Nonresident Odia (NRO) Kunna Dash, who is international tourism ambassador of Kyoto, Japan, has been making efforts to develop pilgrim town Puri. A native of Puri, he has been staying in Japan for last 20 years.
He has realised Odisha as the gate-way of south-east Asian nations. Prior to PM Narendra Modi’s 3-day visit to Japan on November 10, Dash met First lady of Japan Akie Abe and discussed with her about ‘Make in Odisha’ scheduled to be launched in December.
He discussed with her about the conclave that the Government of Odisha in collaboration with Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Government of India, is organizing at Bhubaneswar. The conclave shall focus on investment opportunities across the State.
Dash also briefed her about Kokorozashi Art Project sent to Japan depicted by the students of his school ‘Chandra Sekhar Academy’ in Puri. The project is all about heart-felt messages from students for world peace and to create an indestructible desire among them to make the world still a better place to live in. Kokorozashi clothes collected from all over the world shall be sewn together and unveiled at the stadium of Tokyo Olympic in 2020.
Dash also presented her ‘Idols of Trinity’(lord Jagannath, Prabhu Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra) that stand symbolic to the religious sentiment of the people of Odisha. And made her understand how the festive fervors of Gion festival in Kyoto resembles the Chariot festival of Puri and more so how lord Buddha is the 10th incarnation of lord Jagannath.
“I also discussed with her on Buddhism shrines and monuments of Odisha that mostly attract religious pilgrims from Japan and south-east Asia. Besides religion and culture, both India and Japan share a strong historic bond also before the advent of 2nd World War. Japan has the technology and India has the natural resource and manpower. Japan has the brilliant hardware technology and India is superb in software. Ialso thanked her on behalf of India for the good relationship that has been fostered during their tenure,” said Dash.