Month-long festival of India in Nepal begins

A month-long "Festival of India in Nepal" commenced here on Tuesday with a musical drama based on the life journey of Gautam Buddha.

The event organized by the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Center at the Indian embassy in Kathmandu was supported by India's culture ministry.

Nepal's Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari marked their presence as the chief guest of the ceremony which started the late evening on Tuesday at the Nepal Army Auditorium.

On the opening day performance, the Sumit Roy Group depicted the life-span of the Buddha through melody and drama.

The month-long festival will also feature Mridangam instrumental performance by Pandit Yella Venkateshwara, Punjabi folk dance by Harinder Pal and group; Theatre art by Su-Samannaya group; Kathakali dance by Haripriya and group and Maithali Sons and Dances by Prangan Group.

Apart from the cultural events the festival will also showcase an exhibition on Mahatama Gandhi, a speech competition on the Bapu besides a seminar on Sanskrit, according to information by the Indian mission in Nepal.

"The festival of India in Nepal is aimed at consolidating and strengthening our existing age-old relations, reinforcing sensibilities, affinities and shared cultural bonds between the people of our two countries. The festival will further contribute towards sustaining and enhancing mutual understanding between India and Nepal," the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu said.