BIMSTEC festival of Buddhist heritage starts in Delhi

A three-day festival themed on Buddhist heritage today kicked off here as part of the celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of BIMSTEC.
'Bodhi Parva: BIMSTEC Festival of Buddhist Heritage' is scheduled to be held from December 8-10 at the India Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA), the Ministry of External Affairs said.
"The festival would have diverse components including an exhibition of international and Indian Buddhist art and architecture, discourses by eminent scholars and practitioners of Buddhism, guided meditation and chanting by Buddhist monks," the MEA said in a statement.
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional organisation comprising seven member states lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the bay constituting a contiguous regional unity.

The festival will also feature a choir, screening of films on Buddhism, dance and music performances, quiz show based on Buddhism and BIMSTEC and a food trail, the MEA said.
The event has been organised in keeping with the call of BIMSTEC leaders to work collectively towards making BIMSTEC stronger, more effective.
Bodhi Parva is an opportunity to reemphasise and celebrate the strong Buddhist cultural heritage shared by all member states.
The BIMSTEC member states are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.