G20 delegates enjoy day out with birdwatching, pottery

For Takako Sato from Japan and 50 other G20 delegates like her, Saturday was a welcome change from the back-to-back meetings. The day was spent amid nature with a visit to the Sultanpur National Park (formerly Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary) near Gurugram, which is one of the 75 Ramsar sites in the country.

- Jasjeev Gandhiok

Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance.

The delegates planted saplings in a special area dedicated to the summit, followed by a guided tour by expert birders from Delhi-NCR, who assisted the delegates in identifying resident as well as migratory birds at the sanctuary.

"I have been blown away by the hospitality so far," said Sato as she planted a sapling right next to a board with her name and the Japanese flag engraved on it. "The sessions over the last three days have been immensely fruitful. I have been even more surprised to see the beauty of India and it only gives us an opportunity to discover it through such excursions," she said.

The 350-acre national park was decked up to welcome the delegates.

Apart from folk dancers welcoming them at the entrance, an exhibition area inside displaying the rich biodiversity of the park, a handicrafts section, a G20 'tree park' and birding points were also among the main attractions during the visit.