Jakarta: Former President of Indonesia Megawati Soekarnoputri inaugurated Sahabat India-The Festival of India, on India’s 66th Republic Day in Jakarta on Monday.
Also in attendance were the Indian Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste Gurjit Singh and his wife Neeru Singh and Indonesian Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel.
World renowned, Grammy Award winning musician Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt gave a mesmerizing performance, accompanied by tabla maestro Pandit Ram Kumar Mishra.
Soekarnoputri recalled the glorious trade and cultural ties between the two countries as also the deep, abiding friendship between India and Indonesia in different dimensions.
She also recalled how India was the first country to acknowledge Indonesia’s independence. She expressed the hope that the Festival of India would rekindle the spirit of camaraderie between the peoples of the two countries, especially among the youth.
Minister of Trade Rahmat Gobel said he hoped the decision to launch negotiations on a bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement would further contribute to growth in mutual trade and investment, and mentioned the firm resolve of Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi to work towards fructifying the strategic partnership.
The Sahabat India Festival celebrates the myriad colours of India through a mélange of folk music and dance, classical performances, cinema, food and fashion, education and literary fairs, business and trade delegations, art and artisans, paintings and sculptures, will travel to 16 cities in Indonesia over the next four months.
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