Culture Ministry has set the ball rolling for holding the next round of Festivals of India abroad in 2015-16.
Culture Secretary Ravindra Singh today held a video conference with Ambassadors/High Commissioners of South Korea, Australia, Mauritius and Myanmar in this regard.
Similar festivals have already been organized successfully in various countries like Malaysia, China, Indonesia, South Africa and Japan among others.
Singh pointed out to the Ambassadors and High Commissioners that these festivals can be used to showcase Indian art, culture, life and achievements, a release said.
The envoys favoured the idea of projecting the face of modern India by showcasing the rise of 'Digital India' and other modern technological developments in the field of space. They were also of the opinion of showcasing the journey of Indian civilization from 5,000 years ago to the modern India.
Singh shared the experience of the festivals held recently in other countries like South Africa and China and various themes of these festivals like Buddhism, Yoga, and cricket.
He also asked these countries to collaborate among themselves and schedule activities in such a way that artistic performances and exhibitions being run in a particular country can be presented in their neighbouring countries too.
The events and theme of a Festival is decided by each country. Ambassador to South Korea was in favour of a theme based on Buddhism since it has a large Buddhist population.
Ambassador to Myanmar emphasised that the Yoga and Ayurveda can be of special interest in Myanmar while the representative of Indian High Commission in Australia favoured the theme based on Tribal Art.
The ambassadors were of the opinion that the states should also be involved actively in these festivals.
The Secretary emphasized that social media should be utilized to the maximum extent.
Senior officials of Ministry of Culture and representatives from National Museum, National Council of Science Museums, NGMA and other organizations involved in these festivals were also present during the video conference.
