We
all have heard Bhubaneswar & Cuttack to be the ‘Twin Cities’ of Odisha,
because of their geographical positions and friendly associations both socially
& politically. But, have you heard of ‘Sister Cities’? If yes, then you
must be aware that Bhubaneswar is the ‘Sister City’ of Cupertino, California,
U.S.A since 2011. Still confused about how it works? Here at Odisha Global,
today we are celebrating this kind relationship by spreading the word &
invoking conversation.
Sister
City-Inception:
Well,
‘Sister Cities’ is a concept that started after the end of the Second World War
in 1947 to foster friendship & understanding between different cultures
& countries, specially former enemies as an act of peace & retaliation.
However, the modern concept of ‘Sister Cities’, though being based on the original inculcates
more about empowering strategic international business links, tourism &
trade and also various social & cultural causes.
A
Sneak-Peek into Cupertino, California:
The
City of Cupertino or renowned as the home of the Apple Inc. is situated in the
state of California, in the county of Santa Clara, in the region of San
Francisco Bay Area in United States of America. This small coastal city has a
population of 58,302 according to 2010 Census, with notable citizens like Steve
Jobs – The Founder of Apple Inc., Aaron Eckhart-The Golden Globe Winning Actor,
popularly known for his roles as Two-Face or Harvey Dent in ‘The Dark Knight’
in 2008, etc.
The
Flourishing Friendship of Bhubaneswar & Cupertino:
Bhubaneswar
was chosen unanimously by the City council to be a ‘Sister City’ to Cupertino
on 16th August 2011, as Bhubaneswar shares similarities with
Cupertino in many ways from culture to demographics. The city Mayor Gilbert
Wong & the co-president of Bhubaneswar ‘Sister City’ initiative both agree
on how both of thecities “have a rich melting pot culture along with a
stronghigh-tech sector, higher percentage of educated citizens, numerous universities
and temples all at one place.” Since the inception of the idea, Bhubaneswar
& Cupertino have had many extended visits, student exchange programs,
festivals like Diwali celebrated together here in Bhubaneswar and Cupertino
alike as the latter claims to have a larger population as Indian students in
its universities.
This
‘11th wealthiest city with a population of over 50,000 in U.S.A’ has
3 other ‘Sister Cities’ across the world:
·
Cupertino’s namesake city: Copertino, Apulia, Italy
·
Hsinchu, Republic of China (Taiwan)
·
Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Guess, we Bhubaneswarites are Global in many
ways than we had anticipated before!
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