LUCKNOW, Jan. 26 -- The three-day UP Diwas 2026 opened on a distinctly global note on Saturday (January 24), with celebrations on the first day stretching across India and into major world capitals, a development officials said reflects the growing international resonance of Uttar Pradesh's cultural and social identity. The three-day foundation day celebrations feature simultaneous programmes in nearly 20 Indian states and across 15 Indian embassies and missions abroad, marking one of the widest outreach efforts for UP Diwas to date, officials said. On Saturday, cultural events and commemorations were organised in several countries, including the United States (Seattle), Germany, Russia, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Singapore, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Mongolia and Myanmar. Members of the Uttar Pradesh diaspora, along with local communities and diplomatic representatives, took part in exhibitions, cultural performances, film screenings and interactive sessions celebrating the state's heritage, arts and evolving socio-economic narrative. Indian missions and consulates in Osaka-Kobe (Japan), Saint-Denis (France), the United Kingdom, Lithuania, DR Congo and Jaffna (Sri Lanka) also extended formal greetings on the occasion, underlining the international goodwill associated with Uttar Pradesh. Several missions hosted curated cultural programmes, while others screened video messages from chief minister Yogi Adityanath, reinforcing the state's outreach to its global community, according to officials. Notable embassy-level engagements were reported from Russia and Germany, where cultural showcases highlighted Uttar Pradesh's historical legacy, tourism potential and contemporary progress, presenting the state as a blend of tradition and transformation. Within India, UP Diwas was marked across Delhi, Telangana, Gujarat, Assam, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu and Goa, among others. Programmes were also held at the Lieutenant Governor's Office in Delhi, as well as in Mumbai, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Punjab, reflecting nationwide participation and solidarity....