Taiwan hosts mega Diwali celebrations

Foreign Minister Wu leads a Diwali celebration at Taipei’s 100-year-old heritage guest house, attended by over 250 guests, including diplomats, industrialists, businessmen, and influential community members. The festivities staged by President Tsai’s administration give considerable impetus to the Indian leadership to strengthen cultural relations and people-to-people ties between the two democracies

New Delhi: In a move set to coalesce a richer milk-tea alliance, the Taiwanese Government hosted a mega Diwali celebration for its Indian community in Taipei. The celebration of the Diwali festivities, by the President Tsai Ing-wen-led administration, gives considerable impetus to strengthen cultural relations and people-to-people ties between the two democracies.

The event held at the 100-year-old heritage building of Taipei guest house saw attendance by Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu, Director-General of India-Taipei Association Gourangalal Das, and 250 other guests comprising diplomats, foreign representatives, Indian and Taiwanese businessmen, and community members.

Speaking at the event Minister Wu, sporting an olive-green Nehru jacket was quoted by local media as saying ‘Diwali is a festival that represents many things, including the triumph of light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. In these difficult times, we take inspiration from Diwali as we work to combat the pandemic and return life to normal.’

Recognizing the efforts taken by the Taiwanese Government to celebrate the festival commemorating the victory of good over evil, Das was reported as saying ‘Diwali has acquired a global following, and it is celebrated not only by millions of Indians abroad but by millions of their friends in the adopted home. I am happy to see such a vibrant and dynamic Indian community in Taiwan, proudly displaying this glorious inheritance of ours.’ He added that ‘We appreciate Taiwanese friends for showcasing Indian culture to Taiwan. By opening the gate of Taipei guest house for Diwali, they have not only opened the doors but also their hearts and minds to India.’

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Also, seen at the event was Taiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung Kwang, Legislator Yu-Chin Wu who is also the Chairperson of the Taiwan-India Parliamentary Friendship Association.

Speaking to TheNews21, Deputy Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India, Dr. Mumin Chen said “India is becoming an important partner for Taiwan. Bilateral trade increased steadily and the number of Indians in Taiwan also increased substantially in recent years.” He rendered that by hosting the Diwali celebration, which is one of the most important holidays in India, Taiwan expresses their sincere gratitude for the genuine friendship from India. “We thank all Indian friends for their contributions to Taiwan-India ties, and wish to forge a stronger partnership in future,” Dr. Chen said.

Apart from festivities and food, the event witnessed the Taiwanese Government commending the contributions of Taiwanese national Jeffery Wu, and Indian businesswoman Priya Lalwani-Purswaney, for their efforts to promote Indian culture and traditions in the island nation. Both Wu, Purswaney along renowned Indian hotelier Mayur Srivastava were part of the team that brain-childed the event.

“Through this activity (celebrating festivals), a harmonious relationship can be created. It is fulfilling our old saying — it’s a matter of course — which means that when all the conditions are complete, things will naturally be successful. Our Taipei-Indian Cultural Center has been established for almost 20 years. In 2003, we promoted Indian culture in Taiwan and held the Indian cultural festival. Indian culture such as food, movies, and dances has been the most popular in Taiwan,” Wu said in a statement to TheNews21.

He highlighted that the Diwali celebrations signal the beginning of a more intimate relationship between Taiwan and India. “In the future, there will be more diversified exchanges, from multicultural and more economic investment, tourism, talents to think tanks, academic and technical exchanges,” Wu said.

Meanwhile, amid citing a number of reasons responsible to draw New Delhi and Taipei closer to each other, Purswaney underscored Taiwan’s success story and resilience against the COVID-19 to have pulled the world’s attention to the island nation. “People of India started noticing Taiwan and then and Indian media started doing more stories about how Taiwan was dealing with the pandemic. Then came Taiwan’s National Day and some channels did even more reports on that occasion. There were TV news stories and newspaper advertisement, and Taiwan noticed this increased attention in India,” Purswaney said.

She reasoned that these developments compelled President Tsai to tweet about her trip to India and her favorite Indian food, which in turn caused more Indians to follow Taiwan and its President on social media. According to Purswaney, the friendship between India and Taiwan ‘is such a natural synergy and long overdue.’