Impressed by India's rich culture and its people's hospitality a number of Israelis, who have visited the country, consider it a 'second home'.
TEL AVIV: Impressed by India's rich culture and its people's hospitality a number of Israelis, who have visited the country, consider it a 'second home'.
"My last year's trip to India was more of a pilgrimage than a visit of an Israeli tourist and I was once again treated to the kind of Indian hospitality I had got used to as a student there," Assaf Patrick, who studied Hindi in 1998 at the Kendriya Hindi Sansthan in Delhi on an ICCR fellowship, said on the occasion of International Scholars Day here.
"About nine years ago I went to India for study and the family where I stayed then treated melike achild returning home. I was moved by their hospitality," Patricktold the gathering of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) fellows in chaste Hindi.
While narrating his experience in India, Dudu 'Natraj' Cohen, an accomplished Odissi dancer, told PTI on the occasion, "there is a growing interest in Indian classical dances in Israel and I am glad that I can pursue my love for the art. I have started to teach local India enthusiasts Odissi and they have lovingly given me the nickname 'Natraj'."
He went to India on an ICCR scholarship and continued to learn Odissi for six years, majoring in the dance form.
With sitar's popularity among young India lovers in Israel visible, Ron Erez's recital evoked queries regarding music schools in India from several enthusiasts.
Among those present at the event included India's Ambassador to Israel Navtej Sarna who said "extended stay in a country as a student is an intense experience. One carries away with him something deep.....the shared experience can transform into actual bonds on which one can build a strong relationship."
He also assured the gathering of all possible help in their endeavor to carryonwith what they have learnt in India and to promote its culture.
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