Droupadi Murmu set to become first President to address Odisha Assembly
Bhubaneswar (PTI): Droupadi Murmu is set to script history on Thursday by becoming the first President to address the Odisha assembly during her two-day visit to the state, officials said.
Murmu is scheduled to address members of the Odisha Legislative Assembly from 4.30 pm to 5.30 pm, Speaker Surama Padhy said.
The President hails from Odisha, and is a former member of the assembly.
Murmu will arrive at the Biju Patnaik International Airport here at 2 pm and reach the Raj Bhavan at 2.20 pm to inaugurate the Kalinga Atithi Nivas, the officials said.
She was elected to the Odisha assembly from the Rairangpur seat in Mayurbhanj district twice – 2000 and 2004.
Padhy said Murmu will be the first President to visit and address the Odisha Assembly.
Murmu was also a minister in the BJD-BJP coalition government in Odisha.
The President will also visit room number 11, the chamber in the assembly from where she functioned as a minister.
She served as an MoS with independent charge for Commerce and Transportation from March 6, 2000 to August 6, 2002, and Fisheries and Animal Resources Development from August 6, 2002 to May 16, 2004.
The chamber has been renovated ahead of her visit, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling said.
In 2007, Murmu had received the ‘Nilkanth Award’ for the Best MLA of the Odisha assembly.
Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, MPs from the state and eminent personalities are also scheduled to attend the proceedings when the President addresses the assembly.
Keeping in view the President's visit, the Odisha government has made elaborate security arrangements in Bhubaneswar, including in and around the assembly, the officials said.
The Winter Session of the assembly will begin on Friday and is scheduled to continue till December 31.
Murmu will leave for Uttar Pradesh on November 28.
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First-ever life-size Vivekananda statue in US unveiled in Seattle
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New York (PTI): The first-ever life-size statue of Swami Vivekananda in the US was unveiled in Seattle, honouring the renowned Indian philosopher and spiritual leader.
The life-size bronze statue, installed at the busy Westlake Square in downtown Seattle, is the first such installation hosted by a city government anywhere in the US, officials said.
Sculpted by Indian artist Naresh Kumar Kumawat, it was jointly unveiled on Saturday by Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and Consul General of India in Seattle Prakash Gupta.
"From Chicago 1893 to Seattle 2026! Seattle's skyline has a new Indian icon: Swami Vivekananda! City of Seattle becomes the first city government to host the Swami Vivekananda Monument in the heart of downtown Seattle," the Consulate General of India in Seattle said in a social media post.
Addressing the event, Wilson said the monument reflects Seattle's inclusive spirit and strengthens cultural ties between India and the diverse metropolitan tech hub in the US Pacific Northwest.
The statue has been gifted by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) to the City of Seattle in recognition of its "in recognition of the city’s rich multicultural character and spirit of inclusivity", the Indian mission in Seattle said in a statement.
The unveiling of the statue was held on the occasion of the celebration of ICCR Day and is part of India's broader cultural diplomacy initiatives aimed at strengthening people-to-people ties between India and the US Pacific Northwest, the Consulate said.
Located at the bustling Westlake Square, which sees over 400,000 visitors daily, the monument stands near prominent landmarks including the Amazon headquarters ‘Spheres’, the Seattle Convention Centre and the Seattle Centre Monorail.
The unveiling ceremony was attended by several local leaders, including mayors from cities in the Greater Seattle area, community representatives and members of the Indian-American diaspora.
Swami Vivekananda had delivered his historic address at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893, introducing Hindu philosophy to a global audience.
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