A wider window on India

Culture Minister Teera Slukpetch lights the inaugural lamp, watched by Indian Ambassador Latha Reddy, the Indian Council of Cultural Relations chief Dr Karan Singh and the Indian Cultural Centre director Renuka Narayanan.

Manote Tripathi

The Nation

 India is now sharing its bounty of enthralling arts - including yoga, the sitar and classical dance, among others - at the new Indian Cultural Centre in downtown Bangkok, where professional gurus are imported to lead the instruction.

 The centre will ensure even closer cultural ties between our countries after 62 years of blossoming diplomatic relations.

 The gleaming Bt5-million centre, operated under the auspices of the Indian embassy, occupies 800 square metres on two top floors of Jasmine City Tower at the mouth of Sukhumvit Soi 23.

 Already on offer are classes in yoga, bharata natayam dancing and the marvellous sounds of the stringed sitar and tabla drum. The centre will also host art exhibitions and cultural seminars.

 At last Tuesday evening's inauguration, the place heaved with Indian and Thai government VIPs, intellectuals and socialites, all there to congratulate the centre's founders.

 The credit goes to Dr Karan Singh, president of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR), and Virendra Gupta, its director-general; Indian Ambassador Latha Reddy; and Renuka Narayanan, the centre's director.

 In his congratulatory speech, Culture Minister Teera Slukpetch expressed a deep appreciation for the Indian government's interest in bringing the two nations closer, and noted the affinities we share in art, language and religion.

 The official inauguration began with the lighting of a lamp onstage, followed by Ambassador Reddy's welcoming speech, in which she praised Dr Singh as a true "renaissance man", enthusiastic for art, music, literature and politics.

 Singh in turn hailed Indian culture's continued spread overseas.

 "We are opening a centre next week in Tokyo and another later in Kuala Lumpur," he said. "We already have centres in various cities in the West. Usually we open two or three each year.

 "The inner sprit of Indian culture involves the acceptance of forces coming from every side. Therefore, what's bringing Indian and Thailand closer is the shared cultural heritage. The region has been hosting the great glory of Indian culture for a long time, without India having to use any kind of force and any kind of colonialism."

 Singh offered a prayer to three Hindu gods for ensuring the centre's success - Ganesha, the Lord of Success, Saraswati, the Goddess of Knowledge, Music and the Arts, and Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity.

 "We have to thank Lakshmi because she's the goddess of wealth," he laughed. "Without wealth, we can't run the centre, and we'd have to fight with the Finance ministry."

He was asked why it took India 62 years to establish a cultural centre in Thailand.

 "I don't have an answer for that," he conceded, "but I would say it's better late than never!

 "When I took over the presidency of the ICCR four years ago, we were starting a period of expansion. We've just opened centres in Kathmandu, Kabul and Dhaka. More are coming in Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur. We've tried Pakistan, but to no avail.

 "Having set up centres in many countries in the west, India is looking east. Our main goal is to develop the people-to-people contact. And this can be done through music, art and dance."

 With such extensive plans, Dr Singh believes an expansion of India's cultural presence across Asia is inevitable, and he believes the world community can learn from Indian culture.

 It's the ICCR's role, he said, to ensure that the right image is projected.

"I want Thais to see India as a country that's both ancient and modern," he said. "With its spiritual and cultural traditions, India is moving onwards into the future while reinterpreting its spiritual heritage for the global society.

 "I really want to promote this image of India to the world and help the world understand the reality of global society through Indian traditions."