The Festival of India in Vietnam would be held from March 5-15, 2014. The Festival of India in Hanoi would be inaugurated by the Senior Politburo Member and Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Nguyen Thien Nhan along with the Culture Minister of Vietnam and Secretary Culture at the Opera House Hanoi on March 5, 2014. The Sangeet Natak Akademy would be presenting a dance composition titled Nrityaroopa.
Dance Festival : Nrityaroopa by Sangeet Natak Akademy:
Nrityarupa, presented in the Festival of India in Vietnam, encapsulates for a new audience the experience of Indian dance as it has evolved in various parts of the country. In so doing, it offers a glimpse of the great mosaic of cultures that constitutes the Indian nation, and demonstrates in a creative, kinetic, form their dynamics in relation to each other.
Six dance forms representing the diversity of India’s culture have been chosen for this presentation to audiences in Vietnam: Bharatanatyam of Tamil Nadu (and the rest of southern India); Kathak, preeminently the dance of northern India; Odissi, from Odisha in eastern India; Manipuri from Manipur, the north-eastern State of India; Kathakali of Kerala at the southern tip of the Indian peninsula; and Chhau which covers a wide swathe of territory in the eastern States of the Union. One seamless presentation of these dances has been visualized leading to a jubilant finish.
Nrityarupa starts with a Shiva-stuti, a hymnal offering to Lord Shiva, whose dance of Bliss symbolizes the cosmic cycle of creation and destruction. The stuti draws in dancers in pairs representing the six dance forms, which are then demonstrated individually. Finally, at the climax, all the dancers perform together to a uniform rhythm and the soaring melody of a tarana. Here, all the streams merge in a surging demonstration of pure dance and melody. Nrityarupa, thus, has an inherent symbolism. First, it exhibits before the audience the unique yet complementary character of each dance; the individual identity of the separate dance forms is then established; finally, in the celebratory tarana, the entire mosaic comes together, each part uniting with the other. This could be said to be characteristic of the Indian nation which always rejoices in unison, despite the cultural and social differences among its constituent parts.
Food Festival : Ministry of Tourism
The food festival is to be launched by the Foreign Minister and Secretary Culture on March 6, 2014, and about 300 guests have been invited. Secretary Culture would be inaugurating the Food Festival. Two cooks from ITDC Ashok, namely . Sh. Jitender Himral,Sous Chef and 2. Sh. Jai Kishen, sr Cook would be cooking Indian delicacies in Sheraton Hotel
New Delhi.
Buddhist Festival : Central Institute of Himalayan Studies:
The Grand Patriarch of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha would be inaugurating the Buddhist Festival along with Secretary Culture and the Minister for Religion and Mayor in Ho Chi Minh city on March 7, 2014. The photo exhibition would be inaugurated by Secretary Culture at the Fine Arts Museum along with Minister of Religion and Mayor on March 7, 2014.
The Buddhist Festival would comprise of Sand Mandala Painting, Butter Sculpture, Sacred Dance and Lama Chant, 25 monks from Central Institute of Himalayan Studies would be participating in the Buddhist Festival in Vietnam.
Folk Dances: Kalbelia Dance
The West Zone Cultural Centre would be presenting a Kalbelia dance troupe in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city for the Festival of India in Vietnam.
Yoga and Mehendi:
A Yoga Festival and Mehendi artists would also be participating in the Festival of India in Vietnam.
Secretary Culture Shri Ravindra Singh would be heading the 90 member Indian delegation to Vietnam from March 5-8, 2014. During this visit, Secretary Culture would be meeting the Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Culture Minister, and Vice Ministers in Foreign office and Culture Ministry on March 5-6, 2014 and the Grand Patriarch of Vietnam Buddhist Sangha on March 8, 2014.
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