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Japan
to celebrate colours of India Sep 27-28
Indo-Asian News
Service
New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) Japan will come alive to the sounds
and flavours of India Sep 27-28 in a cultural event, 'Namaste
India', in the heart of Tokyo.
It will be organised by the India Centre Foundation, a culture
forum that has been trying to promote sustainable development
of the country in socio-economic, political and cultural domains.
In its 16th year, 'Namaste India', which was initiated by
a Japanese Indophile in 1992, will celebrate the very best
of Indian culture, cuisine, entertainment and business environments
in the Yoyogi-Koen Park in Tokyo from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. over
two days.
The festival will begin Sep 27 with a magic show by Ugesh
Sarcar, followed by a catwalk where Japanese models will show
off Indian couture. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations
will present a music recital "Ladhak”.
Classical Indian dance recitals by Japanese performers Kimiko
Maruhashi, Hiromi Maruhashi and Sachiyo Kubota Kaltatawa Ainu
will be the highlight of the programme on the second day.
The ICCR's rock band Speech, led by Haribhatt will play live
while a dance-drama, “India & Indian-I”, will feature
Ayako Sakurai on the tabla and dancers from ICCR.
“The India Centre Foundation, founded in 1996 as a non-profit
organisation, has been a catalyst in strengthening India-Japanese
relation by building bridges at a socio-economic level, and
'Namaste India' is an attempt to celebrate India in Japan,”
chairman of the foundation Vaibhav Kant Upadhyay told IANS
over telephone from Tokyo.
'Namaste India' is a platform that allows people of India
and Japan to interact and understand each other's rich culture.
It is ultimately the people-to-people dialogue that fosters
confidence in the ability to work together and strengthen
bilateral ties, Upadhyay said.
The foundation, which began showcasing India through Bollywood
12 years ago, now has a permanent mission in Tokyo and Beijing.
“We initially screened movies like 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge',
'Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman' and other Shah Rukh Khan starrers
to acquaint the people of Japan to the cultural diversity,
ethos and colours of India. After it grabbed eyeballs, we
started promoting Indian culture seriously,” Upadhyay said.
The foundation, unlike other India-Japanese official initiatives,
sets a theme to promote cultural exchanges, Upadhayay said.
As a result, several soft economic segments like tourism and
education have benefited.
Citing tourism figures, Upadhayay said while in 1996, only
50,000 visas were issued for Japanese tourists visiting India,
by 2002 it shot up to 150,000, three times the number primarily
because of the Indian culture road shows.
“Indian mathematics is also very popular in Japan. At least
20 books on ancient Vedic math have been authored by Japanese
experts and they are taught in schools,” Upadhyay said.
Indo-Asian
News Service
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