Thoughts on The 20201113 First Official Diwali Celebration in Taiwan
Gladly invited by Mayur bhai and Priya didi, I was able to participate in this annual grand occasion and observe the very first initiative by Taiwan. (Jointly-organized organized jointly by the Taipei Indian Music and Cultural Center) More than 200 guests attended, including Indian communities, student representatives, Taiwanese corporates/trade associations, as well as officials, and some representatives from different diplomatic offices in Taiwan.
Though I have met many of the attendants last night on some other functions before, yesterday seemed to be more special to me, for the organizer itself, not by some Sangam or university, but MOFA, which means a lot, after the first de facto embassy established in each country for 25 years.
A cultural event by the form, but what’s more lying behind is the milestone for Taiwan-India relations, and hope from this year onwards, the connection between each other can be closer and stronger! The selected line-up for the cultural programs today, covering the great artists from Taiwan and India, from dance to music, from classical to pop, presenting the great variety and beauty of Indian culture, and I had a great party time with many of the performers before. They really rocked last night as well 😄
I arrived in the afternoon to help with Rangoli, this is also my first time to enter the Taipei Guest House. Thanks Mayur bhai again for including me! Working with amazing Indian girls from different parts of Taiwan, I felt so desi too. I might have attended many Diwali functions by anchoring or performing, but doing Rangoli, this is the very first time, and also one of the most authentic way to observe this auspicious day.
This took much time than I expected though, we used the fresh flowers prepared by Mayur by both whole flowers and petals, and it’s pure manual works done by love lol Thanks Bhavna, the Rangoli masters of NCU for guiding me, and it was awesome to work with Bharti and Neha! I really didn’t expect myself to sweat for Rangoli and never felt such devoted before hahaha.
Wanna see more about the event? Check out the full video record of the event made by Mayur Indian Kitchen:
Media coverage:
English:
The Times of India: Diwali 2020: Taiwan Govt celebrates festival of lights at Taipei Guest House
News 18 India: Taiwan Holds Diwali Celebrations with Foreign Minister, Indian Envoy in Attendance
The News 21: Taiwan hosts mega Diwali celebrations
The Taiwan Times: Diwali Celebrated By Taiwan’s Foreign Minister & Guests
Taiwan News: Taiwan eyes enhanced India ties at Diwali celebration
Chinese:
中央通訊社：台北排燈節活動獲印媒熱烈迴響 籲官方承認台灣（同樣內容還有：經濟日報、聯合報、自由時報）
