the foreign land.
