INDIA MEXICO in
Embassy of India Mexico City
A Monthly Newsletter of Embassy of India, Mexico City Vol. I, No. 9
India-Belize Visa Exemption Agreement
September 2017
President Enrique Peña Nieto at BRICS Summit
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Indian Food Festival
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Independence Day Cultural Presentation
India at 72nd United Nations General Assembly Session 4
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In this Issue
LEAD STORIES
President Peña Nieto at BRICS Summit 3 India at 72nd United Nations General Assembly Session 4 India-Belize 7 Indian Food Festival 8 Independence Day Cultural Presentation 11
BUSINESS International Trade Fair: ANIERM 13 100 Indian Companies in Expo Ferretera 14 Doing Business with India 14 Nuevas oportunidades comerciales entre India-México 15 Indus Food 16
CULTURAL CONNECT Avijit Das visited Mexico 17 Cervantino International Festival 17 Exposición: Untitled India 17 FIFA World Cup 2017 in India 18 Centenary of Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya 18 All Indians are safe in Mexico: Sushma Swaraj 19 Social Warriors 19 Cine de la India en Netflix México 21 Periodistas mexicanos rumbo a India 22
MEDIA Ambassador of India to Mexico inaugurates TPCI India Pavilion at the Expo Nacional Ferretera, Mexico 22 Café Urbano Hosts Indian Food Fest (The News) 23 Los sabores de la India llegan a Café Urbano (Food and Travel) 24 How Mexico and India Fused in My L.A. Kitchen (Zocalo Public Square) 26 ‘I feel very much at home in India’: Melba Pria (Hardnews) 27
Embassy of India
Musset No. 325, Col. Polanco, CDMX, 11550
Tels. 55 31 10 02/1050/4636/6638, 55 45-14 91, 52 03-4803 Fax: 52 54 23 49 Website: www.indembassy.org Email: info.mexico@mea.gov.in To receive an electronic copy of this newsletter, please contact: library.mexico@mea.gov.in Muktesh K. Pardeshi, Ambassador M.R. Qureshi, Director GTICC Research, Edition and Design: Rebeca Álvarez Téllez, Ricardo Pérez Torres
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President Peña Nieto at BRICS Summit Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi and President of Mexico Enrique Peña Nieto in a Group photograph of BRICS Leaders and Leaders of Guest Countries at BRICS Xiamen Summit, 5 Sept 2017
Mexico president Enrique Peña Nieto to visit China to boost trade amid NAFTA talks
Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto traveled to China to discuss trade and investment, as Mexico looks for ways to decrease its dependence on NAFTA, especially trade with neighboring United States. Enrique Peña Nieto had a bilateral meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping and participated in a summit of the BRICS nations, a grouping that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, on September 4 and 5, Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. SOURCE:https://goo.gl/zqf1ek Psd
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President of India H.E. Mr. Ram Nath Kovind greets President Enrique Peña Nieto on the occasion of the 207th Anniversary of Independence of Mexico
“On behalf of the Government, the people of India and on my own behalf, I extend warm greetings and felicitations to Your Excellency and to the people of the United Mexican States on the occasion of your Independence Day. India and Mexico, fellow democracies, have traditionally enjoyed close and friendly relations which have been further strengthened in recent times. Our Prime Minister’s visit to Mexico last year has brought about a qualitative change in our ties. Both India and Mexico have emerged as dynamic economies, as a consequence of which our trade and investment ties have witnessed rapid growth. We recognize the strong potential for advancing our bilateral cooperation across diverse sectors in the future.”
India at 72nd United Nations General Assembly Session
Statement by External Affairs Minister at the General Debate of the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York (September 23, 2017) Mr. President Let me begin by offering my heartiest congratulations on your election as President of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly. For those of us fortunate to represent our nations as Foreign Minister this is a particularly happy event: one of us has this honour. Mr. President I had spoken before this Assembly last year as well. It is a year that has seen much change both in this Assembly and in the world it represents. We have a new Secretary General at the United Nations. He is determined to prepare and strengthen the United Nations to meet the challenges of the 21st century. We welcome his efforts, and see in him a leader who can give practical shape to a vision. Our contemporary world is trapped in a deluge of troubles of which, surely, the most dangerous is the relentless rise of violence. Terrorism, and the ideas that engineer this evil, are spreading at the pace of a conflagration. Climate change stares us in the face, and threatens us with its dimension. There is a growing question mark over maritime security. For
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a mix of reasons, provocative and inflammatory, people are leaving the psychological, cultural and economic comfort of their traditional home space to seek refuge on distant shores causing global anxiety. A large part of the globe’s population is still tortured by hunger and poverty. The young are beginning to lose hope as they confront unemployment. Women, victims of historic discrimination, are demanding what they must get: gender empowerment. Nuclear proliferation is back in the zone of dangerous headlines. Cyber security has become a source of deep insecurity. In 2015, we set ourselves a target of 2030 to find solutions to many challenges on this Agenda. Two of these years have already passed. Surely it is already time to ask how much has happened. If complacency defines the next 13 years then we are in danger of losing control. We need a sense of urgency as well as unshakeable fortitude to take decisions that can avert catastrophe. I am pleased that India has displayed the courage and leadership to take tough decisions which have launched the interlinked process of sustainable development. The complete eradication of poverty is the most important priority of the present government. Mr President, there are two ways of addressing the curse of poverty. The traditional method is through incremental levels of aid and hand-holding. But our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chosen the more radical route, through economic empowerment. The poor are not helpless; we have merely denied them opportunity. We are eliminating poverty by investing in the poor. We are turning them from job-seekers into job-providers. All our economic programmes have a principal purpose, the empowerment of the poor: Jan Dhan, Mudra, Ujjwala, Skill India, Digital India, Clean India, Start-Up India, Stand-Up India. To describe them all would take up more time than I have at my disposal, and I shall therefore dwell on only three core programmes. The Jan Dhan plan must surely count as the world’s largest financial inclusion scheme. Those who did not have any money their bank accounts were opened with zero balance and this would not have happened anywhere in world that if you do not have any money you have a bank account. They have a bank passbook. But this impossible has been made possible in India. At least 300 million Indians, it’s not a small amount. This is the total population of USA. At least 300 million Indians who had never crossed the doors of a bank today have bank accounts: this is equivalent to the population of the United States of America. This was, understandably, not easy to complete in three years, but our banks, achieved this visionary goal set by our Prime Minister. While some remain to be included, the target has been set – every Indian family will have a bank account. Mudra yojana has enabled government to fund the unfunded. Those who had never dreamt that bank credit was within their options, today, through Mudra, are getting soft loans without collateral to begin micro businesses. I am particu-
larly delighted to inform you that over 70 per cent of these loans have gone to women. Unemployment spreads despair. Through Skill India, Start-Up India and Stand-Up India poor and middle class youth are being trained to match their honed talent with bank credit and become self-employed or small-scale entrepreneurs. Ujjwala is a signature scheme of our government for poor women. They had to work hard for their kitchens, and sometimes they lose their eye sight because of smoke. Free gas cylinders are being provided to the poor so that women do not have to suffer the dangerous consequences of wood-fired kitchens. Uniquely, gender emancipation is at the creative core of this programme. Demonetisation was a courageous decision to challenge one of the by-products of corruption, the “black money” that disappeared from circulation. Today, India has passed the Goods and Services Tax legislation, through which there is one-tax across the country, without the untidy and punishing system of multiple taxes under differing categories in different parts of the country. Our “Save the girl, Educate the girl” campaign is reducing gender inequality. Our Clean India programme is generating what can only be described as a revolutionary change in social attitudes and habits. I would like to note, at this point, that nations with rising capabilities will be able to generate such change, but the developed world must become an active partner in helping those vulnerable countries which are still mired in stagnant poverty reach SDG horizon within 2030. That is why the principle of Global Partnership was included in SDGs. I am happy to report that India has started, this year, the India-UN Development Partnership Fund. Mr. President We are completely engaged in fighting poverty; alas, our neighbour Pakistan seems only engaged in fighting us. On Thursday, from this dais, Pakistan’s Prime Minister ShahidKhakan Abbasi wasted rather too much of his speech in making accusations against us. He accused India of State-sponsored terrorism, and of violating human rights. Those listening had only one observation: “Look who’s talking!” A country that has been the world’s greatest exporter of havoc, death and inhumanity became a champion of hypocrisy by preaching about humanity and Human Rights from this podium. Pakistan’s Prime Minister claimed that his nation’s founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah had bequeathed a foreign policy based on peace and friendship. I would like to remind him that while it remains open to question whether Jinnah Sa-
hab actually advocated such principles, what is beyond doubt is that India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has, from the moment he took his oath of office, offered the hand of peace and friendship. Pakistan’s Prime Minister must answer why his nation spurned this offer. Prime Minister Abbasi has recalled old resolutions that have been long overtaken by events. But his memory has conveniently failed him where it matters. He has forgotten that under the Shimla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration India and Pakistan resolved that they would settle all outstanding issues bilaterally. The reality is that Pakistan’s politicians remember everything, manipulate memory into a convenience. They are masters at “forgetting” facts that destroy their version. Pakistan’s current Prime Minister spoke of a “Comprehensive Dialogue” between our two countries. I would like to remind him that on 9 December 2015, when I was in Islamabad for the Heart of Asia conference, a decision was made by his leader Mian Nawaz Sharif, then still Prime Minister, that dialogue between us should be renewed and named it a “Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue”. The word “bilateral” was used consciously to remove any confusion or doubt about the fact that the proposed talks would be between our two nations and only between our two nations, without any third-party present. And he must answer why that proposal withered, because Pakistan is responsible for the aborting of that peace process. Mr. President I would like today to tell Pakistan’s politicians just this much, ask them that have they ever thought that India and Pakistan became free within hours of each other. Why is it that today India is a recognised IT superpower in the world, and Pakistan is recognised only as the pre-eminent export factory for terror? What is the reason for this have they ever thought? There is only one reason. India has risen despite the principle destination of Pakistan’s nefarious export of terrorism. There have been many governments under many parties during 70 years of India’s freedom for we have been a sustained democracy. Every government has done its bit for India’s development. We have marched ahead consistently without pause creatingIIMs, IITs, AIIMS and in the fields of education, health, space and across the range of human welfare.We established scientific and technical institutions which are the pride of the world. But what has Pakistan offered to the world and indeed to its own people apart from terrorism? We produced scholars, doctors, engineers. They have produced terrorists and terrorist camps. Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Hijbul Mujahideen, Haqqani NetIndia in Mexico • September 2017
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work. We produce scholars, doctors, engineers, scientists. What did you make Pakistan? You created terrorists and Jihadis. And you know, Doctors save people from death; terrorists send them to death. Your terrorist organisations are not only attacking India but are also affecting our two neighbours, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Mr. President Terrorism is at the very top of problems for which the United Nations is searching for solutions. We have been the oldest victims of this terrible and even traumatic terrorism. When we began articulating about this menace, many of the world’s big powers dismissed this as a law and order issue. Now they know better. The question is: what do we do about it? We must all introspect and ask ourselves whether our talk is anywhere close to the action we take. We all in bilateral and multilateral discussions condemn this evil, and piously resolve to fight it in all our declaratory statements. The truth is that these have become rituals. The fact is that when we are required to fight and destroy this enemy, the self-interest of some leads them towards duplicity. This has been going on for years. Although India proposed a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) as early as in 1996, yet two decades later the United Nations has not been able to agree upon a definition of terrorism. If we cannot agree to define our enemy, how can we fight together? If we continue to differentiate between good terrorists and bad terrorists, how can we fight together? If even the United Nations Security Council cannot agree on the listing of terrorists, how can we fight together? Mr. President I had identified climate change as one of the significant dangers to our existence. India has already said that it is deeply committed to the Paris Accord. This is not because we are afraid of any power, influenced by friend or foe, or tempted by some imagined greed. This is an outcome of a philosophy that is at least 5000 years old. Our Prime Minister has, on his personal initiative, launched the International Solar Alliance as witness to our abiding commitment to a cause. When we talk of world peace, we mean peace not only among human beings but also peace with nature. We understand that human nature is sometimes inimical to nature, but we would like to amend human nature when it tends in the wrong directions. When we inflict our greed upon nature, nature sometimes explodes. We must learn to live with the imperatives, cycles and creative urges of nature; in that lies, our own salvation. We have just witnessed hurricanes, earthquakes, rains that inundate, storms which terrify. This is not a mere coincidence. Nature sent its warning to the world even before the world’s leadership gathered in New York at the United Nations through Harvey. Once our gathering began an earthquake struck Mexico and a hurricane landed in Dominica. We must understand this requires more serious action than talk. The developed world must listen more carefully than
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others, because it has more capacities than others. It must help the less fortunate through technology transfer and Green Climate Financing - that is the only way to save future generations. Mr President We are discussing turbulence and change across the world, but the one organisation created to address world affairs is beset by its own problems. It seems to believe that it can afford not to change from the precepts and perceptions that determined its birth. On 18 September, there was a meeting here on UN reform. I participated. I witnessed an evident desire for change, to do something. But I do want to remind you that at the 2005 World Summit there was a consensus that the early reform of the Security Council is an essential element of our overall effort to reform the United Nations. Efforts at text-based negotiations on the reform and expansion of the Security Council were initiated in the last session and more than 160 nations had expressed support for this effort. If we are serious, then the least we can do is produce one text that can be the basis for negotiation. I hope that under your enlightened leadership, Mr President, this will become a priority. If that happens it will be a significant achievement. We also have high expectations from the new Secretary General of the United Nations. If he wants to reform the peace and security architecture, he will also need to address reforms related to peacekeeping that have been urged for long. Without improvements in UN Peacekeeping this goal can’t be achieved. Mr President There is no shortage of issues; there is even less shortage of problems which should be recognised from this podium. But time is not always on the side of those who would like to raise issues and problems in the interests of a better, more peaceful and progressive future. The issues you have chosen are relevant to the UN Charter as well as to the ancient traditions of my land. Mr President My country’s culture and thought has been shaped by a history and philosophy that believes in peace as humankind’s only rational and practical objective. We truly believe that the world is one family and we hope that every member of this family deserves that elixir of life, happiness. Let me end by reciting a verse that is a synthesis of thought:
May all be happy; May all be healthy; May all see what is good; May all be free from suffering. Thank you, Mr. President. Source: https://goo.gl/kCfLWy
INDIA - BELIZE Ambassador Muktesh K. Pardeshi attends Belize’s Independence Day Celebration (21 September) in Belize City/Belmopan
Belize signs visa waiver for diplomatic and officials of India
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s greetings to the H.E. The Right Honourable Dean Oliver Barrow, Prime Minister of Belize on the occasion of Independence Day: “I extend my warm greetings and felicitations on behalf of the Government and people of India on the occasion of Independence Day of Belize. The traditionally friendly relations between our two countries have strenghtened in recent years, both bilaterally and trough multilateral fora such as the Commonwealth as well as the India-CARICOM and India-SICA dialogue processes. I look forward to continuing our cooperation and further deepening our relationship in different areas.”
Belize City. 18th September 2017. Today, the Government of Belize and the Government of the Republic of India signed a Visa Waiver Agreement for holders of diplomatic and official/ service passports as a means of deepening bilateral relations. Signing on behalf of the Government of Belize was Minister of Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs Hon. Wilfred Elrington, and on behalf of the Government of the Republic of India was the High Commission of the Republic of India to Belize, His Excellency Muktesh K. Pardeshi. The Visa Waiver Agreement is limited to holders of diplomatic and service/official passports to enter, exit from and transit through the Republic of India and Belize without visas for a thirty-day period. The Agreement will facilitate official travel for Belizeans, especially those attending exchange programs offered by the Government of the Republic of India throughout the year. Belize and the Republic of India have mutually benefitted from a growing bilateral relationship for more than thirty years. The signing of the Agreement will allow for increased cooperation between the two countries. The signing of the Agreement took place at the Radisson Hotel in Belize City.
India-Belize Visa Exemption Agreement
Ambassador Muktesh Kumar Pardeshi, who is concurrently accredited as High Commissioner of India to Belize, signed the India-Belize Visa Exemption Agreement for holders of Diplomatic/ Official Passports with Foreign Minister of Belize Honorable Wilfred Elrington in Belize City on 18 September 2017.
Source: https://goo.gl/b3AofM
Passport, Visa and Consular Camps in Belize
The Embassy of India, which also concurrently acts as High Commission of India to Belize, organised Passport, Visa and Consular Camps in Corozal (17 September) and Belize City (18 & 20 September). The Camp coincided with Belize´s Independence Day (21 September) week.
Ambassador Muktesh K. Pardeshi with the President of the University of Belize, Prof. Clement Sankat India in Mexico • September 2017
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Indian Food Festival
Indian Food Festival by specially invited chefs from India at Cafe Urbano, Hotel Presidente InterContinental Polanco, from 31st August to 14th September 2017.
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Visiting Chefs gave an Indian cooking demo to spouses of Ambassadors at India House on 15th September
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Independence Day Cultural Presentation
The Annual Day of Gurudev Tagore Indian Cultural Centre was celebrated in Teatro de la Danza in the presence of large number of Indian and Mexican guests. The programme coincided with the ITEC Day and several ITEC experts who had undergone technical training in India were present. Ambassador Muktesh Pardeshi inaugurated the event and a beautiful cultural programme of Odissi, Mohiniyattam, Bharatnatyam, Kathak and Bollywood dances as well as musical programme of Tabla and Sitar was presented on the occasion.
Gurudev Tagore Indian Cultural Centre, celebrating ITEC Day, organized a presentation of Indian classical Music and Dances to mark the 70th Anniversary of Independence Day of India. The event took place at Teatro de la Danza, located at Centro Cultural del Bosque in Mexico City, on Thursday, September 14.
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The programme included dances in Bharatanatyam (Prof. Patricia Torres), Mohiniyattam (Mariana Torres), Odissi (Sak-Nikté Romero), Kathak (Meenal Sajwan), Bollywood (Kate Asmara), and also a Sitar recital by Professor Hollving Argaez accompanied on the Tabla by Pandit Radeshyam Sharma. The presentation was given by the teachers and students of the Cultural Centre.
ITEC is the flagship programme of the Indian Government’s capacity building effort, not only because of its magnitude and wide geographical coverage but also for innovative forms of technical cooperation. DPA-II Division of Development Partnership Administration (DPA) in the Ministry of External Affairs is the nodal division for handling all capacity building programmes. The ITEC programme, along with SCAAP and TCS of Colombo Plan, is a visible symbol of India’s role and contribution to South-South cooperation. South-South Cooperation is a partnership born out of a shared sense of solidarity and is entirely voluntary and free of conditionalities. It furthers national development priorities of our partners and has national ownership at its centre. India remains a staunch proponent and practitioner of South-South Cooperation which constitutes a fundamental pillar of India’s foreign policy and diplomacy. For more information: https://www.itecgoi.in/index.php
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International Trade Fair: ANIERM
MAKE IN INDIA: The Embassy installed a Make in India stand at the International Trade Fair organised by ANIERM (National Association of Importers and Exporters of the Mexican Republic) on 5th September, 2017. The stand was inaugurated by Ambassador Muktesh Pardeshi. President of ANIERM and Ambassadors of Algeria, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan and the Philippines visited the stand, among others.
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ANIERM es el organismo especializado en comercio exterior más representativo del país. Despliega una intensa y permanente acción institucional ante diversos organismos e instituciones públicas y privadas con el objetivo de crear y mantener un entorno que facilite la actividad empresarial y el desarrollo del intercambio comercial de México con el mundo. Proporciona a sus asociados una amplia gama de servicios especializados en comercio internacional y aduanas que van desde información económica, boletines y publicaciones; pasando por asesoría, gestoría, consultoría y capacitación; hasta acciones de promoción e identificación de oportunidades de negocio.
100 Indian Companies in Expo Ferretera 100 Indian companies participated in Expo Nacional Ferretera in Guadalajara from 7- 9 September, 2017 under the banner of Export Promotion Council for EOUs and SEZs (EPCES) and Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI), supported by the Department of Commerce, Government of India. Ambassador Muktesh Pardeshi inaugurated the India Pavilion. Expo Ferretera is one of the most significant trade shows in Hardware, Construction and infratructure sector in Mexico. On the sidelines, TPCI also signed an Memorandum of Cooperation for greater collaboration with the Guadalajara Chamber of Commerce.
Expo Nacional Ferretera ha forjado su trayectoria desde su primera edición en1989, Guadalajara y la industria han sido testigos del crecimiento constante de nuestro espacio de exhibición así como en número de expositores y visitantes. Nos Fuente: https://goo.gl/p8cHVJ hemos consolidado como un importante puente generador de negocios en el mercado latinoamericano, que impulsa exportaciones de las industrias ferretera, construcción, eléctrica e iluminación a más de 20 países. Si buscas lanzar nuevos productos, conseguir nuevos clientes, MAKE IN INDIA stall at Cintermex, Monterrey, Nuevo consolidar relaciones comerciales, conocer las tendencias de Leon was visited by businessmen and public from 28 to 29 tu mercado o simplemente vender más, no encontrarás un September 2017. mejor lugar que Expo Nacional Ferretera para cumplir tus objetivos.
Doing Business with India
Source: https://goo.gl/7vTgUo
El Presidente de México Enrique Peña Nieto y el Governador de Nuevo León Jaime Rodríguez Calderón pasando por el stand de Make in India en Monterrey, durante la reunión anual de industriales de la CONCAMIN el 29 de septiembre
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Source: http://www.concanaco.com.mx/enlace-empresarialactitud-septiembre-2017/
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Indus Food
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Avijit Das visited Mexico
Well known Kuchipudi Indian dancer Avijit Das visited Mexico City at the invitation of Casa de Cultura de India en MĂŠxico. During his visit, he gave a workshop for the students and teachers of Gurudev Tagore Indian Cultural Centre. He was honored by the Director of the Cultural Centre. During his visit to Mexico, Mr. Avijit Das also performed at the Auditorium of the Valley Ballet School and offered a one week Kuchipudi Dance Workshop in Mexico City.
Cervantino International Festival
India will be participating in Cervantino International Festival of Mexico with a 12 member Indian Classical Ballet group of Aniruddha Das. The group will perform in 11 different cities during their visit from October 16 to 29, 2017.
Expo: Untitled India
SOURCE: https://goo.gl/knBBF2
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FIFA World Cup 2017 in India
FIFA World Cup 2017, Under-17 is being hosted by India and is scheduled to be held at Delhi, Goa, Kochi, Guwahati, Kolkata and Mumbai from 6 to 28 October, 2017. A total of 24 teams including India and Mexico will be participating. A total of 52 games will be played to decide the winner of the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017.
Centenary of Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya (25 Sept. 1916-11 Feb. 1968) was a great Indian Philosopher, Economist, Sociologist, Historian, Journalist and Political Scientist. He believed in Swaraj (self-governance). He welcomed modern technology but wanted it to be adapted to suit Indian requirements. As we celebrate the birth centenary of this great visionary, Gurudev Tagore Indian Cultural Centre screened a documentary on the life of Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya. The event was held on 25th of September at the Cultural Centre.
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Solar Warriors
Mrs. Miriam Choc and Mrs. Cristina Elena Choc from Belize attend a course “Training Illiterate / Semi-Literate Rural Women on Solar Electrification and Rainwater Harvesting” from September 2017 to March 2018 at Barefoot College in Rajasthan under Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) scheme. At the end of the course, the participants, ‘Solar Warriors’ learn everything, from how to manufacture solar panels to how to install them and rig them up to electric batteries, through sign language. They would return to Belize to light up their villages.
All Indians are safe in Mexico: Sushma Swaraj All Indians are safe in Mexico which was rocked by powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake that claimed 225 lives, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said. She expressed her deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in the second earthquake in Mexico. The destruction revived horrific memories in Mexico on the anniversary of another massive earthquake in 1985, the disaster-prone country’s deadliest ever.
Indian Association of Mexico contributes to Red Cross’s earthquake Fund As a gratitude to the wonderful country and its people, Indian Association of Mexico decided to extend its support by contributing to the relief and restoration operations, joining hands on humanitarian ground. The association donated an amount of M$ 93,200.00 to the Red Cross. India in Mexico • September 2017
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Cine de la India en Netflix México
Recomendaciones para adentrarse en este fantástico cine La industria de cine de la India es mucho más que Bollywood, cada región cuenta con su propia industria que produce cine acorde a su lengua y costumbres. Adentrarse en este vasto mundo fílmico puede ser algo que intimide a muchos, una labor que puede sonar ardua si se considera que la producción fílmica anual del país asiático rebasa las 2 mil cintas. Afortunadamente Netflix México cuenta con una pequeña pero notable selección de cintas de aquel país que abarca las múltiples industrias locales. Las siguientes recomendaciones podrán hacer que hasta el más reacio a conocer el cine de aquel país logre quedar prendado inmediatamente. Fuera del estereotipo del cine musical y comedias románticas bobas el cine de la India posee una diversidad de historias, géneros y estilos que ningún otro país del mundo tiene. Estos últimos años han sido particularmente fructíferos, los cuales han hecho que el cine de este país se levante como una verdadera potencia fílmica y no solo como una mera curiosidad exótica.
La leyenda de Baahubali: El inicio
Eega: La mosca Rajamouli una vez más cimbra la pantalla de imaginación y color, en este caso con una autentica épica histórica de acción que pone en vergüenza cualquier superproducción reciente de Hollywood. El relato de un joven buscando sus raíces, lo cual iniciara una odisea que lo llevara a regresar a su reino y reclamar su trono, cuenta con todos los ingredientes que una historia de esta naturaleza debe tener. El director de cintas en idioma telugu y tamil S.S. Rajamouli se ha consolidado como uno de los principales realizadores del sur de la India. Eega es evidencia del derroche de talento y creatividad que posee el realizador, junto con su padre el guionista K.V Vijayendra Prasad, quienes han formado una increíble dupla para narrar fascinantes relatos. La historia de un hombre reencarnado en mosca enfocado en cobrar venganza del hombre que pretende robarle a su amada suena, en papel, improbable y absurda. Conforme avanza el relato no habrá un solo espectador que no se convierta en un creyente de esta aventura llena de humor y humanidad. En manos de cualquier otro realizador esto hubiera sido una comedia vulgar y simpona, pero Rajamouli eleva el material del status de ocurrencia al de clásico instantáneo. En Netflix la encontraran doblada al hindi bajo el título de Makkhi.
Interrogación
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Visaaranai, conocida como Interrogación en Occidente, fue la cinta que India mandó para participar en la categoría de mejor cinta extranjera para la próxima entrega del Óscar. La academia no la consideró, lo cual es lamentable, ya que esta historia sobre corrupción y discriminación es sumamente relevante.
Sairat
Un auténtico triunfo cinematográfico, una bella historia de amor que también sabe explorar todas esas asperezas que atraviesan las relaciones de pareja y que pocas películas se atreven a abordar. Todo esto narrado bajo el trágico marco del sistema de castas en India, que divide de manera brutal a las personas en base a su clase social y económica. Una de las mejores películas de 2016 y obligada a ver para cualquiera que busque una historia genuina, con alma y corazón.
Kabali: La venganza
Periodistas mexicanos rumbo a India
El embajador Muktesh K. Pardeshi se reunió con el Sr. Iván Ventura Cancio, Responsable de la Sección Global de Excélsior y con el Sr. Ricardo Yaid Carrillo Jovel de la Sección de Negocios del periódico Reforma. Ambos han sido invitados a realizar un viaje a la India, por parte del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores como parte de una visita de familiarización. Durante su visita recorrerán Nueva Delhi, Agra y Mumbai.
Muktesh K. Pardeshi, Ambassador of India to Mexico inaugurates TPCI India Pavilion at the Expo Nacional Ferretera, Mexico
By Tpci | September 13, 2017
Renombrada como La Venganza de Kabali para nuestro mercado, la última cinta de la superestrella del cine del sur de la India Rajinikanth confirma por qué él lleva décadas encumbrado como ídolo absoluto de la región. Un criminal recién liberado de prisión que busca ajustar cuentas con viejos enemigos suena a una historia que se ha contado miles de veces, pero con el carisma de la superestrella en cada cuadro y una dirección con mucha personalidad la película adquiere un sabor propio. Una opción para todo el que busque historias de criminales con una presentación distinta. Fuente: http://www.tomatazos.com/articulos/228452/Cine-de-laIndia-en-Netflix-Mexico
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India in Mexico • September 2017
H.E. Muktesh K Pardeshi, Ambassador of India to Mexicoinaugurated TPCI India Pavilion at the 29th edition of Expo Nacional Ferretera, Guadalajara, Mexico. The TPCI India Pavilion showcased 45 Indian companies, representing various sectors such as building materials, construction equipment, wood machinery, interior furnishings and products. Ceramic tiles, stone products, building and construction material were some of the products that were on display. The last six years have witnessed a continuous intensification in India’s exports to Mexico. From 2009-10 to 2016-17 India’s exports to Mexico grew at 27% per annum. Though there is a surge in Indian exports to Mexico, but the figures are not significant relative to the imports of Mexico from other economies. Thus, India has huge potential to explore. TPCI India Pavilion at Expo Nacional Ferretera gave exhibitors a platform to play a prominent role in India’s development. Source: https://goo.gl/yaiySa
Café Urbano Hosts Indian Food Fest The festival will run through Thursday, September 14 Café Urbano is hosting a two-week festival of northern Indian cuisine. The Café Urbano bistro, located on the first floor of the Presidente InterContinental Hotel in Polanco, is currently hosting a two-week Indian gastronomic festival in conjunction with the Indian Embassy and the Gurudev Tagore Indian Cultural Center. During the inauguration of the festival last week, Indian Ambassador Muktesh Kumar Pardeshi spoke about the close similarities in seasonings and cooking styles between Indian and Mexican cuisine.
ongoing series of global dining experiences. “We want to give the people in Mexico a taste of the rich culinary heritage of India,” he said. And in order to ensure authenticity, the Presidente InterContinental and the embassy flew in two renowned master chefs from India’s upscale, state-run Ashok Group hotel chain, Radhe Bihari and Ashok Kumar Kanojia, to oversee the production of every dish. The festival, which was launched on Wednesday, August 30, and will run through Thursday, September 14, showcases cuisine from the northern part of India, primarily Moghlai and Punjabi tandoori cookery.
Northern India food is internationally renowned for its rich sauces and tandoor cookery. Photo: Indian Tourism Board
Two master chefs, Radhe Bihari, left, and Ashok Kumar Kanojia, right, from the Ashok Group hotel chiain were flown in to ensure authenticity. Photo: The News / Thérèse Margolis
“Of course, the two gastronomies are very different,” he said, “but both use an abundance of fresh ingredients and spices, and both incorporate rice and rich sauces to add flavor.” Presidente InterContinental Polanco general director Guillermo Valencia V. added that the hotel has always strived to provide its guests with the best in both international and Mexican cuisine, and that the Indian food fest was part of an
While food in the south of India tends to include plenty of coconut-milk curries heavily seasoned with chili peppers and other spices, northern India cooking incorporates meat dishes, rich gravies, aromatic seasonings and, of course, the omnipresent tandoor oven. Moglai cookery, the wholesome Punjabi fare, was developed at the royal courts of Delhi and Agra during the majestic era of the Mogul maharajahs, who were responsible for the building of the Red Fort and Taj Mahal in the early 17th century. Unlike the spicy curries that predominate in the south of India, Moghlai gastronomy is known for its complexity rather than its torridity. Most South Asian connoisseurs consider it the haute cuisine of Indian cooking. In Moghlai cooking, much use is made of sweet and aromatic spices, with Indian bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom considered the basic condiments. Delicately seasoned sauces and succulent marinates replace the blistering hot Dravidian curries of India’s south.
India in Mexico • September 2017
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One of the stars of northern Indian food is tandoori chicken, baked on the inside wall of an earthen oven. Photo: Indian Tourism Authority
For dessert, there are gulabjamun cheese dumplings in thick honey, saffron-and-almond flavor kesarbadam kheer rice pudding and semola and pineapple custard. All meals are served with freshly baked tandoori naan bread and crisp lentil poppadums. Café Urbano is offering the special Indian cuisine menu during both lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday from noon to 10:30 p.m., and during a special brunch on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Additionally, the Epicentro bar in the Presidente InterContinental Polanco’s lobby is offering Indian snacks Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Also, there is a display of photographs of India provided by the Gurudev Tagore Cultural Center along the hotel’s walls surrounding Café Urbano and a small stand selling Indian handicrafts, jewelry and clothing.
The Café Urbano festival includes a sampling of both SOURCE: https://goo.gl/mdQ4D3 vegetarian and meat-based appetizers and snacks, including shrimp amritsari fried with sesame seeds, garbanzos and mint chutney, sautéed potato and pea samosas, bhune tomato and cilantro chowder and mushroom and spinach chicken broth. The main course bill of fare includes tandoori shrimp with saffron, masala curried lamb chops and desi chicken stew. Vegetarians can opt for a hardy lentil dahl oudhi chowder with cream, adroitly seasoned with an array of InIndia, una tierra de colores resplandecientes, arte intrincadian spices, served with a bowl of sweet basmati rice.
Los sabores de la India llegan a Café Urbano
All dishes are served with freshly baked naan. Photo: The News/Thérèse Margolis
do y maravillas arquitectónicas, también goza de una gastronomía que hechiza los sentidos. Visita este país del subcontinente indio sin tener que trasladarte, hazlo a través de sus sabores en el hotel Presidente InterContinental Polanco. El restaurante Café Urbano será el escenario del Festival Gastronómico de la India a cargo de los chefs invitados RadheBihari y AshokKumarKanojia. Disponible hasta el 14 de septiembre, brindarán un menú especial de 20 platillos; la mayoría de estos son cocinados en el clásico horno tandoor. Empieza con los camarones fritos con garbanzo y chutney de menta o la sopa de jitomate con especias y cilantro. Como plato fuerte, te recomendamos el pollo al tradicional estilo casero con curry o el cordero con especias aromáticas y hierbas de la India en cocción lenta, acompañado de arroz basmati. Una guarnición imperdible es el platón de lentejas negras con especias y crema, que podrás probar con pan indio. En el bar del hotel, Epicentro, también se podrá degustar una selección bebidas inspiradas en este místico país y botanas tradicionales. Adicional a la muestra gastronómica, hay una pequeña muestra fotográfica, así como venta de artesanías, joyería, ropa y colocación de tatuajes de henna de la India. presidenteicmexico.com SOURCE: https://goo.gl/dsng8P
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Cobertura mediática sobre el Festival Gastronómico de la India en el hotel Presidente InterContinental Monchi News: https://goo.gl/q2G9xL Iverinforma: https://goo.gl/qFhReL Sinapsis: https://goo.gl/JpsBMo Diario de Querétaro: https://goo.gl/iWb3tW Queremos Comer: https://goo.gl/uvctD5
India in Mexico • September 2017
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How Mexico and India Fused in My L.A. Kitchen
It’s a paradox, both of our globalized culture and of Los Angeles: My mother’s quest to cook authentic Indian food when she visits here has taught me a lot about Mexican and Mexican-American cuisine. I’m not the only one benefiting from this lesson. When my mother, Alicia Mayer, flies in from India and stays with us at our home in West L.A., my friends invite themselves over for lunch, dinner, and even breakfast, because she is incapable of cooking small servings and hates to see leftovers. My kitchen is then filled with simmering pots, intoxicating smells, and hungry people. Her desire to feed and nourish stems from her life’s calling as a teacher. The school she runs in Dehra Dun—a small town in the foothills on the Indian side of the Himalayas—caters to children with learning disabilities, and those who have fallen between the cracks in a sprawling mass education system that misses children with alternative learning styles. On a recent visit to Los Angeles, she was eyeing my sons’ old laptops, and when I offered to buy her new ones for her school, she said that her students would feel intimidated by shiny new computers. It’s this ability to see true value in the slightly tarnished that also makes her such an ace in the kitchen. Her town in northern India is known for producing the highest quality basmati rice, unmistakable in its fragrance and long-grained fluffiness. Rice is the canvas on which the intricate flavors of Indian food are painted. However, even the most complex curry has a humble beginning in chopped onions and tomatoes. Make that a very humble beginning. When I took her to Gelson’s, as part of a daughter’s attempt to impress her with L.A.’s high-quality grocery produce, she looked at the beautifully ripe and polished tomatoes and said that she would feel bad cutting them up for a curry. The neat, well-lit aisles felt more
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like museum installations than a grocery store to her. So I took her to Whole Foods instead—after all, their produce is laid out in a more rustic décor. But there she complained that they didn’t even have “basic” ingredients like curry leaves and bitter gourds. (Sorry Amazon/Whole Foods, you’re going to have to ramp up your world food offerings to impress my mother!) Enter Leticia Lara, our energetic home cook, who specializes in Mexican food. She took my mother to the mercados of East L.A., which turn out to be a paradise for Indian cooks. My mother joyfully picked out fruits and vegetables from the rejected produce areas, because those make the best ingredients for curry. Unripe mangoes can be turned into a savory-tangy chutney. Slightly moldy eggplants are smoked and tossed with fried onions into a bharta. And discarded flour tortillas are transformed into casings for spicy samosas. Indian and Mexican food share several basic ingredients. Rice is a standard side dish for a curry or mole; tortillas or roti can be rolled up or broken off and used in place of silverware; boiled or refried beans and lentils cut the spiciness of a kabab or fajita. Cumin adds earthy goodness to protein, turmeric gives rice a golden glow, and cilantro is liberally used as garnishing in both cuisines. And what’s a good tortilla chip or poppadum without a dash of red chilies sprinkled on top? Leticia and my mother have ventured into homespun Indian-Mexican fusion dishes, much to the delight of my children. We eagerly dine on sopes topped with shredded Tandoori chicken, burritos filled with flavorful vegetable pulao, and black beans seasoned with dried red chilies and mustard seeds. Indian and Mexican food share several basic ingredients. Rice is a standard side dish for a curry or mole; … boiled or refried beans and lentils cut the spiciness of a kabab or fajita.
Their collaborative efforts in the kitchen spring out of each woman’s need to, quite literally, bring something to the table. When Alicia drizzled her mint-cilantro chutney atop Leticia’s Mexican street tacos, we reeled with the burst of unexpected flavor and spice. That got them started on their wonderful collaboration. They soon realized their mutual preference for starting every recipe from scratch without the shortcuts of the average home cook, like using frozen chopped vegetables or a pre-mixed marinade. And most specially, they both share the hallmark of a great cook, whose aromas draw people into the kitchen like a magnet. There were some hurdles to overcome, like incredibly different accents and the difficulty of translating names of vegetables from Hindi into Spanish. Papita is potato in Spanish, but it means papaya in Hindi. Trust me, you don’t want to eat a samosa stuffed with papaya! Now that they are several years into their collaboration, they have worked out most of the kinks. Though it’s still hilarious to hear my mother giving Leticia directions to the Indian store. Their friendship runs so deep that I’m often put on hold when I call my mother in India, because she is facetiming with Leticia about a new dish they want to try out. My feelings of India-Mexico connection go beyond my taste buds. As I make my way around Southern California, I am often mistaken for being Mexican—so often that I decided to delve deeper into the historic yet underreported relationship these two countries share. Mexico, it turns out, was the first Latin American country to recognize India’s independence in August 1947. And, according to to Deborah OropezaKeresey’s history The Asian Slavery in the Viceroyalty Of the New Spain, 1565-1673, the earliest person known have to traveled from India to Mexico was a slave girl from Calicut, in southern India, who arrived with Juan de Umbrage, the Franciscan Bishop of Mexico, in the mid-16th century. And guess what? She was a cook! South Indian cuisine is rich in pepper, coconut, and ginger. Its recipes entail marinades and slow-cooking in earthen pots to draw out the complex spices. Preparing a mole sauce is very similar to preparing a rich curry. It is likely that hundreds of years ago, Spanish colonial trade ships carried not just slaves from India but also its flavors, seasonings, and cooking styles, and eventually brought them to the New World. The present-day culinary collaborations of my mother and Leticia convince me that these two countries, separated by two oceans, are home to the same people—just different shades of brown. Source:https://goo.gl/ix23tL
‘I feel very much at home in India’: Melba Pria
On the occasion of Mexico’s 207th National Day, Ambassador Melba Pria speaks to Hardnews about the significance the day holds for the country and also delves into the scope and nature of the Latin American nation’s relations with India, especially in the backdrop of the changing geopolitics in the region. She was ambassador of Mexico to Indonesia from November 2007 to April 2015 after which she became the country’s envoy to India, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. In New Delhi, she has been in the spotlight for her deep concern for environmental pollution and for riding a chauffeur-driven auto rickshaw. Despite the apparent distance, both our cultures are quite similar in essence. During the time I have been Ambassador of Mexico to India, and even before as a tourist for many years, I have seen striking features of my own country here. We are both peoples inheriting very rich ancient cultures, which have been impacted by various achievements as well as a colonial experience. Mexico and India are similar in that they are large countries, diverse in nature, both have vibrant and magical cultures, with many languages, ethnicities, traditions and lifestyles. Mexicans and Indians pursue similar values: the love for our families, our faith, the common struggle for better standards of living. Even our physical appearance is similar! We enjoy large family gatherings, we are both warm and hospitable, our cultures are noisy, colourful and diverse. And the one aspect that stands out as most similar is our shared love of spicy food. Mexican gastronomy which is recognised as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, has spread around the world and India has been no exception. If Indians have curry, we have mole – dishes based on a sauce made of chillies and strong spices. Moles are usually eaten with a tortilla, which is a corn roti. We use beans just as Indians use pulses, and they are every bit as essential to our nourishment. I feel very much at home in India, and I am convinced that for Indians, Mexico can be a home away from home too. Source:https://goo.gl/mWWVAY
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Useful Information
India in Mexico (Embassy of India, Mexico City) Gurudev Tagore Indian cultural Centre
Embassy of India: info.mexico@mea.gov.in GTICC: gticc.mexico@mea.gov.in
@IndEmbMexico @GTICCMEXICO
Indian Association of Mexico:
Facebook: @indianassociationofmexico Email: jyoti@calidrux.com
Embassy of India: 55 31 10 50 & 55 31 10 02 GTICC: 52 03 11 17 & 52 03 06 19
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Visa Tourism Helpline: 1800 111 363 Short code: 1363
Embassy of India: Musset 325, Col. Polanco, 11550, CDMX GTICC: Anatole France 319, Col. Polanco, 11550, CDMX
India in Mexico • September 2017