The Indian Cultural Festival kicks off with performances by a national dance troupe in Taiwan

By Li Xinyi, compiled and reported

Co-organized by the Taipei India Philharmonic Centre and the India-Taipei Association, the Indian Cultural Festival will feature a month-long program of art and cultural events. It begins with the Dance Culture Experience Camp from September 24 to October 2 at the Dream Community Art Centre in Xizhi, followed by elegant and heartfelt Odissi dance performances and the musical dance drama *The Peaceful Elephant* across the province. From October 7 to 16, the Indian Cultural Festival will move to Dream Mall in Kaohsiung.

The Dance Culture Experience Camp is personally taught by Indian dancers, offering workshops where children and adults who love Indian classical dance can learn and interact with Indian instructors throughout the day. The Temple Dance Bharatanatyam Experience Camp on October 2 and the Courtly Dance Kathak Experience Camp on October 9 are both priced at NT$1,000, including specially prepared Indian lunch and dinner. Odissi is one of the most elegant forms of Indian classical dance, continuing the tradition of temple dance with grace and solemnity. This performance will feature the India-based national SRJAN Odissi Dance Troupe, led by Mr. Ratikant Mohapatra, direct disciple of the late maestro who revived the dance form. Alongside presenting beautiful divine-human love stories from Indian poetry, the troupe has specially choreographed new pieces for Taiwan, promising a spectacular and immersive Odissi dance feast.

Equally exciting programs will take place from October 7 to 16 at Dream Mall in Kaohsiung, featuring an Indian cultural relics exhibition, an Indian spice and food market, parades, Ayurveda and yoga demonstrations, as well as lectures on travel, culture, and cuisine, plus screenings of the movie *3 Idiots*.