Indian music maestros, cuisine and dance to take Paris by storm ahead of PM Modi’s visit

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership, some of the country’s leading artists and artisans will travel to Paris next week to participate in the ‘Namaste France’ festival that marks an important moment in the history of Indo-French relations.

Organised by the Embassy of India with the support of the Ministry of Culture in Boulogne Billancourt from July 6-9, the festival will precede Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron to attend this year’s Bastille Day Parade as a ‘Guest of Honour’ on July 14 in Paris.

The four-day event is part of the continuation of the reciprocal commitment of cultural festivals made by both leaders in the joint declaration signed during PM Modi’s visit to France in August 2019.

‘Namaste France’ will feature performances by internationally renowned artists, winners of the Padma Shri, Padma Vibhushan and of the Grammys, including sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan, music composer Ricky Kej and violin icon L Subramanian.

The Indian Embassy in Paris and the Ministry of Culture stated that the festival will have universal and intergenerational appeal and will also seek to advance the interpersonal links between the Indian and French populations.

“Namaste France will showcase an eclectic mix of best of living cultural traditions and contemporary arts of India. Through a fan performing and visual arts – from classical to folk art, from yoga to Bollywood dance workshops, from photography to crafts and gastronomy, it promises to offer an immersive experience in the Indian cultural landscape,” the organisers said in a joint statement.

The festival will pay tribute to the historical and friendly relations of the two countries, as well as the multidimensional strategic partnership, bringing together great performing artists, visual arts as well as Indian artisans, aiming to offer an extraordinary feast of the senses across India’s rich cultural diversity.

Marking another significant milestone, an Indian armed forces contingent will also participate in the Bastille Day Parade alongside their French counterparts in Paris on July 14.

PM Modi’s visit is expected to herald the next phase in the India-France Strategic Partnership by setting new and ambitious goals for strategic, cultural, scientific, academic, and economic cooperation, including in a wide range of industries.

India and France have a shared vision of peace and security, especially in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, and uphold the objectives and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, which are also the basis of our cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

“This historic visit will also deliver common initiatives in order to respond to the key challenges of our time, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals and will be an opportunity for India and France to reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism, including in the context of India’s G20 Presidency,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said ahead of PM’s visit to Paris.

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