Volume 28 n Issue 3 n July-August 2014 Technical cooperation for a better future 50 YEARS OF ITEC INDIA CELEBRATES ITS TRAVEL INNOVATION SUCCEss 67TH INDEPENDENCE DAY MONSOON EXPRESS INDIA INSPIRED FASHION THE QUANTUM INDIANS POTPOURRI UPCOMING EVENTS ACROSS INDIA Eid-ul-fitr Celebrated to mark the end of Ramzan, a month of fasting, Eid-ul- Fitr symbolises faith. Gifts and good wishes are exchanged on this day. The most common greeting is “eid mubarak”. It is also known as the Sweet Festival and people feast on a variety of sweets, especially meethi sewaiyan (sweet vermicelli). WHEN: August 20 WHERE: Across India HEMIS FESTIVAL SPLASH MONSOON CARNIVAL Lord Padmasambhava or Guru Rimpoche Celebrate the beauty of monsoon was one of the founding fathers of in Wayanad, Kerala with the Splash Tibetan Buddhism. The two-day Hemis Monsoon Carnival. There is a variety Festival celebrates his birth and is of indoor and outdoor events believed to give spiritual strength and including cultural programmes and good health. Traditional music, colourful adventure activities over three days. masked dances and a handicraft fair are part of the festivities. WHEN: August 11-13 WHERE: Hill District Club WHEN: July 7-8 Kolagappara, Wayanad district, WHERE: Hemis Monastery, Leh Kerala RAKSHA BANDHAN This festival celebrates a special bond of love in which the sisters tie rakhis (decorative strings) on their brothers’ wrist. The brothers takes a vow to protect them. Sweets and gifts are exchanged to celebrate. WHEN: August 10 WHERE: Across India JANAMASHTMI GANESH CHATURTHI The birthday of Lord Krishna is The festival lasts for 10 days. It celebrated with pomp and splendour. starts with the establishment of Special delicacies are eaten through the Lord Ganesha’s idol in the house or day. Homes are decorated by making neighbourhood pandal (temporary jhankis that depict glimpses from structures for prayer) where the deity is Krishna’s life – from his birth to the days worshipped. It ends with the immersion of his youth to the various miracles he of the idol in a river or sea. performed through his life. WHEN: August 29 WHEN: August 17 WHERE: Across India, especially WHERE: Across India in Maharashtra Foreword A new era dawned as India saw its 15th Prime Minister being sworn in. Narendra Modi, the first leader to get a landslide majority for the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on its own, took oath on May 26, 2014 at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi. Meanwhile, India is spreading its excellence across the globe with its Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme, a unique initiative of the Ministry of External Affairs. As ITEC celebrates its golden jubilee this year, we take an in-depth look at the difference it has made in 161 countries through knowledge exchange, training and capacity building. We also look at the good work done by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in restrengthening India-Mynamar ties. They have taken up the challenging task of conserving and restoring the 12th century Ananda Temple in Myanmar. To celebrate India’s 67th Independence Day on August 15, we showcase five iconic places associated with the freedom movement. This is an opportune time to explore India. We trace the route of the Himsagar Express, one of the longest in India, highlighting the best of monsoon indulgences at five railway stations en route. You can see the beauty of India in a special photo feature focussing on her ‘colours’ – from pristine whites of Jammu & Kashmir to lush green backwaters of Kerala and more. With the recently-concluded Cannes Film Festival as focus, we analyse Indo-French filmmaking synergies as India actively engages in cinematic co-productions. Continuing the cultural high, we talk to top Indian classical dancers on how the art form has adapted itself to embrace newer trends, increasing interest levels worldwide. Leading Indian fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee writes about how traditional India is inspiring modern ramp trends. We also look at various achievements in the past few months – The Quantum Indians, a Public Diplomacy initiative of the Ministry of External Affairs, bagged the National Award for Best Educational Film and Bengaluru-based Team Indus was shortlisted for the Google Lunar X Prize. Then there’s the script and font of Gondi, a widely spoken tribal language, earning the rare distinction of being available on digital media. And as the 16th General Elections in India have drawn to a close, Volume 28 n Issue Technical 3 n July-August we review former Chief Election Commissioner Dr SY Quraishi’s cooperation 2014 latest book, An Undocumented Wonder: The Making of the for a better future Great Indian Election. 50 YEARS OF ITE Syed Akbaruddin IndIa celebrates 67th Independence Its C day Travel Monsoon express Innova IndIA InspTIIonred f AshIon SucceSS The Qu AnTuM IndIAns JULY-AUGUST 2014 n 3 n WWW.INDIAPERSPECTIVES.IN Volume 28 n Issue 3 n July-August 2014 Editor: Syed Akbaruddin Assistant Editor: Nikhilesh Dixit Ministry of External Affairs Room No. 255, ‘A’ Wing, Shastri Bhavan, New Delhi - 110001 Tel.: +91.11.23383316, Fax.: +91.11.23384663 Web: http://www.indiandiplomacy.in For feedback/ inquiries: [email protected] MaXposure Media Group India Pvt Ltd Publisher & COO: Vikas Johari CEO & Managing Director: Prakash Johari CFO: Kuldip Singh Executive Editor: Saurabh Tankha Head Office MaXposure Media Group India Pvt Ltd Unit No. F2B, Second Floor, MIRA Corporate Suites, Plot No. 1&2, Ishwar Nagar, Mathura Road, New Delhi - 110 065 CIN No: U22229DL2006PTC152087 Tel: +91.11.43011111, Fax: +91.11.43011199 For feedback/ inquiries: [email protected] FOR INQUIRIES | MMGIPL Tel: +91.11.43011111 FAX: +91.11.43011199 www.maxposure.in India Perspectives is published in Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, English, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Pashto, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Sinhala, Spanish and Tamil. India Perspectives is printed and published by Syed Akbaruddin, Joint Secretary (XP) and Official Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), New Delhi, Room No. 255, ‘A’ Wing, Shastri Bhavan, New Delhi - 110001 and published at MaXposure Media Group India Pvt. Ltd. (MMGIPL), Unit No. F2B, Second Floor, MIRA Corporate Suites, Plot No. 1&2, Ishwar Nagar, Mathura Road, New Delhi - 110065, India. India Perspectives is published six times a year. All rights reserved. The writing, artwork and/or photography contained herein may be used or reproduced with an acknowledgement to ‘India Perspectives’. MEA and MMGIPL does not assume responsibility for loss or damage of unsolicited products, manuscripts, photographs, artwork, transparencies or other materials. The views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the MEA or MMGIPL. Follow us on: http://www.facebook.com/IndianDiplomacy http://www.twitter.com/IndianDiplomacy http://www.youtube.com/Indiandiplomacy For a copy of India Perspectives, contact the nearest Indian diplomatic mission. 22 coNTENts 34 44 74 PARTNERSHIP INNOVATION 50 years of global cooperation ....................08 Celebrating traditional Indian fashion ....... 58 PARTNERSHIP REVIEW Golden jubilee of excellence .........................13 The power of choice .....................................62 PARTNERSHIP HISTORY Studying the Indian election phenomena .....14 A tale of sacrifice and struggle ....................64 PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE Indo-French filmmaking synergies ................16 Women peacekeepers heal the world ........86 PROGRESS CONVERSATION Digitising ‘super script’ .................................20 ‘Other teams are afraid of us now’ .............. 88 PROGRESS Choreography of change .............................. 22 India Perspectives is now enriched with digital content. Follow SNAPSHOTS the instructions below to watch informative documentaries that provide an interesting connect with our stories. Colours of India ............................................. 34 HOW IT WORKS: SUccESS 1 2 3 Westminster Abbey of Myanmar ................44 UPDATE Global reach ...................................................49 Scan TRAVEL Monsoon express ..........................................50 ACHIEVEMENT Supporting India’s energy security ............. 54 Step 1: Download the the free free StepStep2: 2: Open Open the the ARPlay ARpla app,y app , StepStep 3: 3: Wa Watchtch the the videos videos.. ARPlayARplay app fforor iPhoneiPhone or or hold the phonephone on on the the magazine maga- Android. zinecover cov ander tap and to tap scan to it. scan it. INNOVATION Look for stories with ARplay icon Mission Moon 2.0 .........................................56 Download: (iPhone/ iPad) arplay.in/ios & (Android devices) arplay.in/android JULY-AUGUST 2014 n 5 n WWW.INDIAPERSPECTIVES.IN UPDATE South Asia celebrates change of guard in India Narendra Modi sworn in as India’s 15th Prime Minister in the presence of heads of states of SAARC nations INDIA PERSPECTIVES n 6 n JULY-AUGUST 2014 Left to right: Mr Sushil Koirala, Prime Minister of Nepal; Ms Shirin S Chaudhury, Parliamentary Speaker of Bangladesh; Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka; Mr Navin Ramgoolam, Prime Minister of Mauritius; Mr Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan; Indian Vice President Dr Hamid Ansari, Indian President Dr Pranab Mukherjee, Indian Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi, Mr Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan; Mr Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, President of Maldives and Mr Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of Bhutan or the first time in Indian history, the Prime Minister Mr Tshering Tobgay, Nepal