Celebrating 60 years of diplomatic ties between Germany and India, a ten-day ‘Indo-German Urban Mela’ will be held here tomorrow , January 11 showcasing pavilions incorporating the best of innovation and design of the two countries.
This mela is a blend of technology, science, culture and entertainment – has reached its last stop over in Pune and will be open for public at the Deccan College Ground, Yerawada.
The Indo-German Urban Mela is part of the celebration titled “Germany and India 2011-2012: Infinite Opportunities” that commemorates 60 years of Indo-German diplomatic ties. Following the success in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Delhi - in the recent months, it is all set to engage and entertain visitors from all over Pune for the next ten days.
This tour is a set of cutting edge, multi-purpose pavilions, which are designed by renowned German installation artist and designer, Markus Heinsdorff, with a thematic focus on “StadtRäume – CitySpaces
Speaking at the press briefing announcing the Indo-German Urban Mela in Pune, Michael Siebert, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany, said, “There is a seamless cooperation between Germnay and Inida. This mela will cause a good exchange between Germany and India. In Delhi over four lakh people have visited the mela. India is doing very well in the fields of IT, engineering and medicine. We are exchanging technologies with other and offering training programmes for Indian students in Germany. For India, it will be a best take away from Germany.”
He also added that there is an increase in visa numbers in the last two years.
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There is a growth of 50, 000 visas, allotted to Indians for education and various training programmes. Over two lakh Indian have travelled to Germany in the last two years. German Universities are offering programmes in English language for foreign students so that more and more students will be attracted to Germany.”
Speaking about the diversity that the Indo-German Urban Mela offers, Dr Folco Naether, Director, Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan, Pune, said, “We shall offer a wide variety of activities that are basically distributed into three slots: In the morning and early afternoon we offer workshops as well as games for school children and students who want to experience German the fun way. In the afternoons our hands-on workshops cover a variety of activities ranging from graffiti, dance, and music to storytelling and theatre. Or, you can participate in talks about environmental and urban issues; and in the evening - in a party mood we present some of the India's foremost bands like Indian Ocean, Karsh Kale Collectiv, and the Raghu Dixit Project and DJ sets by Ma Faiza from Pune or Ipek from Berlin.”
In this mela. partner organisations and institutions of the project are Bajaj Allianz, BASF, Bosch, Deutsche Bank, Siemens, and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and over 300 German companies are participating in the mela.