Saying #ISeoulU At Seoul-India Friendship Festival...

The last two days have been buzzing with activity at Cyber Hub in NCR thanks to the Seoul Metropolitan Government's decision to celebrate its first-ever Seoul-India Friendship Festival, inaugurated by Mayor of Seoul Park Won-soon and other prominent state dignitaries.

Lamp Lighting

With a view to promoting cultural ties and highlighting an amicable exchange across multiple facets between the City of Seoul and Delhi NCR, various aspects of Seoul’s art, culture and entertainment were showcased to a healthy mix of Indian and South Korean audiences at Cyber Hub.

Seoul, being the Capital of South Korea, is a metropolis teeming with modern skyscrapers and high-tech subways, that offers a fascinating fragment of the past at its World Heritage listed sites.

The city was ranked as the favorite world city by Asian tourists in the recent past and has boomed to become the world's tenth most economically powerful city and the second-largest metropolitan in the last five decades.

Seoul offers an intersection between pop culture and Buddhism to exhibit an unadulterated tinge of adventure to global travelers with its authentic and diverse culture and has gradually emerged to be a popular tourist destination among Indians.

It was heartening to witness first-hand, a classic Korean performance of the likes of Nanta, which being a non-verbal show incorporating traditional Samul Nori rhythm provided some much needed comedic relief in the depressing weather that Delhi NCR has had to put up with, of late.

Nanta for some comedic relief

The B-Boying battle between Indian and Korean groups along with some classic Bollywood dance performances thrilled young dance enthusiasts among the visitors at the festival.

Bollywood Dance and B-Boying

The Seoul-India Friendship Festival provided a platform for locals including Korean expatriates in India to experience Korean heritage and to revel in interesting performances staged by artists from both countries.

 Glimpses of B-Boying Battle

Commenting on the conclusion of the Seoul-Indian Friendship Festival, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said,

“The Seoul-India Friendship Festival was a great success and helped in establishing a deep cultural connect and understanding between the two countries. The festival facilitated cultural exchange between Delhi and Seoul in an entertaining and interactive manner. Such formats are a great medium for the audiences of different countries to intermingle and strengthen their bond”.

He added,

“We are deeply grateful to Indian authorities and partners who worked dedicatedly to make the festival a great accomplishment. Without their support and cooperation, we wouldn’t have been able to share the best of our heritage & culture with our Indian friends. We hope the initiative continues to support friendship and exchange between the two countries”.

Concluding this chronicle with short video footages of the cultural activities held at the Seoul-India Friendship Festival for the readers to enjoy as well. :)

Nanta

Tunes with Cutting Boards

Korean Drumming

B-Boying

Taiwanese Tarts At Moon Of Taj...

Moon Of Taj is an elegant Taiwanese Sweets outlet situated in Lajpat Nagar. I visited the outlet this week and was introduced to the concept of Taiwan in India courtesy Master Chef Hugo Wang, who himself hails from Taiwan and has taken the onus upon himself to present Taiwanese Sweets with an Indian Heart, here in Delhi.

Moon Of Taj prepares authentic Taiwanese delicacies - Fruit Tart and Nougat, both of which are a changeover from routine Indian sweets, being presented elegantly and being smooth on the palate.

Infusion of fine-quality ingredients like butter, spices and hand-picked dry fruits makes these confectionaries balance health and taste. More than anything, quality of the sweets being presented to the Indian audience and the fact that hygiene is maintained is of utmost importance to Hugo, adhering to Taiwanese ethics and Indian FSSAI regulations. 

The vibe at Moon of Taj is calming, to say the least, and Hugo's hospitality is a class apart with the traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony being emulated at Moon Of Taj in an aesthetic partition made at the entrance of Moon of Taj itself.

Here at Moon Of Taj, Fruit Tarts are made using an assortment of Indian pineapples, other fruits, and Californian almonds. Fruit Tarts date back to times as ancient as 2^nd Century and are considered auspicious in Taiwanese ceremonies hence making these an ideal gifting option here in India as it would be a welcome change from the monotony that giving and receiving gifts faces here in our country.

Essentially, these fruit tarts and nougat are meant to be consumed with Green Tea, a variety of which was presented at Moon of Taj and was not at all bitter, refreshing nonetheless.

These fruit tarts are available in the following four flavors catering to the Indian palate:

• Mint Mango 
• Latte Butter 
• Cheese Pineapple 
• Chocolate Orange 

A reason that further adds to their nifty appeal is the fact that they come in per piece packaging, thus they can be purchased loose or in a packaging of boxes having a certain number of pieces with pricing depending on the weight.

The elegance of packaging makes these fruit tarts come across as a sophisticated gifting option for sure.

Apart from fruit tarts, Moon Of Taj also manufactures Nougat that dates back to the 10^th Century as an Arabian delicacy. Soft and tender on the inside and chewy and crunchy on the outside is how I liked this one. Nougats at Moon Of Taj are available in Chocolate and Vanilla flavors. These nougats too come in per piece packaging and are generally available in a box of twenty priced economically. 

Moon Of Taj is Chef Hugo's attempt at presenting East Asian delicacies that try to blend in the Indian culture and appeal to the Indian audience. That is why Moon Of Taj's tagline fits it best - Taiwan Sweets 💗 Indian Heart. :)

An Ode To Bapuji - In Search Of Peace...

Following Bapuji's Ideals

This is not the India - India of Bapu's dream

The India, with repute held in high esteem

With purity of conscience through its stream

Alas, a gap widening in the humble tapestry's seam!

With very modest means

In search of serene pastures, tranquil greens

With a resolute spirit, to drive the land cleans,
And a stubborn will to humbly swipe away, her crafty ambitions - The Queen's!

His was a short lived aspiration
Some sort of a reverse time dilation!
His friends were few, foes umpteen
The ones who did not wish him good, made his humility lose its sheen.

Why, in search of peace, is conscience led astray?
Why, does always, to Wrong, Right has to give way?
Will this dark stretch never be able to see the light of the day?
Will this India always have a dulled vision, surrounded by the gray?

With Corruption enjoying an incremented span, in an absolute time frame
With Honesty & Self - Respect, going up in flame!
Bringing shame to even God's Name
Such is the Contemporary Satan's perfect Game!

Only one prayer, a sincere request
In this very much unconquered quest!
A remembrance & a humble appeal
To  awaken one's conscious, to make the Motherland heal...

At Bapu's Samadhi

~~~

PADE --- Vacation --- Day 29

Vacation... 

Good Leisurely Time Together With The Family.

Imprints Etched Forever On The Sands Of Time.

Such Reminiscences Of Time.

Testimonies Of Memories - SOUVENIRS. 

Souvenirs From Our Various Vacations...

Firsts Are Always Special.

Be It Any Sphere Of Life.

So Here Stands Tall Our First Souvenir.

A Gift From Our Honeymoon At Manali.

 

From Majestic Snow Clad Himachal Peaks Of The North.

Pine Cones Galore.

Reminding Us Of Those Snow Fights.

And Races For The Largest Collection.

The Idols Of The East.

Jaggannath Puri Stand Testimony.

To Our Eyes Having Witnessed The Puri Rath Yatra.

Reminding Us Of God's Divine Tapestry For Each One's Lives.

The Tallest Temple Of The South - Meenakshi Temple.

As A Souvenir To Fit In Our Palm.

Symbolizing Divinty.

At Its Best.

The Beach Marvels Of The South.

Be It A Sea Of Bivalves Or Mollusk Shells.

Or Conch Shelled Curtains.

Tagging Along Are The Shelly Peacock, The Carved Elephants And The Marine Mouse Too.

The Magnificence Of The Sandy West.

Rajasthani Art 'n' Craft.

The Ships Of The Desert - Welcome The Camels.

Be It Jaipuri Horses Or Jaisalmeri Wood 'n' Fibre Work - Peacocks And Turtles.

Going International - Another Special 'Firsts'.

To The Left Stand The Petronas Twin Towers, To The Right Is The Menara.

And The Centres Occupied By City Views - Malaysia, Truly Asia.

Towards The End -  Came Japan And Their Aesthetic Japanese Fan. 

~~~

The Most Recent Souvenirs From Andaman, 2013 - Those Precious Corals (Showcased In 'Shapes'), The Jarawan Tribal Tools ( Showcased In 'Tools') And Those Picturesque Clouds (Through 'Windows') - All Stand Testimony To My Participation In PADE Itself.

~~~

This post is my entry for PADE Day 29 - Vacation by Sfurti Juztamom And Ritu KT's ToRaveAbout.

All entries for Day 29 can be found here and here.

Indo - Pak Relations ----- Jealousy & Frustration Paramount

What happens when inferiority complex is combined with aimlessness?
Output is for all to see what Pakistan has been doing for all these years.

     After partition, India strived for growth, development, economical upliftment of people, industrialization, innovations in all the fields whether it was Green Revolution, White Revolution, Nuclear Science development, IT Revolution or the placement of India on International scenario increasingly progressing day by day.

      On the other hand Pakistan could never attain any of the above progressive milestones. Obviously as they opted for the regressive path of destruction - terrorism as their main aim. Political destabilization due to recurrent clashes between the party in power and the army always harmed the nation.

      All the friendly gestures by our nation from time to time kept on going futile. Pakistan always behaved like a stubborn cry baby all this while and hence all the efforts went in vain. Pakistan always ditched us whether it was by performing terrorist activities in J&K, Bombay, Hyderabad etc. or crossing the  LoC in Kargil,Tiger hill etc.

       I don't understand why Pak doesn't learn from its idiosyncrasies and try to resolve all disputes with our nation. Instead of being jealous of India's progress, Pak should try to learn from us and start paving the path for progress leaving aside the way of terrorism from which they are never going to attain anything progressive.

Let both India & Pakistan  keep the "Aman Ki Asha" alive.....

Gaps Between Educational Reforms And Education System In India

Reforms are always the need of the society. Those who lack proper focus of the destination and the path to be followed are left in doldrums. It has become so true about the bureaucratic system and the corrupt people of today's India.

Another so called thoughtful but not at all practical reform introduced at the school level is CCE system. Comprehensive and continuous evaluation of the child sounds good but it was introduced in such a hurry that the results are far from the expectations. This system's goal is to lessen the burden of rote learning but ministers, bureaucrats and top officials who made the steps to follow are not in the practical day to day interaction with the students. Only the teacher concerned knows the fact that the burden has lessened in the form of rote learning but has transformed to the form of preparing endless assignments, projects, models, charts, scrap files, activity files etc.to the extent which is mechanical for the child as their number is too many at secondary level.

If the number of activities is reduced, then we can still expect the child to do them in the class itself and hence the actual purpose can be solved. Also the emphasis should be on the content and creativity and not on just decorating the file and pasting the data downloaded through the internet. Also it will reduce the mushrooming of shops which are providing readymade material to the students instead of them doing the work themselves. Another angle to this is that poor children suffer as they have to spend a lot on buying the stationery required which is increasingly becoming fancy (a flourishing business for stationery shops).