India News
The Consulate General of India, Guangzhou has started a unique initiative called ‘Pathshala’ – a Back to School Series of workshops aimed at teaching aspects of Indian Arts, Culture and Languages among Indian Diaspora, expats and local populace within the Post’s jurisdiction in South China. The initiative was developed in response to requests from the Indian Diaspora for workshops on Indian culture including arts, music, languages and dance due to a lack of institutional support in these regions.
2. Since December 6, 2024 marks the 1st Anniversary of the inclusion of ‘Garba of Gujarat’ in UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the Post celebrated this momentous occasion by organizing a ‘Pathshala’ Workshop on ‘Introduction to Garba of Gujarat’, in cooperation with Gujarat Tourism. This workshop was conducted by the talented Indian Diaspora volunteers on 5 December 2024 at the premises of the Consulate. The workshop was attended by over 50 participants including members of Gujarati diaspora and their children, members of diplomatic corps, expats and friends of India.
3. The event commenced with the welcome remarks delivered by Consul General Shri Shambhu Hakki, who provided insights into the concept behind the ‘Pathshala’ Workshop Series. He emphasized the significance of the workshop on ‘Introduction to Garba’ which was organized to commemorate the first anniversary of Garba’s inclusion in UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Garba volunteers Ms. Jalpa Jayesh Mistry, Ms. Priya Aalok Bhatt and Ms. Pinal Sasani captivated the audience with a live performance of ‘Garba’ on the stage.
4. During the event, the participants also had the opportunity to view the video song ‘Maadi’, a popular Garba Song penned by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Additionally, Garba expert Shri Girish Gupta also addressed the gathering virtually, emphasizing the significance and historical context of ‘Garba’ in Gujarati culture.
5. Indian community member Ms Mamta Barot also explained the concept of ‘Garba’ and the significance of the ‘Garba Pot’ during the event. This was followed by a practical demonstration and a step-by-step tutorial on ‘Garba’ by the talented volunteers. The event concluded with Consul General felicitating the ‘Garba volunteers’ with distribution of ‘certificates of appreciation’ to acknowledge their contribution in the promotion of Indian culture through ‘Garba of Gujarat’.
6. Participants and Garba volunteers shared their experiences from the workshop, some of which are summarized below:
“I really appreciate the ‘Garba’ workshop organized by the CGI, Guangzhou. I belong to Gujarat too, and have grown up playing Garba. We know the value of Garba that is performed during the nine nights of Navratri. During this time, people of all age groups are enthusiastic to perform Garba to worship the Goddess. Garba provides us an opportunity to worship the Goddess not just for one-two days, but for nine days, which makes us feel very energetic. We feel lucky to belong to the land of Gujarat where this festival is celebrated with wholeheartedly. It feels privileged to know that Garba has been included in ‘UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’ with the efforts of Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi.”; “I am very happy to attend this Garba workshop. I really liked this dance because the people gather together and share the happiness. It’s like a sport. I really like it.”;
The Indian Diaspora volunteers also shared their experience of conducting the workshop:
“It was my great honour to conduct this workshop. I was really excited. The audience was really welcoming and they were so brilliant in getting the steps and making the Garba more enjoyable. It was really a great workshop. I look forward to more such workshops and engaging with the audiences again. Thank you so much.”; “I am thankful to the Indian Consulate. As an Indian and as a Gujurati, it’s a very proud moment for me to see the Gujarati culture being presented at the Indian Consulate. It’s a very beautiful experience.”; “It was a great experience and a great opportunity to meet the audience. The audience was really great and everyone was interested in learning Garba. They learnt very well and very fast. I am waiting for the next workshop. Thank you!”
7. The social media links of some of these posts uploaded on the official social media platforms of the Consulate are placed below:
https://www.facebook.com/
https://x.com/cgiguangzhou/
https://x.com/cgiguangzhou/
https://x.com/cgiguangzhou/
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