Abhey Singh, Merinews
It was billed to be a never-before India show in Japan, and it lived up to
being one on Septemeber 23 when the two-day cultural mega event, Namaste
India, got off to a rollicking start at the sprawling Yoyogi Park in Tokyo.
More than 200,000 Japanese and Indians attended the Namaste India show
organized by India Centre, which was founded in the Japanese capital ten
years ago by its Chairman Vibhav Kant Upadhyay to strengthen the social,
economic and cultural bonds between the two Asian countries. |
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Shinzo Abe with Vibhav Kant Upadhay at the launch of Voice of India in Tokyo |
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Namaste India 2006, the 14th edition, marked a watershed in the last 13 years that it has been
organized in Japan — since 1993 — by India Centre with record visits by
Japanese citizens and Indian nationals to the grand cultural show, which
this year also included trade exhibition that allowed Indian and Japanese
businesses and corporates to showcase their products and services and
explore trade and collaboration opportunities.
Namaste India unleashed the Colours of India — the festival’s branded
theme — through dance performances, concerts, choreographies, fire shows,
handicraft exhibitions, yoga demonstrations and consultations.
Making a modest beginning in 1993, Namaste India as an event has grown in
stature and scale and today has reached, according to the organizers,
“mammoth proportions with immense support from various bodies”.
Event spokesperson Mashahiro Tsuji informed mediapersons before the launch
of the festival that this 14th annual event has moved from its earlier venue
of a temple to Yoyogi Park in Tokyo to accommodate the growing number of
visitors. “The number of participants has doubled since 2004,” he said.
Earlier, India Centre celebrated its 10th anniversary of its founding, which
was attended by the who’s who of Japanese society. Prominent well-wishers
who attended were the president of LDP and prime minister in waiting, Mr
Shinzo Abe, the leader of Demoratic Party, Mr Yukio Hatoyama, the former
Prime Minister, Mr Yoshiro Mori, and a host of other opinion leaders,
intellectuals and policy makers.
Mr Abe, launching the portal, Voice of India (www.voiceofindia.co.jp), on
the occasion complimented Mr Upadhay for his pioneering role in bringing
India and Japan together through the cultural and business initiatives of
India Centre.“He (Mr Upadhyay) educated me about India. He urged me to visit
India, which I did last year… I am convinced we have a lot to learn from
India. India can be a strong partner of Japan in creating a new phase in
Asia’s history. We also need this partnership for our mutual development,”
Mr Abe said.
Mr Abe is the grandson of former Japanese Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi and
it was from him that he learnt initially about India. Mr Kishi had fond
memories of his visit to India in 1957, which he shared with his grandson
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