Indonesia inaugurates 'Little India Gate' in Medan city

SINGAPORE: Nearly 7,000 people gathered in Northern Indonesia Sunday to witness the inauguration of 'Little India Gate', the first-of-itskind structure in the country which recognises the contribution of Indian community in the development of Medan city.

The new structure was inaugurated jointly by India's ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste Pradeep Kumar Rawat and Mayor of Medan H T Dzulmi Eldin S at Kampung Madras or Madras Village area in Medan city, the fourth largest city in the country.

About 7,000 people witnessed the historic moment with great enthusiasm, the Indian embassy in Jakarta said in a statement.

Ambassador Rawat said it was a true representation of what Indonesia stood for, which is 'Bhinneka Tunggal Ika' or Unity in Diversity and of the Indian belief in 'Vasudev Kutubakam', meaning the world is one family.

Rawat assured the Mayor that the Indian embassy in Jakarta and the Indian Consulate in Medan would assist in promoting 'Little India Gate' as an important tourist destination in Medan, especially for Indian tourists.

"Little India could also become a bridge between the two countries in terms of trade and commercial relations," he said in a statement.

The Mayor in his speech said the new structure will be promoted as an iconic tourist spot in Medan city as it is the first such structure in entire Indonesia.

The gate also represents the immense potential in the Indian community and a recognition of their contribution in the development of Medan city, Dzulmi said.

Kampung Madras area is one of the city's significant ethnic enclaves comprising a large population of people of Indian descent whose ancestors had settled down in Medan in midnineteenth century.

Every year, Kampung Madras becomes a meeting point for Hindu and Tamil festivals such as Thaipusam or the Tamil New Year, Pongal and Diwali.