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India
The atmosphere in India in the months of October and November is filled with joy as India celebrates some of its most important festivals. Beginning with the colourful dances during the Navaratri and the artistically and spiritually decorated marquees dedicated to Goddess Durga, the festivities continue until Deepawali – the festival of light.
IIt is significant that the main idea and theme woven into these festivals is the age-old message that the Good will ultimately triumph over Bad and that Light will displace Darkness.
These festivities continue as in the Netherlands,
Sinterklaas then continues into Christmas. It is, therefore, very timely that we now see a return to normal life both in India and the
Netherlands, and in other parts of the world. It is time for us to celebrate the resilience of the human spirit which was severely tested in the last two years by the Coronavirus pandemic.
My wife Shruti joins me in wishing all the readers of the Diplomat Affairs magazine Happy
Festivities filled with good health.
Our two countries and peoples share a historical connection spanning close to four centuries. As two democratic and independent nations, we started a new chapter in our relationship in 1947 when India, a young nation but an ancient civilization, established diplomatic relations with the Netherlands. In the last 75 years, we have added several glorious pages to this new chapter. The Netherlands now hosts the largest Indian diaspora in the
EU which has not only contributed to the continued economic success of the Dutch society, but they have also enriched it with their unique cultural traditions. They have played the role of an important bridge in connecting the two peoples to enhance mutual understanding.
BY H.E. MR. PRADEEP KUMAR RAWAT, AMBASSADOR OF INDIA The Netherlands has a number of well-known scholars on Sanskrit and Vedic civilization knowledge including Yoga, Ayurveda and various spiritual traditions of India. It would be our common endeavour to build upon the good work done by the previous generations of scholars. Our two countries have a dedicated agenda to cooperation for Water, Agriculture and Health christened WAH! During the State visit of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima to India in 2019, we were able to further
MY WIFE SHRUTI JOINS strengthen our engagement in these three
ME IN WISHING ALL THE pillars. We established a Strategic Partnership READERS OF THE on Water during the Virtual Summit in April DIPLOMAT AFFAIRS 2021 between Prime Ministers Narender MAGAZINE HAPPY Modi and Mark Rutte. This was their fourth
FESTIVITIES FILLED WITH Summit meeting. These exchanges have GOOD HEALTH. further cemented our relationship which is based on shared values of democracy, respect for rule of law, pluralism, and inclusivity. We hope to further strengthen our partnership so as to make an effective contribution towards achievement of the SDGs and usher in a greener future for our common planet based on the idea of ‘One Sun, One World, One Grid’.
