Indian cultural festival kicks off at skyscraper
At first, Bharatanatyam — presumably India’s oldest classical dance form — and Korea’s tallest skyscraper Lotte World Tower do not seem have any common ground.
They are on differing sides of human history, with Bharatanatyam’s origin dating back 2,000 years and the 123-floor, 555-meter tall tower opening in April 2017.
However, the Indian Embassy in Seoul brought these symbols of India’s past and Korea’s present together last week to address forward-looking ties between the two countries.
Three Bharatanatyam dancers — one man and two women — in traditional Indian clothes danced rhythmically as musicians played traditional Indian instruments such as the mridangam, nattuvangam, tanpura and venu on the 118th floor observatory deck of Lotte World Tower in Songpa-gu, southern Seoul, Oct. 1.
The evening performance was a curtain raiser for Sarang: The Festival of India in the Republic of Korea running from Oct. 1 to Nov. 22.
Hosted by the Indian embassy, the annual cultural festival aims to raise Koreans’ awareness of the cultures of India, which President Moon Jaein deems an increasingly important strategic partner.
The audience, men and women of various age groups, applauded the dancers who performed to a backdrop of Seoul’s cityscape.
“Lotte Corporation has been one of the big investors in India,” Indian Ambassador to Korea Sripriya Ranganathan said after the performance. “And Lotte World Tower has been very cooperative with us.”
One of Korea’s top five conglomerates, Lotte Corporation has been expanding its presence in India. Lotte’s strategy is in accordance with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India campaign aimed at encouraging international investment.
“It was in that context that I was saying that the partnership between the Indian embassy and Lotte World Tower has been very strong,” Ranganathan added.
The ambassador said the 2019 edition of Sarang, a nationwide event, was coordinated partly to celebrate Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary.
For instance, the opening ceremony at Yonsei University’s Centennial Hall was held on Oct. 2, Gandhi’s birthday.
The festival features dances, music, exhibitions, foods and films. Each dance and musical performance will have at least one piece with themes inspired by Gandhi’s life or songs he liked, according to the ambassador.