New Delhi, Oct 19 (IANS) Germany will consolidate its people-to-people cooperation with India with an Indo-German Urban Mela, a holistic exchange in technology, science, culture and entertainment, Oct 27-Nov 4 at the Indraprashtha Millennium Park in the capital.
Announcing this here Friday, German ambassador Michael Steiner Friday said: "The Urban Mela is part of the celebrations 'Germany and India 2011-2012 Infinite Opportunities" commemorating 60 years of Indo-German ties.
The Urban Mela, which has toured Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai earlier this year, will cap its itinerary with a biggest-ever showcase in the capital, the envoy said.
At the centre of the mela is a set of cutting-edge, multi-purpose pavilions designed by renowned German installation artist and designer Markus Heinsdorff themed on "city-spaces". It aims to study the impact of urbanisation and the challenges of change posed by the transformational urban landscapes in both India and Germany to provide
solutions for sustainable growth.
The attention will be drawn to issues like mobility, energy, sustainable urban development, architecture, cultural space, education and urban art through variety of genres like visual arts, education, technology and business to engage the residents of the city in dialogues about the changing skylines, lifestyles, culture spaces and growth.
The carnival, partnered by several business German and Indian organisations and Federal Ministry of Education and Research will include traditional banquets, science and poetry slams, music by artists like Asad Khan, Indian Ocean, Fusion Messengers, Mardi Gras BB
and Ska Vengers, a theatre festival and a series of workshops in hip-hop, creative writing, arts and the crafts.
An exhibition of photography Assimilations - a projection of different urban themes related to India and Germany and "Novel Tree", a series of readings by Indian writers like Jeet Thayil, Rana Dasgupta, Indrajit Hazra and Ambarish Satwik under a tree will build cultural bridges between the two countries.
The carnival will be open to visitors for free.
Steiner said one of the most important events on the roster of the Urban Mela was the 13th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business that will draw 800 representatives - "some of the best in German business" - to the capital.
"India is opening itself to the outside world. Coming here at this time is very important. The atmosphere has changed - that's a good thing. It is up to India now to show that it is interested. The presence of the German economy in India is across a broad range," Steiner said.
The Indo-German Trade Chamber is one of the biggest in the world in terms of membership, the envoy said.
"So long, we had a stragetic relationship. But we are now trying to build a holistic relationship in economy, politics, culture and science. People to people contact is important. Like India, Germany too has a look east policy and a look west policy," Steiner told IANS.
"Germany is firmly anchored in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. And look where we are in the European Union that faces big challenges... It is a place which certainly gives us responsibility to provide peace in the time of the 'Euro Crisis' and much beyond that," Steiner said, explaining the nature of Germany's foreign policy in
India in the context of the Urban Mela.
|
|
Comments:
