"Good idea to bring to Norway!": Norwegian envoy "touched" with Indian custom of putting shawl
Jul 18, 2024
New Delhi [India], July 18 : Norwegian Ambassador to India, May-Elin Stener, shared a gratitude post regarding the Indian custom of greeting someone with a scarf or shawl, and even suggested that Norway could adopt this tradition.
Stating that she found the custom 'touching', Stener said on Thursday this is the striking thing of being posted in India.
"A gratitude post. The most striking thing getting posted to India is the warm welcome you receive from everyone! North. South. East. West. I am so touched with the culture of putting a scarf/shawl on someone as a greeting. Good idea to bring to Norway!" the Norwegian envoy stated on X.
https://x.com/NorwayAmbIndia/status/1813830183847145947
"The most striking thing when you get posted to India is the warm welcome you receive from everyone. And each welcome, well, comes filled with art or culture of different parts of India," the ambassador said in the video.
Earlier, May-Elin Stener participated in the International Yoga Day celebrations on June 21.
Praising the practice of yoga, the envoy said she also witnessed the moment when the United Nations General Assembly in 2014 voted to create the International Yoga Day.
Speaking to ANI, Stener said, "I love yoga."
"I think this practice was very, very good. I learned new things about breathing on Yoga Day. Happy International Yoga Day, everyone. This is the 10th International Yoga Day. I was in the United Nations General Assembly when it was voted over in December 2014. So I'm very happy to be here in India on the 10th International Day of Yoga," she said.
Recently, the Norwegian Ambassador to India also attended the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rashtrapati Bhavan on June 9.
She said that Norway looks forward to continuing "strong and robust" bilateral ties between the two nations in various sectors, including blue economy, energy, trade, investments, environment and climate.
In a post on X, May-Elin Stener stated, "Representing Norway at swearing in of new Indian govt led by @narendramodi We look forward to continuing strong & robust bilateral relations in areas including #blueeconomy #energy #trade #investments #environment #climate & more!"
India and Norway established bilateral relations in February 1947. Both countries have been enjoying a cordial and friendly relationship since then. The two countries respect each other for their commonly shared values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
The Indian community in Norway numbers around 26,900, out of which 19,135 are Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and 7,765 are Non-Resident Indians (NRIs). Most of them are professionals.
