Festival of India – Colombia – Ecuador

The Embassy of India in Bogota, with the support of the Department of Tourism, Government of India and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Ministry of External Affaire of India, organized the Festival of India 2008 in Bogota (29 September-05 October) and Medellin (8-11 October) in Colombia; and Quito, Ecuador (13-19 October).
In Bogota the Festival was inaugurated by the Ambassador of India and Mrs. Shyella Bhojwani in the presence of the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Dra. Adriana Mejia and the Vice Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism Dr. Eduardo Munoz of Colombia.  In Medillin and Quito, representatives of the Government, diplomatic corps and elite representatives of society were present at the inaugural functions.
The Festival was a resounding success and the lunches and dinners presented in buffet format during the Festival in all three cities were highly appreciated.  The Department of Tourism and the Indian Tourism Development Corporation sponsored the visit of Chef
Gaurav Malhotra and Chef Shri Chand, who worked assiduously with the Chefs in the Hotel Cosmos 100 in Bogota; Hotel Dann Carlton in Medellin and Hotel Marriott in Quito.  The chefs also brought over 100 kgs of ingredients not available in Latin America, to ensure high quality and representative nature of the dishes, including the desserts.
The Festival was highlighted by classical Indian performances in Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam and Kuchipudi style by the renowned dance troupe ‘Natyalaya’ from Sao Paulo headed by Ms. Patricia Romano. The dancers also presented concerts during the period of  the Festival in all three cities.
The Festival was embellished in all venues by artistic displays of Indian handicrafts, fabric, paintings and posters, highlighting the beauty of Indian craftsmanship and India’s vast tourist attractions.
The Festival was extensively covered in the electronic and print media and its success led to calls for a repeat in coming years.

Press Report El Tiempo
Press Report Portafolio
Press report El Colombiano
 
Official poster of the Festival

Madame Shyella Bhojwani lights the lamp during the inauguration of the Festival of India in Bogotá, with the Colombian Vice Minister of Multilateral Issues of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Adriana Mejía Hernández. The Colombian Vice Minister of Commerce, Mr. Eduardo Muñoz, observes the scene 

Ambassador Bhojwani inaugurates the Festival of India in Quito, Ecuador, joined by the Indian chefs and dignataries of Ecuador
 

Ambassador delivered warm speeches during the inauguration events of the Festival in both countries.

The Indian dance delighted all the participants of the Festival