The celebration of Durga Puja in the New Taipei City Library in Sijhih District (汐止) early this month shows once again the deepening cultural and educational ties between Taiwan and India.
Illustrating the deepening ties, Sujeet Kumar, an Indian member of parliament and Taiwan enthusiast, also attended the festival, which had extra significance due to it being recognized for its cultural value by the UN.
UNESCO this year inscribed Durga Puja on its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and lauded the festival “as the best instance of public performance of religion and art... During the event, the divides of class, religion and ethnicity collapse as crowds of spectators walk around to admire the installations.”
Photo courtesy of Nandana Biswass
Durga is an important Hindu goddess and is worshiped as the symbol of the triumph of good over evil. The goddess, riding a tiger or lion, is associated with the protection of her children and fights demons and destructive forces.
The resolve and infinite energy of Durga is a persona that some in the Indian community feel President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) embodies, as she remains calm in the face of the saber-rattling behemoth across the Taiwan Strait.
Although the festival is celebrated every year in October, primarily by the Bengali community, of late it has acquired a pan-India character and as such it is now celebrated in Indian communities across the globe.
The 10-day festival begins with Mahalaya, when the chanting of hymns consecrated to Durga permeates the ambiance in crescendo with the beating of the drums and the blowing of conks.
Due to Taiwan’s religious diversity and tolerance, the Indian community, estimated to be over 5,000, has started celebrating festivals like Durga Puja and Dewali (the festival of light) with gusto, receiving the wholehearted support and cooperation of locals and civic authorities in terms of finding proper venues.
It augurs well that, although India and Taiwan may not share formal diplomatic relations, the extent to which the two have moved closer culturally and educationally in recent years could not have been imagined decades earlier.
The relationship between civil society and coverage in the media both in India and Taiwan also raised awareness among the people and empathy for each other has grown phenomenally.
Rup Narayan Das is a Taiwan Fellow at National Chung-Hsing University and author of the book ‘Hong Kong Conundrum: Pangs of Transition.’
Taipei is teeming with leisurely half day hikes — but it’s still hard to find a route that’s close to an MRT and not too built up nor packed on the weekends. I’m also not a fan of the concrete or stone steps that line many of the paths close to town. I only wanted to be walking for a few hours, and an Internet search narrowed my options down to one attractive trek: the Kangle Mountain (康樂山) and Mingju Mountain (明舉山) trails in eastern Neihu District. So when my friend invited me on an afternoon hike to the popular
Last week Vice President William Lai (賴清德) announced that he would be a candidate in the party’s presidential primary. As Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman, Lai is widely understood to have the inside track on the presidential nomination. Lai’s comments consisted of the usual DPP noise in national elections, focusing on China. “We must be united to strengthen Taiwan, stick to the democratic camp and ensure Taiwan’s security” in the face of increased Chinese “saber rattling” and “unscrupulous diplomatic bullying,” he said. He also made a vague nod to the economy, the environment (green energy) and supply chains. Whenever his name is
It’s a fairly common scenario: A property has been foreclosed and sold at auction on behalf of a bank, but it remains occupied. The former owner may be refusing to leave, because he has nowhere else to go. Humans or animals may be squatting inside. Or — and this happens often enough that many foreclosure specialists have come across it — the stay-ons are gods. On June 1, 2020, ETToday reported on one such case in New Taipei City. Following the sale of a foreclosed apartment in Sinjhuang District (新莊), a second auction, to dispose of movable items left inside, was
During the 1980s, sex symbol Lu Hsiao-fen (陸小芬) was known for her bold behavior and suggestive performances. But in in Day Off (本日公休), her first film role in 23 years, Liu, 66, plays kind-hearted yet stubborn hairdresser A-Rui, who struggles with social and generational change. Operating an old-school barber shop from her home, A-Rui has had the same customers for decades. “You’re in charge of all of our heads,” one quips. A-Rui prides herself on knowing exactly what each customer wants without needing to ask, and her shop is also a place for locals to socialize. She personally calls each