The India Spring Fair yesterday at Taipei City Hall Square brought people together to celebrate the Tamil New Year and experience Indian culture through music, dance and cuisine.
India Taipei Association Director-General Gourangalal Das invited people from across Taiwan to “march and dance together once again” after the lifting of COVID-19 outdoor restrictions.
Friday was Puthandu, the Tamil New Year’s festival, and was celebrated in India throughout the past week.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
Puthandu is a time to renew friendships and close bonds, and for new hope for a humane, peaceful and united world, Das said.
He thanked Taiwanese and foreign residents for “adding spice to our festival” and “variety to our lives.”
Those who came together to organize the event “make me confident that the India-Taiwan partnership is in rock-solid hands,” he added.
Photo: CNA
Tamil New Year is traditionally associated with spreading seeds, and yesterday’s event sowed the seeds of cultures, Das said.
Indian culture thrives through contact with the world, he added.
Das presented a gamusa, a traditional fabric from his home state of Assam, to Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), a gift often bestowed by people from Assam to guests who visit during festivities.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
Taiwan and India have been working closely on trade, education and supply chains, collaborations that have been fruitful, Wu said.
“I have every confidence that our bonds of friendship will further strengthen in the years ahead,” Wu said.
The two countries are working to help continue prosperity throughout the region, he added.
The Spring Fair featured traditional Indian dance, yoga workshops, Indian cuisine and walls displaying scenery of India for photographs and social media posts.
Visitors tried on traditional Indian clothing such as the sari and received henna tattoos, a traditional form of temporary body art applied to the hands, while enjoying Indian music that played throughout the festival.
There are many “new years” in India, depending on regions, religion and which calendar is being followed. Puthandu is traditionally celebrated on the first day of the Tamil calendar, about April 14 or 15, while Hindus celebrate Diwali in October or November. The Sikh, Malayali, Telugu and Bengali communities observe other calendars.
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