Hundreds of people yesterday attended Diwali celebrations in Taipei organized by the de facto Indian embassy, enjoying fireworks and traditional music, food and cultural performances.
Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is observed by Hindus and those who follow other religions across India, and celebrates the “victory of good over evil and the victory of light over darkness,” India’s representative to Taiwan Manharsinh Laxmanbhai Yadav said at the Taipei event.
The “auspicious” annual festival “cuts across the lines of religion, region, nation and language,” with about “1.4 billion people celebrating in India and millions of Indians celebrating across the world,” he added.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Yadav said that traditionally Indians would illuminate their homes, temples and workspaces with oil lamps, candles and lanterns. They also do rangoli, the art of decorating the floor and the entrance of their home to welcome guests, as well as cleaning their living space thoroughly.
“All these are physical actions, but there is a deeper meaning to each one of them. When we light a lamp, we are trying to show that we are open to positive thinking and are open to positive energy. And when we clean our homes, we get rid of all the bad habits in our minds,” Yadav said.
The envoy, who took office this August, said it is in this spirit that he is happy to see so many Taiwanese joining their Indian friends and participating in traditional dances at yesterday’s event.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
On his part, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) praised the annual event as showcasing the cultural heritage of the “great civilization” of India.
The top Taiwanese diplomat said he is a huge fan of Bollywood movies and that Indian cuisine is also widely popular in Taiwan.
“The relations between Taiwan and India have become closer than ever, in every aspect, including science and technology, education and supply chain resilience,” Wu said.
Bilateral trade between India and Taiwan reached US$8.4 billion last year, he added, saying that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently announced it would soon open a new representative office in Mumbai, the cultural and business hub of western India.
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Hualien Branch of the High Court today sentenced the main suspect in the 2021 fatal derailment of the Taroko Express to 12 years and six months in jail in the second trial of the suspect for his role in Taiwan’s deadliest train crash. Lee Yi-hsiang (李義祥), the driver of a crane truck that fell onto the tracks and which the the Taiwan Railways Administration's (TRA) train crashed into in an accident that killed 49 people and injured 200, was sentenced to seven years and 10 months in the first trial by the Hualien District Court in 2022. Hoa Van Hao, a
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
RSS