It is part of the Days of Indian Culture, conducted from August 8 to August 22 by the Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Centre (JNCC) and the Russian Ethnolife Centre.
Ria Novosti
MOSCOW: The festival of Indian culture opened in the Mir Cinema-Concert Hall in Moscow. It is part of the Days of Indian Culture, conducted from August 8 to August 22 by the Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Centre (JNCC) and the Russian Ethnolife Centre. The events this year are devoted to the 60 th anniversary of India’s independence.
The main guests — Kanwal Sibal, the Indian Ambassador in Russia, who will soon return home, and Russian Deputy Culture Minister Andrei Busygin – lit traditional Indian lamps, symbolising the unification of the two great cultures.
“We are lighting these lamps as we are lighting our hearts tonight. So Russian and Indian hearts will be together,” said Georgy Aistov, the festival’s general producer.
The official ceremony was followed by an Indian concert starring sitar virtuoso Meera Prasad, a Rajasthani folk dance company and a Manipuri traditional martial arts group.
Aistov said that the Indian guests were remarkable, adding that the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) had sent wonderful performers to Moscow.
He noted that this was the sixth festival of Indian culture, and it attracts bigger and bigger audiences each year. Last year, some 6,000 Russians attended the events. He said that although it is hard to say how many would come this time, as August is the holiday season, the Days of Indian Culture are very popular with Muscovites.
After the concert, Ramesh Chandra, the Indian Embassy’s Counsellor (Culture), said he believed that our cultures have much in common. He noted that there was a full house for the concert, just as there are no free seats when Russian performers come to India. In 2009, Russia will also hold a Year of India.
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