Sarang Festival

SARANG FESTIVAL

What is Sarang?

India and Korea has shared a common history since the time immemorial. The diplomatic ties between the two countries were formally established in the year 1973. As a result of a major convergence of interests, mutual goodwill, and high-level exchange rates and supplies, India-RoK bilateral ties have advanced significantly and have genuinely taken on a multifaceted nature in recent years. The two countries have come much closer in terms of shared strategic partnerships, and trade, especially, in the fields of technology, entertainment, cosmetics and cuisines. The governments of both the nations have introduced several measures to strengthen the mutual relationship between the two countries including events to promote cultural exchange.

SARANG Festival was initiated in the year 2015 by the Indian Embassy in the Republic of Korea with a vision to spread awareness about India, especially among the Korean population, and celebrate the beauty of Indian culture on the Land of Morning Calm. Since its inception in 2015, SARANG has been held annually and has established itself as a notable Indian cultural festival, showcasing India's vibrant and diverse heritage. Since then, it has expanded in size, scope, and popularity, promoting India's soft power in the truest sense and adding to its rich civilizational legacy and cultural vibrancy. It is a celebration of India’s cultural dynamism that blends classical and contemporary offerings of music, dance, food, film and yoga. This initiative was taken by the Indian Embassy in Korea with an aim to create and build partnerships that endure.

Both Koreans and Indians have a deep connotation associated with the term "SARANG." In Korean, the word "Sarang" means "love," while for Indians, it stands for "diversity representing the various colours of India." The goal of encouraging participation in this festival is to highlight the rich cultural diversity of India as it is expressed via a variety of creative forms, such as dance, theater, music, cinema, and delicacies. This comprehensive portrayal of India and its culture has continued to grab the local Korean community's hearts and minds and deepen the love and affection between the two nations' populations. However, it is to be noted that the purpose of this festival is not only to showcase the range and diversity of the Indian culture to the friendly Korean people, but also to raise recognition and branding of Indian culture in the vibrant and competitive cultural world in Korea, as well as highlighting the similarities existing between the two countries.

It is hoped that this cultural extravaganza, which features dance, music, cinema, yoga, and a variety of other art forms, can aid in helping people in Korea who love India and Indian culture to reconnect with nature during these trying times of pandemic.

Celebration Over the Years

Grand Opening in 2015

On the evening of November 9, 2015, the Festival of India, SARANG, was formally inaugurated in Seoul at the Millennium Hilton. The inaugural ceremony encompassed a 20-minute performance by the Drums of India ensemble, backed by the Ministry of Culture of India and a sponsor-supported Indian cuisine festival. 180 specially invited influential guests attended the event at the magical evening on that Monday, including senior corporate figures from Korea, cultural figures (including academics, cultural event managers, and some of Korea's most well-known TV, theatre, and pop music stars), government representatives, Korean media (in both English and Korean), diplomats, and members of the Indian community. An Jaechan, also known as Ryu Shihwa, a well-known Korean author and a longtime friend of India, also made his gracious presence at the event.

The Mission had staged two separate performances in Seoul on Tuesday, November 10, 2015, one showcasing the Drums of India Troupe while the other featuring an Odissi Dance Group in front of 150 spectators at Lotte Culture Hall, Yeongdeungpo (영등포). On November 11, 2015, the Drums of India Troup presented a performance during the official launch of India's first Cultural Centre in Busan, Korea's second largest metropolis after its capital Seoul. An audience of around 300 individuals, including members of the local diplomatic corps, representatives from Busan's municipal administration and military garrison, the president and vice president of Tongmyong University, notable Indian academicians, and eminent business figures, witnessed the performance that Wednesday.

A series of events were hosted as a part of the first episode of the SARANG Festival that allowed showcasing the different colours India as the epitome of “sarang” and creating opportunities for an effective cultural exchange between the two nations. Following the performance on Wednesday by the Drums of India Troup on 11th, Bollywood Dance Workshops were organized for audiences of all ages and interest levels, by Gilles Chuyen, at three locations, Busan, Seoul and Chuncheon, to help the participants communicate with energy and fun that imbibes Indian Cinemas.

Bollywood in particular has charmed viewers for decades across geographies and through generations. The festival also featured a three-day (11–13 November 2015) Indian film screening event that featured six different Indian films, namely, Mary Kom (Sports Drama, 2014), OMG- Oh My God (Satirical Comedy Drama, 2012), Queen (Comedy Drama, 2014), Drishyam (Thriller Drama, 2015), Ankhon Dekhi (Comedy Drama, 2014), and Ship of Thesis (Drama, 2013). These films encompass family drama, the sordid urban underbelly, the fresh young romance, and of late the contemporary and complex Indian ethos.

On November 13, 2015, the Indian Ambassador, Vikram Doraiswami, addressed the audience gathered at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies during the ongoing SARANG festival. Vikram Doraiswami had taken charge as the Ambassador of India to South Korea on 13 April 2015 and had been posted to various Indian Missions including Beijing, Johannesburg, and Tashkent. Through his lecture, he shared about his interests in books, squash, hiking, travel and Jazz. He is fluent in Chinese, while speaks limited French and Urdu.

The last three days of the SARANG Festival 2015 included an extensive range of events consisting of an orchestration of folk music performances by a group named Rajasthani Josh, Yoga sessions, Dance, Storytelling and Puppet shows.

Tetseo Sisters of 2016

The Tetseo Sisters are a group of four sisters from Nagaland, a state in northeastern India. They have been singing on stage since they were young and are committed to upholding the state's vocal folk music legacy and art. The Tetseo Sisters Mütsevelü (Mercy), Azine (Azi), Kuvelü (Kuku) and Alüne (Lulu) grew up in Kohima, the capital of Nagaland, and belong to the Chakhesang Naga, one of the major Naga ethnic groups. They sing in Chokri, the dialect of the region around Phek District.

Folk fusion is said to have begun in the state thanks to the Tetseo Sisters, seasoned folk musicians from Kohima. The sisters frequently receive invitations to exhibit their artwork in conjunction with their official promotions as Nagaland's cultural ambassadors or representatives both domestically and internationally.

Tetseo sisters have performed in several countries such as Thailand, Myanmar, Yunnan and Korea, on different occasions. The four sisters from Kohima, India had presented a graceful performance on the song O Rhosi at the SARANG Festival, jointly organized by the ICCR and Embassy of India in South Korea, in September 2016, the second episode of this celebration, in Gwangju at the Asian Culture Centre Auditorium.

Third Episode in 2017

From October 20 through November 18th, Korea hosted the third edition SARANG festival. The 2017 SARANG event also sought to commemorate the 70th anniversary of India's freedom from British dominion, which fell on August 15, the same day that Korea was liberated from Japan. SARANG in 2017, introduced a range of India's culture and diversity through music, dance, film, food and art in Seoul, Busan, Seosan, Miryang and Gimhae.

World-renowned flutist Hariprasad Chaurasia and Grammy Award winner traditional instrumentalist Vishwa Mohan Bhatt had performed at the event and showcased traditional Indian music to the Korean listeners. The event also featured a collaborative performance of Indian contemporary dance by Astad Deboo with the Korean percussion band Noreum Machi ensemble and the Indian percussion group Trayam at the KBS Art Hall on October 21. This essentially included a blend of Indian contemporary dance and Gugak (국악) Korean classical music.

Several performances by the Indian local artists were exhibited to allow the spectators to get a glimpse of the rich cultural diversity of India, which included folk dance forms from different parts of the Indian subcontinent. Along with the Purulia Chhau dance group from East India, other representatives of India's distinctive cultural history were the Rattle and Hum Music Society from Nagaland in Northeastern India who performed at the same venue, KBS Art Hall on Yeouido during October 20-28. Altogether, 11 artists hailing from Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram along with 5 officials participated in the festival. The artists included the pop sensation 5FEET, COLORED KEYS, RENBENI ODYUO and ETHNIC FUTURE.

Through culinary festivals, the event also popularized Indian cuisine to the Korean populace. The Indian food festival at Millennium Seoul Hilton from October 18-27 showcased authentic flavors of Indian gastronomy with dishes prepared by chef Sanjay Tyagi. It gave participants and visitors a chance to enjoy Indian street food and traditional delicacies, which helps foster cross-cultural interaction and bonding.

When it comes to Indian culture, it’s hard to forget about Indian cinemas. With an attempt to introduce the socio-economic lifestyles of India to the Korean population, the Indian film festival featured films like “Neerja,” “Pink,” “24,” “Maheshinte Prathikaram” and “Ventilator,” at the Busan Cinematheque from October 27-29 and the Korean Film Archive in Seoul from November 14-18, during the third episode of SARANG Festival. In honour of the friendship between the two nations, India and South Korea, artistic collaborations between Indian and Korean artists were also exhibited in Busan.

India Day at Seoul Grand Park on October 21-22, and an evening of Indian classical music by Hariprasad Chaurasia, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and traditional drum tabla nawaz performer, Ramkumar Mishra at KBS Art Hall on October 25, marked an important event in the history of SARANG Festival in Korea.

This event also provided a stage to the artists of the two nations to showcase their paintings and art forms. There is no denying that paintings and other forms of art provide insight into a country's culture. The works of various Indian artists, including Alfonso Arul Doss, RM Palaniappan, C. Douglas, Smita Kinkale and Ratnadeep Adivrekar, were showcased at the K and K Membership Gallery in Busan from October 27 through November 2, in consort with Korean artists.

Fourth Episode in 2018

The Indian Embassy in Korea had held its fourth annual cultural festival, SARANG, from September 6 to 16 spanning across six Korean metropolis - Seoul, Busan, Gwangju, Jeonju, Chuncheon and Donghae- in 2018. This fourth edition of SARANG marked the Indian Embassy’s largest event organized under the new Indian Ambassador, Sripriya Ranganathan, who took office on August 8, after Vikram Doraiswami stepped down as the ambassador of India.

The festival, which began as a humble gathering in 2015, had expanded into a vibrant extravaganza by 2018 that introduces Koreans to Indian cuisine, language, art, music, dance, performance, and film. The 2018 edition of the Festival of India specially featured the classical Carnatic music from Southern India in conjugation with two classical dance forms-Kathak and Odissi. While speaking about the festival Ranganathan had stated that it was a part of the embassy's ongoing endeavour to introduce different aspects of India and Indian cultural history to the people of Korea so that the event would be truly representative of the country's cultural diversity.

The embassy also added also added, "While only few people know that there are several cultural similarities between our two countries, be it art forms, language, music and even cultural aspects, we use Sarang as a platform to introduce those elements to Korean friends. And that's exactly the reasons why we have chosen SARANG as the name of our festival. It means love in Korean and colorful, diversity and peace or love in Indian languages."

As part of the festival, Kathak and Odissi performances were presented in Seoul at Ewha Womans University's Samsung Hall on Sept. 6, the Indian Culture Centre on Sept. 7 and the National Museum of Korea on Sept. 8. According to the embassy, the Indian Cultural Centre offers classes for both dance forms and they have been "quite popular" among Koreans. The Indian classical dance style known as Kathak, one of eight, uses hand and foot motions as well as face emotions to convey stories.

Odissi, one of the other dance forms, is performed predominantly by women who illustrate ancient mythologies, religious stories and spiritual ideas through body movements, facial expressions, gestures and sign language. Keum Bena, a Korean national who had been practising Odissi in India for the more than ten years, was a member of the Odissi ensemble during the SARANG festival.

Just like every other culture, Indian culture also has its own traditional music forms, especially the Carnatic forms. One of the two primary subgenres of Indian classical music that emerged from prehistoric Hindu practices is Carnatic while the other is a subgenre Hindustani. Throughout the festival, the Carnatic music performance took place three times: on September 12 in Seoul, September 12 in Gwangju, and September 15 in Busan.

The film festival was co-hosted at the Korea Film Archives by Embassy of India in Seoul, Indian Cultural Center Seoul-Busan and Korean Film Archive. The Indian Film Festival, a segment of fourth episode of SARANG, commenced at the Korean Film Archives on September 11. The festival was scheduled to screen "Mark Kom," "Newton," "The Ghazi Attack," "To Let" (Tamil), "Sinjar" (Malayalam), and "Ship Of Theseus," among all the films created in India. The last screening took place on September 16.

The 11-day SARANG festival, 2018 was co-supported by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, the Indian Cultural Centre and the Seoul Metropolitan Government. It has been held every year in Seoul and Busan since 2015, while rotating to different major cities in Korea.

Fifth Episode in 2019

The much-anticipated curtain raiser ceremony at the renowned 118F Seoul Sky Observation Deck on October 1 marked the start of the fifth edition of the Annual Indian Cultural Festival - Sarang, organized by the Embassy of India. The event was inaugurated with welcome remarks by Mr. Dong Ki Pak, CEO of Seoul Sky, which was followed by warm welcoming words by Ambassador of India, Ms. Sripriya Ranganathan.

The renowned classical dancer Shri. Kapil Sharma and the Carnatic Music team performed the Indian traditional dance, Bharatnatyam, as part of SARANG 2019, organized by Indian Embassy and supported by India’s Ministry of Tourism. Three consecutive Bharatnatyam performances were held at the Indian Cultural Centre in central Seoul, at the Busan Nurimaru APEC House and at the National Gimhae Museum.

Additional performances followed in Daegu, Gwangju, Buyeo County, South Chungcheong, and Nami Island in Gyeonggi. Visitors to Seoul Sky, students from HUFS, and members of the Korean media, including journalists from well-known newspapers in South Korea, all witnessed the curtain raiser ceremony.

This was followed by the Inauguration ceremony for SARANG at Yonsei University on 2nd October 2019. The fifth edition of this festival is especially significant because the date of the Inauguration coincided with Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, and Sarang 2019's theme was centered on Gandhi's 150th birthday.

Continuing the trend of 2018, Carnatic music performances were held again in 2019 at the Yongsan Art Hall’s Grand Theater Mir in central Seoul on October 8; at Incheon Tri-Bowl cultural center on October 9; at the Gwangju Cultural Foundation on October 10; and at the Busan Nurimaru APEC Houseon on October 11. A vocalist together with several musicians who accompany the vocalist with string and percussion instruments make up a Carnatic music ensemble, which is typically performed in small settings.

The festival also encompassed an Indian-Korean art exhibition at the K&K Gallery in Busan, featuring works by five Korean and five Indian artists each. The exhibition lasted till October 10. The Korean artists included Son Yeongson, Choi Seongwon, Kim Yeong-gu, Lee Gwangsu, and Lee Yeongsu, while the Indian counterpart was represented by Alphonso Arul Dass, Rm. Palaniappan, Pravin Kannanur Kishor Sudhakar Suryavanshi and Apurba Nandi.

The Indian Food Festival in conjunction with the Sarang Festival 2019 had offered traditional and signature dishes from the Indian state of Rajasthan prepared by two chefs invited from India for the occasion, at the Millennium Hilton Seoul in central Seoul from November 14 to 22.

Just like every other edition of SARANG, the festival in 2019 also incorporated a film festival that began from October 16, with the inaugural screening at the Korean Film Archive in Mapo District, western Seoul. Award winning Indian films were screened in four different Indian languages with Korean subtitles at the archive center, and additionally at the Busan Cinema Center and at the Asia Culture Center in Gwangju, without charging any price.

Sixth Episode in 2020

The Embassy of India in South Korea continued its efforts to foster initiatives which alloy the rich cultures of India and Korea even during the pandemic. The Covid-19 lockdown did not douse this spirit, and the embassy came back with the sixth edition of SARANG in 2020.

The three-day fest was held on the weekend of 16th, 17th and 18th of October at the picturesque Nami Island in South Korea. Owing to the restrictions that had been imposed by the lockdown, the organizing committee also opted for live broadcasting of the events during the course of festivities, on Facebook and YouTube.

The event was inaugurated in pure Bollywood fashion with a first of its kind movie-based talk show. The event was hosted by Lucky- the ”most famous Indian in Korea” in conversation with Imtiaz Ali-one of India’s revered film directors-on October 16. Lucky has earned his title through his broadcasting presence in the Korean media industry and Bollywood film reviews in Korean.

Like previous years, the festival featured Yoga sessions in the mornings by Ms. Maitri Shah and a showcase of splendid Bollywood, Odissi and Kathak (classical Indian dance forms) performances. Korean natives, Ms. Keum Beena performed Odissi while Ms. Oh Sukhee gave a graceful Kathak performance at the event.

For the first time in the history of SARANG festival, an interaction session was held with Mr. Prakash Jha, an Indian film maker and actor. Also a video conference session, “KASTURBA KATHA,” with Shobhna Radhakrishnan, was organized on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday. Virtual Classical Dance and Music Concert by Namrata Mehta also captured the audience’s attention.

Artists from Korea also presented several performances that showcased their traditional music, dance forms and culture. Few notable ones include the Gayageum performance by the City Gayageum Orchestra and a dance-play performance called “Queen’s Dream”(왕후의 꿈).

Seventh Episode in 2021

The Indian Embassy launched the seventh edition of the Festival of India-SARANG, on September 25-26, 2021 at the picturesque location of the Nami Island in harmony with the nature. Due to the difficulties brought on by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic and the limits placed on social gatherings, The Festival of India - SARANG 2021 was arranged in a hybrid manner. While the artists performed physically at the Island, the performances were also live-streamed for wider viewership in Republic of Korea.

India's classical dance style, Kathak, as well as contemporary Bollywood dance, instrumental fusion music by Gayageum, Biba, and Sitar, a performance by the Korean band Harmonise on a Hindi song, and yoga sessions for reviving the body, mind, and spirit were among the many performances exhibited at the event.

On this occasion, the Indian Art Museum in Yeongwol (영월) also staged an exhibition of Indian folk art, while Hankuk University of Foreign Studies' Institute of Indian Studies organised a photo exhibition of India. The famed Indian chai, samosas, and gulab jamun were offered to the guests on the island, where they also had a taste of Indian cuisine. Coincidentally, the seventh edition of SARANG festival fell on the same date as the 74th anniversary of India’s Independence or Azaadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (Festival of India’s Independence) celebrations. This was commemorated by holding a variety of events, such as international conferences, lectures, and workshops; cultural events, such as visual art exhibitions, film screenings, yoga workshops, and demonstrations; Buddhist gatherings and events; and painting and art contests, among others. To commemorate this momentous occasion, the Cultural Centre and the Indian Embassy in Seoul sponsored a number of activities in collaboration with regional organizations, with a specific emphasis on issues pertinent to the relations between India and the Republic of Korea.

Eighth Episode in 2022

South Korean spectators were treated to mesmerizing performances by Indian and Korean singers, dancers, and artists at the 8th edition of the festival, which was held from 30 September to 14 October 2022 at various venues across the country, after a two-year COVID lockdown hiatus.

The festival-SARANG, which drew an impressive and fervent throng of fans of India, kicked off on September 30 with a curtain raiser ceremony at the historic Hwaeom-sa (화엄사) Temple, which was the venue for the Indian Classical Music and Odissi Dance performance. The cultural performances took place in other cities as well, including Gimhae (Oct. 1), Busan (Oct. 2), Seoul (Oct. 4-5), Cheongju (Oct. 6), Yeongdong (영동군) (Oct. 7), Nami Island (Oct. 8-9) and Incheon (Oct. 13-14).

The Republic of Korea's cultural events in SARANG 2022 year included an Odissi classical dance performance by a group under the direction of Ms. Kunjalata Mishra, a skilled dancer who has won the renowned Braj Ratna and Braj Gaurav Samman awards. Renowned soprano Ms. Sunanda Sharma of the Benaras Gharana directed the musical performance, and she was backed by eminent musicians on traditional Indian musical instruments such the tabla, harmonium, sarangi, and tanpura. The cultural ensemble in Seoul (Oct. 4) also featured a medley of Indo-Korean fusion music by Aram Lee on Daegeum (Flute) and percussionist Min Wang Hwang on Janggu (Traditional Korean Drum), performing with the Hindustani Classical music group led by vocalist Sunanda Sharma and her supporting artists. Korean dancer Ms. Beena Keum, who studied under the famous Odissi Master Guru Gangadhar Pradhan, and Indian Kathak dancer Ms. Sonali Roy, a student of the renowned Padma Vibhushan Pandit Birju Maharaj, also performed a fusion of Odissi and Kathak.

In addition to the cultural performances, Nami Island also hosted a special photo exhibition honoring India's humanitarian assistance during the Korean War, which included the deployment of an Army Medical Unit and the Custodian Force of India. This exhibition recognized India's unique contributions to the restoration of peace on the Korean Peninsula.

All activities were free to attend and were broadcasted live on the social media accounts of the Indian Culture Centre. The local community in Republic of Korea expressed great appreciation for the cultural performances and Indian booths showcasing the diversity of Indian cultural heritage.

In addition to the cultural performances, SARANG Festival brought some of the award winning and critically acclaimed popular movies under the Film Festival that was hosted in November and December. The 10th Busan Indian Film Festival took place from November 18–20, 2022. At the Busan Cinema Centre, the festival screened a number of award-winning, highly acclaimed regional and Hindi films.

The festival was organised by the Hannarae Foundation for Culture, Hongbeop Temple, Busan, the Busan Cinema Centre, the India Centre at Busan University of Foreign Studies, and the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, Indian Embassy in Seoul. On November 18, the opening ceremony officially kicked off the event. The inaugural screening was of the Hindi film Padmavat. Over the course of three days, six movies were shown in Busan. They were Shot Boot-3 (Tamil), Anandi Gopal (Marathi), Asuran (Tamil), Natyam (Telugu), House Owner (Tamil), and Padmavat (Hindi). This was followed by a Food Festival in January 2023.

The SARANG festival continues to entertain and serve the people who have similar interests and have love for Indian culture while deepening the bond between the two nations. It is worth mentioning that the love for Korean pop bands, Korean dramas, movies and food is currently on rise, in India, the reason being the influence of the Hallyu wave in the recent years. The KCCI regularly organizes (Korean Cultural Center India) different cultural and educational events in India to spread awareness about the Korean culture among the Indian populace.

RANG DE KOREA in India

India hosted the biggest Korean Culture festival, RANG DE KOREA, in 2022, following the Covid pandemic that lasted for about two and half years. KCCI organized this free event as a gift to India and its people on a special occasion. To mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean Cultural Centre in India, the Korean Culture Festival was organised on October 15 and 16 in the largest shopping mall area in New Delhi.

It featured Korea's representative performance contents, various cultural experiences, events, and promotional booths of representative Korean brands. Korean pop music has recently attracted much attention of the youth of India. Among the groups that captivated the Indian audience in the festival, comprises of Bugaboo (Rookie girl group), Kingdom (4th gen k-pop band), K-tigers and ID, the Korean Fusion band. A series of traditional performances were also presented during the event which included Samullori (사물놀이), Haegum and Korean Wedding Ceremony followed by a Hanbok Fashion Show. Samullori is performed with four traditional Korean musical instruments. They are Kkwaenggwari (꽹과리), a small gong; Jing (징), a larger gong; Janggu (장구), an hourglass-shaped drum; and Buk (북), a barrel drum similar to the bass drum. The Haegum (해금) is a traditional Korean string instrument, resembling a vertical fiddle with two strings; derived from the ancient Chinese xiqin. While Hanbok is the traditional Korean attire.

The participants also got a chance to experience Korean Naming and Calligraphy games, tourism, Hallyu Flea Market, Hanbok dress up, Photo booths and many more. KCCI (Korean Cultural Center India) also organized a 10 years completion special exhibition and Korean Brand promotion Booths.

Conclusion

Both countries, India and South Korea, are making several efforts to build a relationship that endures, not only at the diplomatic level but also a sense of closeness among the populations of the two nations. Around 11000 Indian nationals, including 120 PIOs, currently reside in South Korea. The scholarships provided by the Korean government and other Korean organizations play a big role in attracting students for higher studies. While several Koreans also choose to live in India as it is a great destination to study. In recent times, more and more people, including Koreans, are getting to know about India and carrying interest in its colorful diverse culture.

References

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