(by Filipe Albessu Narciso – August 24, 2022)

Following the nations of South Korea, Israel and France, India is the fourth country to inaugurate its own corner in the Center

by Marcos Santos / USP Imagens

On August 18th, the University of São Paulo (USP) and the Consulate General of India inaugurated the India Corner. The newest space to be a part of the International Cultural Center of USP, it is dedicated to promote Indian culture and offer information on research and exchange in the country. 

The opening ceremony started with the lighting of a traditional Ceremonial Lamp, which is a part of an Indian ritual of purification and knowledge, by the Consulate-General of India in São Paulo, Manisha Swami; the president of the USP International Office (Aucani), Sergio Persival Baroncini Proença; the president of the Indians Association in São Paulo, Shobhan Saxena; and the president of the India Brazil Chamber of Commerce (IBCC), Roberto Paranhos do Rio Branco.

In his speech, Aucani’s president Sergio Proença reinforced the importance of the Center, emphasizing the inspirations for the place and the motivations for its creation. The president also thanked the Indian consulate for its contribution and punctuated the richness of the millennial culture of the country.

After his speech, the Consulate-General of India in São Paulo, Manisha Swami, thanked the University of São Paulo and the city of São Paulo for the privilege of inaugurating the space, specially on the week of the Indian Independence which completed 75 years this year, and explained that the corner is only a piece, a microcosm of the Indian culture. “India is a land of diversity incapable of being explained with words”, affirmed Consul-General Swami. 

The country’s representative also pointed out that this was “only the beginning, not the end” and that she hopes that India Corner is able to promote more cooperation between the country and the university and that its academic community seeks to learn more about India in order to develop more cooperation activities.

The ceremony ended with a yoga workshop offered by the professor of the

Swami Vivekananda, Satyendra Singh, followed by a mohiniyattam presentation, which is a classic Indian dance style, by actress and ballet dancer Irani da Cruz Cippiciani; and the traditional ribbon cutting ceremony.