An Indian Culture Festival, which was co-sponsored by the Central library and the Indian Cultural Centre Embassy of India, Seoul, was held from March 20th to March 22nd in the Central Library Lobby and AV Room in order to promote understanding of Indian culture and to serve cultural activities as a cornerstone to promote bilateral relations between Korea and India. This festival held special meaning since the Embassy of India, Seoul, finally accepted the proposal that was suggested two years ago by Dongguk University to provide an opportunity for students to experience its exotic culture and broaden their perspectives.

For the three days, six kinds of pictures from the Indian Cultural Centre were exhibited and books related to Indian culture were displayed at the Central Library Lobby and AV Room respectively. Additionally, three movies that reflected and imbedded Indian culture were played on each day to help students to comprehend Indian culture. As for each day of the event, on day 1 Col. Ajay Chandpuria, Defence Attache India and the Director of India Cultural Centre Seoul, gave a presentation in the Central Library AV Room. The title of the presentation was “an Insight into Indian Culture & Linkages with the East” which briefly introduced Indian culture and covered various aspects of Indian culture from traditional customs to the relationship with Korea. After the presentation, the film “3 Idiots” was played in AV Room. On the next day Mr. Harshvardhan, who is a yoga teacher at the India Cultural Centre, did a trial performance for thirty minutes with PowerPoint. This event was particularly enjoyed by many students. In fact, 28 students practiced yoga under the supervision of the experienced yoga teacher. After that “PAA (Father)” was played in the AV Room. For the final day, the traditional Indian beverage chai and food called samosas were served. In particular, the samosas, which look like dumplings, ran out quickly since their spicy tastes suited Koreans well. Moreover, there was an event for students to gain firsthand experience by wearing traditional Indian clothes called Saris. These clothes have extreme price gaps, depending on the textures or textiles that were used in their creation. After this, the movie “Jodha Akbar” was played. This film is similar to an Indian version of Romeo and Juliet.

According to Won Hye-yeon, who majors in the Department of Korean Language Education, she was aware of the Indian culture event held at the Central Library, and while she passed by she participated in the event that caught her eyes. When asked about how much she knew about India, she replied, “I know very little about India, but I wish to visit there once in my life. However, I have seen some articles reporting that there have been many sexual assaults problems in some of the regions of India. I am little bit concerned about that, but one of my acquaintances, who visited there and did volunteer work, occasionally said it is safe to visit so I might visit India sometime in the near future.” Also, she added that chai tea was the most impressive experience since it tastes exactly the same as black tea with no special flavor but by adding some sugar the flavor of it could be enhanced.

There were a few Indian exchange students who helped the festival as guides. Radhika, who majors in psychology, sociology, and economics, was one of the Indian students and she explained how she participated in the festival. She said the Central Library contacted her and asked her a favor to help out at the Indian Culture Festival, and she responded positively to this. She said she readily consented to participate in the Indian Culture festival since she felt it could be a great opportunity to not only introduce Indian culture to Korean students but also meet those who were interested in learning and experiencing Indian culture. She added that this event can further promote our understanding of Indian culture.

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