Namaste India Cultural Festival brings a taste of India to Bucharest

The 13th edition of the Namaste India Cultural Festival takes place in Bucharest this weekend. The festival, which is organized by the Rabindranath Tagore Cultural Centre, under the patronage of the Indian Embassy, aims to bring a taste of the vast culture of India to people in Romania.

The festival will be open to the public from 9 am to 8 pm on Saturday, June 25, and Sunday, June 26 at the University House of Bucharest (Casa Universitarilor) on 46 Dionisie Lupu Street.

The Namaste India Festival invites the public to attend Bhajan, Kirtan, and Qawwali concerts, learn how to dance in Bharatanatyam and Bollywood dance styles in the dedicated workshops, learn about Indian rituals, Ayurveda, and Vedic philosophy, enjoy having henna painted on their bodies, take part in traditional yoga and meditation sessions, and taste some of India's culinary specialties.

There will also be a language workshop where curious visitors can learn a little bit of Sanskrit, Hindi, Tamil, and Bengali.

Handicrafts stands will be set up, where visitors can buy traditional clothing such as saris, as well as accessories, souvenirs, books, and ingredients specific to the Indian Cuisine.

The festival’s organizers have announced that this year's edition will focus on the close link between Indian and Romanian culture, through a meeting with Amita Bhose – a writer and translator who has translated Mihail Sebastian's The Star with no Name into Bengali, making the first translation of a Romanian literary work directly into Indian. The bilingual edition of the book will be launched at the event.

The Festival’s full schedule is as follows:

Saturday, June 25

09:00 - 10:00 Balance in Hatha Yoga practice / Cerasela Sindile

10:00 - 11:00 Good Morning Yoga Therapy / Monica Filip

11:00 - 12:00 You with You and I with You - Hatha Yoga / Victoria Gall

10:00 - 12:00 The Art of Rangoli - interactive workshop / Dhaven Shah

12:00 - 13:00 Meditation and the Nervous System / Marius Vornicescu

12:00 - 13:00 Benefits of Ayurvedic Massage / Dr. Stella Gârbea

13:00 - 14:30 Yoga for children and parents / Lavinia Marin

13:00 - 14:00 Meeting with friends of Rabten Publishing - Hidden treasures in the pages of a book

14:00 - 15:00 Vedic astrology - astrology for the soul / Irina Pleșcan

14:30 - 16:00 Henna painting workshop / Cristina Iacob