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Korean cultural fest debuts in Pune

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At the very first Indo-Korean cultural festival, Koreans taught more than 4500 Indians what their culture and identity means. Held at Govind Gardens in Baner, Pune on Saturday, the festival had Korean food, games, music and art apart from the K-Pop contest where winners took home LED TVs, refrigerators and lottery winners took away I-pads, smart phones and even airplane tickets to Seoul, South Korea.

The event had a special area called the 'Culture experience zone' where visitors were told about ancient Korean games like Ddakji Chigi, where people make their own paper envelopes and play it like the Indian 'Pitthu' where stones are upturned. There were arrow games like Tohu and a section for visitors to wear their traditional korean dresses and get their photos clicked. They were also taught to make Gimbaps, traditional Korean food and had their names written in the Korean caligraphy language. Volunteers explained to the visitors what a Hanbok is- a traditional dress where women wear a long colourful gowns and a jacket. They spoke about their currency and various historical figures on them like Great king Sejong who is like the father of their nation and created the present Korean language.

14 year old Yeieun Lee has been living in Pune for 10 years and speaks fluent Hindi. She loves it here and goes to Il-san, her city in South Korea, in vacations. “We are all Asians but very different than each other. Indians are very friendly and helpful and whenever I get lost in the city, the bystanders and Auto walas help me,” she said before running off to explain another visitor how to play Ddakji Chigi. 16-year-old Sun Ho Kim studies in Pune and wanted everyone to know about his culture. “Indian culture is very interesting and to make friends and live in this country you need to know the culture. With this event, we want people to know our culture too. In future, borders won't matter. We need better communication, jobs and friendship for a better future,” said Kim who explained that the reason to keep this event was also because their main festival, Chuesok, happened to be in the first week of September. “It's our main harvest festival. Its like Diwali for Koreans,” he said.

Consul General of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Seok-gu Jang said that Chakan, an area in Pune, also means good in Korean language. “It's the first time that we're holding a cultural festival. We have a 5,000 year old history which we want to share with our Indian friends. The Korean companies that have invested in India are high-quality sustainable companies that contribute not only to the local community but also the nation as a whole. They create steady employment and quality job creation. Singing and dancing is a universal language and I'm sure people will resonate with our dances and songs as Indians too love to sing and dance,” he said.

The main event had a Choir of Korean women performing songs, A duet of Koreans playing the Sitar, Taekwondo dance, Kathak dance and a choir performance from Indian and Korean school children. The K-pop contest had Company groups from Hyundai, LG electronics and POSCO, who performed dances of Korean pop songs and Independant groups sang and danced for the attractive prizes.

Priyanka Shete, a translator from Pune came first in the independent group K-Pop contest and won an LED TV. She sang a korean song Love battery by Hong Jin Young. “I love K-pop and used to sing this song Fantastic baby all the time and my friends encouraged me to come here and participate. A lot of Korean and Marathi words are similar and their dramas are like our Saas-bahu shows. Koreans are very family oriented just like us. Its an opportunity for Indians to know more about them and develop stronger bonds. More Indians need to explore their options in South Korea as their companies are doing really well here,” she said.

More than 10,000 Koreans live in India out of which more than 1000 live in Pune and around 200 in Mumbai. The Korean Association of Pune put together the whole event which was open to anyone with a visiting card. It showcased a flea market where Korean jewellery, clothes, books, shoes and pickles were sold. There was a variety of mouth-watering Korean dishes like the traditional Gimbap dish which is the staple food of Koreans to Kimchi, Rice balls, Bibim Bap, Tugim, red bean buns and moon cakes. Every visitor was given a Kayani cake to take away.

Director of the organising committee, Mikyoung Ku has lived in Pune for 13 years and finds Pune a lot like her home in Korea. Signing certificates in her bright pink Hanbok, she gives the biggest smile revealing a few golden teeth besides all the whites. She feels tense and relaxed at the same time. “Indians are performing Korean dance and music, Koreans are performing Indian music. We just want to co-exist in harmony and share our culture,” she said.  

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