Embassy of India, Warsaw E-Newsletter apr-june 2013: - Opening of India Centre in Wroclaw - First Secretary Mr. G.R. Meena visits Warsaw University Tamil Day - NATIONAL BOOK TRUST, INDIA in Warsaw - Eminent Bharatanatyam dancer Geeta Chandran s tour in Poland - Lecture by Mr. Janardan Dwivedi, MP - "INDIAN TRADITION & MODERN VISION" at Warsaw University - First Secretary Mr. G. R. Meena s visit to Wroclaw - Visit of Shri Suresh Goel, Director General, Indian Council for Cultural Relations - Dr. Małgorzata Bonikowska on Maha Kumbha Mela - The 17th European Carrom Championship and Indian Culture Festival in Leszno - Welcome to our new redesigned website! - A new Indian restaurant in TriCity, Ganesh
Opening of India Centre in Wroclaw May 29, 2013 will be a memorable date in development of business relations between Poland and India,grand opening of European Indian Business and Cultural Center was held and portal www.investprocess.com portal was launched. In a span of a year from the discussion about the noble idea of the project with Madame Monika Kapil Mohta Ambassador of India in Poland and IPCCI President JJ Singh, Adam Bisek member of IPCCI and known business person from Wroclaw completed a large part of the investment. INDIA CENTER is located in Wroclaw Żerniki. It's a warehouses, offices and land covering a total of about 3 hectares. In the final stage the center will be located near Wrocław in Krępice, 4 km from Wroclaw s airport and 1 km from the border of Wroclaw, the national road 94. The whole investment will occupy an area of over 10 hectares. The construction work has already started. Integral part of the project is portal www.investprocess.com, unique communication platform, which enables networking for business partners, inquiries and promote the potential of the two countries. The ceremony was attended by the representatives of Parliament, local authorities, businessmen and entrepreneurs. Guests of honor were Ambassador Monika Kapil Mohta and Marshal of Lower Silesia Ewa Mańkowska. Both of them congratulated Mr Adam Bisek realization of project and wished himfurther success. The Ambassador also thanked IPCCI for commitment and in particular to Mr JJ Singh and Mr Kartikey Johri. Embassy of India will provide information about the project to the institution, the Indian government and business and IPCCI will also provide it s valuable contribution and cooperation in the said project. All People who rendered great service to the project have been awarded the title of Ambassador of India Center and got an honorable access to the portal including Madam Ambassdor and J.J. Singh. Ambassador and Mrs. Marshall were asked to do the symbolic planting of oak trees in the Avenue of Honor in the House of Cosmonauts, where the reception and grand opening was held. IPCCI will make every effort to ensure that information about the project reached the widest of investors in both countries. We congratulate Mr. Adam Bisek and his team once again. - 1-
First Secretary Mr. G.R. Meena visits Warsaw University Tamil Day The University of Warsaw, Faculty of Oriental studies, organized a commemorative session to mark the 40th Anniversary of Tamil Studies at the University on 16 May 2013. - 2-
NATIONAL BOOK TRUST, INDIA in Warsaw The 4th Warsaw Book Fair was held in Warsaw from 16-19 May. National Book Trust of India participated in the fair. - 3-
Eminent Bharatanatyam dancer Geeta Chandran s tour in Poland Geeta surprised by Polish Indophilia Some of India's cultural colour brightened up Poland recently, when acclaimed Delhi-based Bharatanatyam dancer, Geeta Chandran, visited the country. The Padma Shri awardee was invited by Monika Mohta, India's ambassador in Warsaw, as part of her efforts to showcase India's soft power there. Rajiv Chandran of the UN, Geeta's husband, recounts how surprised they were by the popularity of Indian arts and culture there. During her visit, Geeta inaugurated the India Day at the University of Poznan and the Asia Week at the Gdansk University. She also conducted a session for ballet dancers at the government-- sponsored Ballet School in Poznan and an abhinaya workshop for Polish Bharatanatyam dancers in the idyllic mountain resort of Czorsztyn. Geeta says that she was highly impressed by the level of interest in Indology in Poland. The Tamil Department at the University of Warsaw is 80 years old, she added. "And after my performance, one scholar came and asked me if my first piece was from the Thiruvilayadil Puranam. It was!" she exclaims. Rajiv adds that at one performance, when he was making the English announcements preceding the dance, the Polish translator requested that he repeat them in Hindi. "It was apparently easier for them to translate from Hindi to Polish than from English to Polish," he laughs. The couple adds that scholars in Sanskrit and Hindi are conducting serious linguistics work in Poznan, Wroclaw, Krakow and Warsaw. Major Indian texts, including chapters of the Natya Shastra, are also being translated into the Polish language. But apart from classical dance and linguistics, they added, what engages the Polish people most is Indian food. "The numerous Indian restaurants in all the cities of Poland that I visited are virtually mini-embassies that are interpreting Indian customs and culture for the Poles," says Geeta. She visited Poland under the aegis of ICCR. More>> - 4-
Lecture by Mr. Janardan Dwivedi, MP - "INDIAN TRADITION & MODERN VISION" Click here and find the speeches>> - 5-
First Secretary/HOC Mr. Meena s visit to Wroclaw India Day was celebrated by students of Wroclaw University on 14&15 June 2013. Please see more details>> Visit of Shri Suresh Goel, Director General, Indian Council for Cultural Relations Director General of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Mr. Suresh Kumar Goyal and H E Mrs. Monika Kapil Mohta Ambassador of India visited Krakow on 20th June 2013. Professors of Indology Department and management of Indo-Polish Cultural Committee (IPCC) organized a small cultural show and a meeting with DG ICCR at Ganesh Restaurant in Krakow. Head of Indology department of Jagillonian University Prof. Marzena Drodzowicz and Prof. Cezary Galewicz thanked Mr. Goyal for the support and help of ICCR to the Indology Department. Mr. Umesh Nauiyal prsident of IPCC also thanked Mr. Goyal for his help and contribution in promoting Indian Culture and national language of India Hindi in Poland. Ms. Katrrzyna Bielanska -vice president, Mr. Krzysztof Fugiel -General secretary of IPCC were also present in the meeting. Indian Classical Dance Group NATARANG and Natyalaya ' dancers performed Indian classical dances Bharat natyam and Kuchipudi. ICCR provide fianacial assistance to IPCC to run hindi courses in Krakow and Gdansk.Mr. Suresh Kumar Goyal also visited museum of Jagillonian University. - 6-
Dr. Małgorzata Bonikowska on Maha Kumbha Mela More>> - 7-
The 17th European Carrom Championship and Indian Culture Festival in Leszno On 20-24 June 2013, in Leszno, there stayed almost 120 best European carrom players a game commonly called the Indian billiards, somewhat similar to billiards, and somewhat to playing with bottlecaps. Players from ten European states, i.e. the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, came to Leszno for the 17th European Carrom Championships, to play games and select the best national teams, doubles, and, most of all, the 2013 European Champion. It was the first, and already very successful Carrom Euro Cup tournament in Poland. That event was organised by the Polish Carrom Association and the Gmina of Leszno. The Polish Carrom Association, with the support from the European Carrom Confederation, has been promoting that sport in Poland, still exotic but very interesting, since 2009. For a few years, regular carrom classes, workshops, and tournaments have taken place in various parts of Poland, both for children, teenagers, and adults, and the numbers of carrom players are growing from year to year. For a few years, Polish players have participated in international competitions in various parts of Europe. That shared passion of many people contributed to the fact that, after four years of functioning of the organisation, we were able, with the support from the Voit of the Leszno Commune, to organise the excellent European Championships. The honorary patronage over the 17th Carrom Euro Cup was taken by: the Ambassador of India to Poland Ms Monika Kapil Mohta, the Mazowieckie Voivode Mr Jacek Kozłowski, the Marshal of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship Mr Adam Struzik, the Starost of the Warsaw-West Poviat Mr Jan Żychliński, the Indo Polish Chamber of Commerce and the Museum of Asia and the Pacific. Preparations for the tournament took more than a year, but it was worth it. The President of the International Carrom Federation Mr Arif Naqvi, present during the whole tournament, as well as the players, kept repeating that this year's European Carrom Championships were the Best Euro Cup over 17 years. In addition, on the last day of the games, i.e. on Sunday, 23 June, in the charming park by the BGŻ Centre at Fabryczna 1 Street, an Indian Culture Festival took place, open to the general public, which the carrom players also enjoyed very much. This rare and first of a kind event in Leszno was organised by the Polish Carrom Association and the Leszno Commune. The Festival was co-financed from the funds obtained from the Warsaw-- West Poviat, and the event was sponsored by: the Indo Polish Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IPCCI), the Indian Association in Poland (IAP) and the company Auto Żoliborz. Thanks to their support and cooperation with the ArtInDialog Foundation and the Mohini group, on the stage appeared, among others, excellent dancers straight from India, as well as fantastic Polish artists. Participants could take part in Bollywood dance, yoga, cricket and carrom workshops. There took place competitions with attractive prizes financed by the numerous partners of the Festival, including the Buddha Restaurant, the Buddha Spa, Indigo, the Halasana Yoga School, Radhashop and the company Auto Żoliborz. One could taste the extraordinarily aromatic Indian cuisine, avail oneself of some traditional body henna paintings, learn the alphabet and some Hindu words, buy original Indian products as well as interesting books and learn, when and where it is best to go to India. - 8-
Welcome to our new redesigned website! Please visit our website: www.indembwarsaw.in - 9-
A new Indian restaurant in TriCity, Ganesh The chain of restaurants Ganesh has been developing dynamically. On 27 June, a ceremonious opening of another, the 9th restaurant took place. Mr Tapinder Sharma, the chain owner, ensures that the success is due to excellent every device. 'Yellow and red are sacred colours, orange also symbolises a sacred colour. All together, for good fortune, that is our custom,' explains Tapinder Sharma, owner of the Ganesh chain in Poland. The very opening started with a Sikh co-workers, love for food and intuition. 'Only cooks from India work in our restaurants. We bring spices, several kinds of rice from there. It is key for us in an Indian restaurant, we must feel like in India. We also find families important that is why there is a children's corner,' says Tapinder Sharma. The opening was preceded by blessing of the restaurant. Each room was incensed, a little yellow and red cross and a piece of orange was placed next to prayer. All guests sat on a large, white sheet, obligatorily with shoes off, and headscarves on. 'That is out of respect for the holy book,' explains JJ Singh, President of the Indo Polish Chamber of Commerce and Industry. We congratulate Mr Tapinder Sharma and his team! Please visit the Gallery>> - 10-
Embassy of India, Warsaw ul.rejtana 15 m.2/7 02-516 Warsaw Poland Open until 5:30 pm. Phone: 225400000 WORKING HOURS: MONDAY-FRIDAY 09:00-17:30 HOURS TEL +48 22 540 00 00 FAX +48 22 540 00 01/+48 22 540 00 02 24x7 HELPLINE FOR INDIAN NATIONALS +48 606 700 105 http://indembwarsaw.in/ http://www.mea.gov.in/ http://www.iccrindia.net/ http://www.ficci.com/ http://www.ipcc.pl/ http://www.ipcci.pl/ - 11 -