The “Namaste India” Festival returns with its 15th edition, taking place from June 28 to 30 at the Botanical Garden in Bucharest.
Over 50 events celebrating the richness and diversity of Indian traditions will take place daily from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Dance performances, concerts, book launches, and yoga classes, along with workshops, readings, and lectures for all ages and interests, will provide a unique opportunity to discover and experience Indian culture, alongside artists, teachers, and specialists from various fields.
Organized by the “Rabindranath Tagore” Cultural Center, with the support of the Embassy of India in Bucharest and the Ministry of Culture of India, the festival aims to familiarize Romanians with Indian cultural space and promote better intercultural relations.
On the occasion of the centenary of the great actor Raj Kapoor, one of the most influential figures in cinema history, the festival will feature a spectacular sari parade and a film music recital, curated by Carmen Coțovanu Pesantez, a specialist in Indian culture and civilization. In addition to talented Romanian artists presenting Bollywood dance performances, Hema Divakaran, representing the Indian community in Romania, along with students from the Surya Natyam dance school, will offer a captivating Bharatanatyam classical dance performance.
The festival stage will also host artist Snigdha Mishra, a lecturer at the Georg-August University in Göttingen, Germany, who will perform a Kathak classical dance show.
Throughout the three days, the audience will enjoy vibrant kirtan concerts, where ancient Sanskrit mantras are sung with instruments such as harmonium, mridangam, tabla, manjira, guitar, and more.
In addition, over 15 experienced teachers will offer Yoga and Meditation classes. Participants will enjoy sessions aimed at balancing energies and reducing daily stress, learning to approach yoga from the perspective of body psychotherapy, and finding solutions to modern problems through yoga psychology.
Those interested in achieving holistic well-being can participate in detox sessions, Nidra Yoga classes (a form of deep meditation and conscious relaxation), Pranayama sessions, and courses on Surya and Chandra Namaskar (Sun and Moon Salutations). Mantra Chanting sessions will explore the power of sound to induce meditative states, and the mudra workshop will study symbolic hand gestures.
The program will also include theoretical presentations on the history of Buddhism and Classical Yoga in the context of Hinduism.
Herald Publishing House will present the book “The Copper Temple. The Biography of Padmasambhava, Founder of Tibetan Buddhism.” Plus, author Cătălina Pavel will also launch her book “Where the Monsoon Is Born. A Year in the Kingdom of Parasurama,” dedicated to the southern state of Kerala, while Carmen Mușat Coman will offer participants the opportunity to write their names in Rabindranath Tagore’s language and present the book “I Started Dreaming in Romanian,” written by Amita Bhose, the first translator of Eminescu in Asia.
Moreover, specialists like Angelica Mitrea will introduce participants to the wisdom of Indian spices, Irina Pleșcan will organize workshops on Vedic astrology and Ayurvedic dietary recommendations, and Iulia Taraze will explain Vastu, the science of Vedic architecture, and how it can help us understand our personal space.
Festival participants can attend a marma massage demonstration and receive practical advice and therapeutic recommendations based on Ayurveda and Yoga.
In addition, kids are invited to a special yoga class and a kolam workshop, the traditional decorative art made with rice flour and colored powders. Both children and adults are invited to draw mandalas, paint Indian symbols on ceramics, or get a temporary henna tattoo.
In the festival’s exhibition area, vendors will offer artisanal products, jewelry, traditional clothing, specific ingredients for Indian cuisine, handmade items inspired by India, as well as culinary specialties that bring the unmistakable flavors of Indian spices to Bucharest.
The complete event program will be published before the event at Namasteindia.ro and on the social media platforms Facebook and Instagram. Admission tickets cost RON 15 for adults and RON 5 for pensioners, students, and pupils. Children have free entry.
The entrance fee to the Botanical Garden is purchased separately, a full ticket being RON 10 and a reduced one RON 5.
(Photo source: the organizers)
