India Newsletter Embassy of India, Tel Aviv No. 58 April-June 2014
Commerce Culture Education, Community Upcoming Events
Commerce India Pavilion at First Israel Innovation Conference – MIXiii
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he Embassy of India in Israel, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Global Innovation and Technology Alliance (GITA) recently organized an India Pavilion in the First Israel Innovation Conference, MIXiii from 20-22 May 2014 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Ambassador of India to Israel, Jaideep Sarkar inaugurated India Pavilion on 20 May 2014 in Exhibition Grounds, Tel Aviv. India Pavilion was the largest country pavilion in MIXiii 2014. Nearly 35 exhibitors from India including private companies, SMEs, government R&D organizations, trade-promotion departments, a venture capital firm and others participated in India Pavilion. India Pavilion attracted a great deal of attention, media coverage and was visited by Mr. Naftali Bennett, Minister of Economy, Government of Israel. The Indian exhibitors had B2B meetings with several Israeli companies. On sidelines of MIXiii 2014, an Indiafocused panel discussion “India-Israel Partnership in High-Tech and Bio-Med: Potential and Promise” was held with participation of eminent speakers such as Mr. Avi Hasson, Chief Scientist in the Israeli Ministry of Economy, Mr. Israel Makov, Chairman of Sun Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Vikas Jain, Co-founder of Micromax Informatics Ltd, Mr. Pankaj Mohindroo President of the Indian Cellular Association, among others. The India Pavilion brought attention in Israel to the capabilities of India in R&D and high-tech manufacturing. It has opened the doors for several potential collaborations. We highlighted the huge potential of matching Israeli innovation with Indian strengths of manpower, market and manufacturing and also of pairing Israeli research with Indian development. The second Israel Innovation Conference is scheduled from 12-14 May 2015 in Tel Aviv.
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Culture An Evening of Kathak Dance by Marami Medhi
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he Embassy of India organized an enchanting evening of Indian classical dance form Kathak at the Olam Mofet theatre in Rishon Letzion on 10 April 2014. Accomplished Kathak danseuse Marami Medhi and her talented daughter Meghranjani performed to the delight of more than 300 Israelis. They were supported by musicians Joyprakash Medhi (Hindustani Vocal), Dwipendra Sharma (Tabla), Bhaskar Jyoti Ojah (Violin) and Suryaprakash (Synthesizer). Amb Jaideep Sarkar and Mrs Sarkar felicitated the artists. The performance was arranged with the assistance of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
Cooking India Flying India Contest
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he Embassy organized an Indian culinary competition “Cooking India Flying India” with Israeli Television Channel, Channel 2 (Keshet) airing the Grand Finale live on April 25 in their popular Friday morning show “Bokher Shel Keshet”. The finalists who were dressed in colorful and traditional Indian attire presented delectable dishes that they had cooked. Ambassador Jaideep Sarkar declared the name of the winner: Ms. Orna Reuben, who won two return flight tickets to India and a weeklong holiday in Kerala. He also noted that Israelis’ love of India and Indian
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Cultural Events cuisine were the main factors for the success of this contest. Indian Restaurateur Reena Pushkarna showcased the diversity of Indian cuisine. The finale concluded with a vibrant Bollywood dance performance by choreographer David Nigrekar and his group. The final round of competition, was held on April 22, 2014 at Yonatan Roshfeld’s restaurant TAPAS 1 in Tel Aviv. The five finalists – Yaffa Samson, Ilanit Menachem, Jacqueline Solomon, Orna Reuben and Tamar Michael – were given a list of ingredients and asked to devise a menu including a main dish, a side dish and a starter or desert. The delicious dishes prepared by the finalists reflected the diversity of Indian cuisine – Fish Cutlets, Shrimp Curry and Pea Rice (Yaffa Samson); Cochini Huba and Achappam (Ilanit Menachem); Amritsari Fish, Masala Rice, Aloo Tuk and HalwaPuri (Jacqueline Solomon); Punjabi Samosa, Tandoori Chicken with Rice (Orna Reuben); and Palak Panner with Rice and Makkhani Lassi (Tamar Michael). The Jury Masterchef Yonatan Roshfeld, Israeli food critic Hila Alpert, Indian Restaurateur Reena Pushkarna and Indian culinary expert Sarraju Narasinga Rao tasted the food prepared by the participants and selected the winner. The five finalists were selected in a semi-final held at Lev Cinema Tel Aviv on 9 April 2014. Nineteen contestants selected from their Indian cooking recipes out of about a hundred entries in all, brought cooked food for tasting by jury. Eminent jury consisting of Israeli Master-Chef fame Yonatan Roshfeld, food critic Hila Alpert and Indian restaurateur Reena Pushkarna tasted and evaluated recipes. The competiton was sponsored by Spices Board of India, Indigo Airlines, Masa.co.il, Government of India Tourism Office, Lev Cinema, Tandoori Restaurant and Om Indian Store.
Indian Evening at Indian Hospice in Jerusalem
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n 27 April 2014, the Indian Hospice in Jerusalem held an Indian evening featuring Indian cuisine and cultural performances, including bhangra and dandiya. The event was organised by the family of Sheikh Mohammad Munir Ansari who is the Director and Trustee of the Hospice. Ambassador Jaideep Sarkar and Maj Gen I S Singha, Head of Mission and Force Commander, United Nations Disengagement Observer Force in the Golan, were the guests of honour at the event. Located in the old city, the Hospice is a symbol of India’s heritage and presence in Jerusalem going back to over 800 years, and is built around the place where Baba Farid, the famous Sufi saint from Punjab, stayed and meditated in 12th century.
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Cultural Events World Hindi Day Celebration at Tel Aviv University
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n association with the Hindi Division of East Asia Department of the Tel Aviv University (TAU), t h e E m b a s sy c e l e b ra t e d t h e World Hindi Day at TAU on June 1 , 2 0 1 4 . T h e c e l e b rati o n go t underway with chanting of Sanskrit Mantras by students, followed by keynote address by Ambassador J a i d e e p S a r k a r. A m b a s s a d o r Sarkar commended the students for their efforts to learn Hindi, as also Dr Genady Shlomper for his commitment to Hindi teaching at TAU. As part of the celebration, the TAU students performed a part of renowned Sanskrit play Abhigyan Shakuntalam, gave background voices to trailer of the Hindi film Mirch Masala, enacted a Hindi version of the Hebrew play Eliezer's Carrot, and conducted a quiz show Who Will Go to India. Also, Mrs. Balli Singha recited few of her Hindi poems on the occasion. Approximately 150 people, including the UNDOF Force Commander Maj Gen I S Singha, TAU students and faculty, Indian diplomats and others enthusiasts of Hindi and Indian studies, attended the event. The celebration concluded with a classical Indian music performance by Benny Djubass (Sitar) and Daniel White (Tabla), followed by Indian cuisine.
Bhart Darshan Scholarship for Promotion of Hindi in Israel
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n World Hindi Day Celebrations at Tel Aviv University on June 1, 2014, Ambassador Sarkar announced annual Bharat Darshan fellowship awards under which NIS 20,000 will be given to Hindi students at TAU for a study tour of India. These fellowships have been enabled with the support of Indian diamond trading community in Israel. For this year the fellowships have been conferred upon Ofir Mizrahi, Yakir Dahari, Adi Fischer, Alexandra Fershtendik, Matan Messika and Tal Gorsky.
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Cultural Events Award of NaanDan Jain Scholarships for Promotion of Indian Art and Culture - 2014
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he scholarship for the NaanDan Jain Scholarships for Promotion of Indian Art and Culture – 2014 was announced on June 2, 2014. For the year 2014, the scholarships were awarded to Ms. Sophia Solomon and Mr. Benjamin Djubass.
Ms. Sophia Solomon is an Indian-origin Israeli. She is a versatile artist equally well-versed in vocal Hindustani classical music and Bollywood music. Her formal music training was under renowned Indian musician Suresh Wadker. Mr. Benjamin Djubass is an Israeli musician who plays the classical Indian string instrument Sitar. He learnt music from the well-known Indian artiste Ustad Shahid Parvez in Benaras. Mr. Benjamin has been performing in several classical music concerts, workshops, lec-dems and is also teaching sitar in Israel. Some of their performances can be watched on the following YouTube links: Ms. Sophia Solomon: https://www. youtube.com/user/solomonsophia Mr. Benjamin Djubass: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=KqVAp9fAiHs T h e N a a n D a n J a i n I r r i ga ti o n Company, an Indo-Israeli business ve nt u re p ro v i d i n g i n n o vati ve agriculture solutions worldwide, provides two annual scholarships for Israeli nationals who have already studied or practiced any form of Indian art or culture and wish to renew and enhance their learning through short courses at institutions in India or study with an Indian teacher (guru). The value of each scholarship is 10,000 Israeli Shekels.
Bollywood Dance Workshop
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howcasing popular dance and music of Bollywood, the Embassy organized a Bollywood dance workshop as part of Tel Aviv White Night (Laila-Laban) celebrations at Habima Square on 26 26 June 2014. David Nigrekar, renowned Israeli Bollywood choreographer presented popular Bollywood dance numbers and taught the participants how to move to Bollywood tunes and beats. The programme was attended by about 500 India and Bollywood loving Israelis, who participated whole-heartedly.
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Education, Community Indian Students at Tel Aviv University
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group of outstanding Indian high school students selected by TAU was on a twoweek visit to Israel for a module on cyber security. Apart from technical lectures on the subject, the students were given an exposure to Israel as a high-tech hub. On June 1, a welcome reception was organised for these students at the TAU campus where the Embassy officials interacted with these students.
e.Xplore Programme
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he Embassy hosted a group of students from Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhi Nagar and Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, Gandhi Nagar, who visited Israel to participate in the e.Xplore programme of Israel Institute of Technology, Technion during May 6-18, 2014. Under the e.Xplore programme, the students got an opportunity to experience Israel’s innovation and entrepreneurial eco-system first hand. iCreate (International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology, Ahmadabad) organised the visit of students under a cooperation agreement signed with Technion in 2012.
Conference on Cochin Jews at Bar Ilan University
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conference on “Cochini Jewish Identity and Heritage” was held in the Bar Ilan University on 8 June. Eldos Mathew Punnoose, Third Secretary was the delivered the key note address. In his address he spoke about the deep impressions left by the community on the map of Kerala and how well the community has integrated with Israel and its culture. The event marked the 60th year of “aliyah”. The conference was attended by almost 350 people including scholars, officials of the University, members of the Cochini Jewish community etc.
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Education, Community
Consular outreach activities
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onsular wing of the Embassy conducted outreach activities for the Indian caregiver community in Israel. Recognizing their difficulty in filling up forms for various consular services, the Embassy officials trained members of the Community in filling up these forms and special training was imparted to chosen representatives to help others in filling up. Embassy officials also addressed queries of the community members pertaining to various consular services. The initiative was held in collaboration with the Indian Chaplaincy and was held on two days for the Konkani and Malayalam speaking community. First Secretary, Subir Dutta, Third Secretary, Eldos Mathew Punnoose, Madan Lal and Helen Issac participated in these interactions.
Cricket Match Against Beersheba Cricket Club
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mbassy XI played a 35 over per side cricket match against Beersheba Cricket club in Beersheba. Embassy XI lost out to the Beersheba in a game that was dominated by the bowlers. After the match, players of both sides met in an informal environment for the presentation ceremony and snacks. The Embassy uses cricket as an outreach tool and regularly plays with various clubs in Israel. The Embassy had started an annual “India Trophy� cricket tournament in 2011.
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Upcoming Events Raga Vedika, Series of Lec-Dems on Indian Classical Music
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he Embassy will organize the second season of Raga Vedika lecture 窶電emonstrations series on Indian classical music between 4-18 September, every Thursday evening at 1900 onwards in the Embassy. For further detail, please visit Embassy website www.indembassy.co.il
Incredible India Family Contest
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he Embassy will organize a contest in which an Israeli family (two + three) will get a chance to win a six-nights, seven-day dream holiday in India. The contest will be organized with support of Indian Ministry of Tourism, popular Israeli Television channel Keshet, and popular website mako.co.il. Further detail of the contest will be made available on the Embassy website www.indembassy.co.il
On the cover:
Credit to Radhika Mohandas 9