Bhubaneswar, April 1: For youths here, it was Utkal Divas with a difference.

Bibliophiles spent the day with author duo Subroto Bagchi and Susmita Bagchi at the Walking Bookfairs, the open-air bookstore run by Akshaya Kumar Rautray and Satabdi Mishra.

The writer of popular business books such as Go Kiss the World and On Leadership and Innovation, Subroto read out excerpts from her wife's latest book Asa Pherijiba.

Youngsters listened with keen interest as the author held on to their attention with his reading skills. A group of 50 youngsters gathered at the bookstore to discuss the latest trends in the literary scenario of the state and the country. The readers also learnt entrepreneurship skills from the business leader while Susmita ingrained in them a passion for writing in Odia.

"We had a great time with the authors and learnt a lot about improving our writing skills," said engineering student Archana Patnaik.

Students of Utkal University, however, took out a procession in the morning with Bande Utkal Janani on their lips and garlanded statues of state heroes.

"We realise that garlanding them for a day will not ensure that they get the due respect. We thought if not throughout the year, at least today we should pay tributes to all those who have been instrumental in shaping the future of the state," said Rajeshraj Swain, president of the students' union of the varsity.

A meeting was also organised by the students at the varsity's auditorium where prominent writers were felicitated.

Another youth group in the city, Being Indian Foundation, visited a city-based orphanage in the city to spread smiles among the children.

"We played interactive games with the kids and had also arranged for a musical band to make them dance and sing along. We also distribute chocolates among them and other necessary items," said Soumyaranjan Biswal, a member of the group.

Myriad hues of Odisha were portrayed on canvas at an exhibition conducted at Utkal Mandap today. A number of young artists from nine art and crafts colleges from the state participated in the event.