Japan Habba: From the land of the rising sun

BANGALORE: While Indian women draped in bright kimonos tried their hand in making Japanese tea and turning paper pieces into origami art, their Japanese counterparts enjoyed the traditional Malayalam Thiruvathirakali dance and Chittara paintings of the Western Ghats.
The annual Japan Habba was back in Bangalore after a two-year gap and the cultural-exchange programme saw a steady flow of people on Sunday.
At 8.30am, Sangeetha Delampady (23), a student of BU's Japanese language certificate course, was among the first to be spotted at the venue. It was her second Japan Habba. The last one she attended was in September 2008. However, she had missed wearing the kimono then. This time, she got herself draped in a bright red one with floral prints in less than 10 minutes for a photo shoot.
"It was a great experience. I'm glad I didn't miss it," said Sangeetha, who hails from a small village on the Karnataka-Kerala border. She was just one among the many. What she liked best about Japanese culture was `politeness'. "They don't like to offend others. We have a lot to learn from them," she added.
The Japanese tea ceremony and calligraphy were among the other top attractions at the event. The cultural feast had musicians from Japan presenting traditional scores with shakuhachi and koto (musical instruments). The stalls with Indo-Japanese cuisines and games saw many footfalls.
The Japan Habba has been a regular event in Bangalore since 2005. The last habba was in 2009. It's jointly organized by the Consulate of Japan in Bangalore, the Japan Foundation, Bangalore University, Bangalore Nihongo Kyoshi-kai (Japanese Teachers' Association, Bangalore) and Koyo Japanese-speaking Group, with the support of Indo-Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Karnataka). The event aims at promoting and strengthening Indo-Japan cultural relations, is seen as an opportunity to understand Japanese culture and traditions and interact with expats and artistes.