ID :
21677
Sun, 09/28/2008 - 10:47
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/21677
The shortlink copeid
Japanese get taste of India
Richa Tyagi
Tokyo, Sep 27 (PTI) Young men queued up to get Henna tatooos, women of all ages tried on the sari and sounds of Bollywood songs perked up the normally quiet Japanese capital Saturday as crowds thronged the 'Namaste India' festival that began here.
Thousands of people streamed in from the early morning
including, mothers with children in their prams, the aged in
wheelchairs to get a taste of India at the Yoyogi park where
nearly 200 stalls were set up to cater to the weekend crowd.
"People anxiously wait for the festival especially
those who know about India. But it should not be restricted to
Tokyo alone as people outside are also keen to know about
India," said Yuka, who took a bus Friday night from Osaka, to
attend the festival.
Dressed in salwar-kameez and wearing bindi, Yok has
given herself an Indian name, Lakshmi, after spending four
months in India this year learning Yoga.
"I want to go many hundred times to India. I liked it
so much," she said.
The festival has been held for 16 years but organisers
said the crowds have increased manifold in the recent years
especially with the economic rise of India and an advertising
blitz. Over 1.7 lakh people attended the festival last year.
"People here now realise that it is not a land of
snake-charmers any more but of mouse clickers. Our IT prowess
has led to greater curiosity among the people about the
country and we have the assets to serve any taste," said
Manmohan Sadanah, the regional director, Tourism.
The Japanese were seen tucking into Indian foods, be
it the kabbas, kabakas or the South Indian dishes like dosa.
The traditional tandoor aroused curiosity as people crowded
around the stoves and looked in awe as chefs converted the
dough into soft bread within seconds.
The heena stall too drew large crowds, with men also
joining in. "The women are always interested in getting henna
applied but this time young boys too want tattoos," said a
smiling Narayana Devi, who has come from Delhi for the
festival.
The vivacious ad-man Prahlad Kakkar introduced the
visitors with verities of Indian tea at his 'Chai bar' where
the Japanese tasted the drink in 'kullhad'.
A song and dance gala left the visitors enthralled
those who joined on the stage jiving to the Bollywood tunes.
But the scene stealers were young Japanese kids dancing to the
number 'Bum Bum bole masti me dole' from Amir Khan`s Tare
Zameem Par and a Bharatnatyam performance.
"Bollywood really thrills people here as you can see
from the crowds," said an Indian visitor.
The minuscule Indian community in the city too joined
in the festivities with full vigour.
Singer Sarabjit Chadha enthralled the audience with
his Japanese songs and kept them yearning for more. Singh, 56,
who came to Japan as a teenager had made waves in this country
with his first album in 1975 which, he claims, sold 1.5 lakh
copies.
After returning to India in 1995, Chaddha is now
trying to make a comeback on the Japanese scene and it seems
people have not forgotten him as was visible with his fans
chasing him for autographs.
"I learnt my Hindi after listening to his songs," said
Takebayashi Yuri, programme producer of Japanese Broadcasting
Corporation.
Officials said they were expecting "double digit"
growth in tourist arrivals from Japan to India with the
bilateral ties becoming multidimensional and greater stress on
economic cooperation.
Japan is India's leading and fastest growing markets
and about 1.5 lakh tourists are expected this year. PTI RT
Tokyo, Sep 27 (PTI) Young men queued up to get Henna tatooos, women of all ages tried on the sari and sounds of Bollywood songs perked up the normally quiet Japanese capital Saturday as crowds thronged the 'Namaste India' festival that began here.
Thousands of people streamed in from the early morning
including, mothers with children in their prams, the aged in
wheelchairs to get a taste of India at the Yoyogi park where
nearly 200 stalls were set up to cater to the weekend crowd.
"People anxiously wait for the festival especially
those who know about India. But it should not be restricted to
Tokyo alone as people outside are also keen to know about
India," said Yuka, who took a bus Friday night from Osaka, to
attend the festival.
Dressed in salwar-kameez and wearing bindi, Yok has
given herself an Indian name, Lakshmi, after spending four
months in India this year learning Yoga.
"I want to go many hundred times to India. I liked it
so much," she said.
The festival has been held for 16 years but organisers
said the crowds have increased manifold in the recent years
especially with the economic rise of India and an advertising
blitz. Over 1.7 lakh people attended the festival last year.
"People here now realise that it is not a land of
snake-charmers any more but of mouse clickers. Our IT prowess
has led to greater curiosity among the people about the
country and we have the assets to serve any taste," said
Manmohan Sadanah, the regional director, Tourism.
The Japanese were seen tucking into Indian foods, be
it the kabbas, kabakas or the South Indian dishes like dosa.
The traditional tandoor aroused curiosity as people crowded
around the stoves and looked in awe as chefs converted the
dough into soft bread within seconds.
The heena stall too drew large crowds, with men also
joining in. "The women are always interested in getting henna
applied but this time young boys too want tattoos," said a
smiling Narayana Devi, who has come from Delhi for the
festival.
The vivacious ad-man Prahlad Kakkar introduced the
visitors with verities of Indian tea at his 'Chai bar' where
the Japanese tasted the drink in 'kullhad'.
A song and dance gala left the visitors enthralled
those who joined on the stage jiving to the Bollywood tunes.
But the scene stealers were young Japanese kids dancing to the
number 'Bum Bum bole masti me dole' from Amir Khan`s Tare
Zameem Par and a Bharatnatyam performance.
"Bollywood really thrills people here as you can see
from the crowds," said an Indian visitor.
The minuscule Indian community in the city too joined
in the festivities with full vigour.
Singer Sarabjit Chadha enthralled the audience with
his Japanese songs and kept them yearning for more. Singh, 56,
who came to Japan as a teenager had made waves in this country
with his first album in 1975 which, he claims, sold 1.5 lakh
copies.
After returning to India in 1995, Chaddha is now
trying to make a comeback on the Japanese scene and it seems
people have not forgotten him as was visible with his fans
chasing him for autographs.
"I learnt my Hindi after listening to his songs," said
Takebayashi Yuri, programme producer of Japanese Broadcasting
Corporation.
Officials said they were expecting "double digit"
growth in tourist arrivals from Japan to India with the
bilateral ties becoming multidimensional and greater stress on
economic cooperation.
Japan is India's leading and fastest growing markets
and about 1.5 lakh tourists are expected this year. PTI RT
