Odisha under the spell of Maldivian food, women!

The South Asian Youth Summit (SAYS) – a regional gathering to discuss issues facing the youth – began in Odisha State’s capital, Bubaneshwar City last Sunday night.

The green city of Bubaneshwar, being developed as a “smart city” was fully prepared for the event. Bubaneshwar may be new to Maldivians. It was certainly new to the Maldivian delegates participating in the event. The people of Odisha had a similar experience, meeting Maldivians.

Some of the people of Odisha had heard about the emerald islands surrounded by white sandy beaches laying on blue waters full of colourful sea life that is Maldives, through the media. But meeting a Maldivian in real life and learning about their culture was a whole new experience.

This was evident from the youth of Odisha who visited the Maldivian stall kept during the opening ceremony of SAYS 2017. Of the two stalls kept at the opening ceremony, the Maldivian stall was by far the most popular.

The Maldivian stall was made using palm leaves and displayed items which showed Maldivian culture and tradition. It also included samples of Maldivian snacks and canned tuna.

There was no shortage of people who liked the taste of the Maldivian food items. Nor was there a shortage of people who wanted to visit Maldives after hearing about the beauty and culture of the island nation and seeing the pictures shown to them by the Maldivian delegates.

A couple of local students who visited the stall said they had always heard about the beauty of Maldives, and wished to visit Maldives after they completed their studies.

Visitors to the stall also questioned the Maldivian delegates about their language, their clothing, and their culture.

Witnessing the unity of the Maldivian delegation, participants of the Summit gave multiple compliments. The bulk of the compliments, however, went to the Maldivian women.

All participants arrived at the opening ceremony adorned in their traditional clothes. But the number of pictures taken of the Maldivian women who arrived wearing the red libaas and dhigu hendhun showed the attention the Maldivian women grabbed.

None of the visitors to the Maldivian stall – of either sex – or media delegates from participating countries left without taking a selfie with the Maldivian delegates. And they insisted that only Maldivian women be on the selfies with them.