When different cultures merged

Japanese was the buzzword at the recently concluded ‘Japan Habba’. As people thronged the various stalls, all they wanted to do was learn more about the Japanese culture and way of life.

The festive spirit was everywhere — be it in the origami decorations or the curiosity to know more about the culture. Organised to celebrate the cultural exchange between Indians and Japanese, the ‘habba’ this year, coincided with the 60th year of Indo-Japanese diplomatic relations.

The day started with a quiz programme which saw school children trying their hand at answering questions on Japan.



This was then followed by a fun karoke contest. While Indian participants tried their hand at singing Japanese songs, the Japanese expats sang Kannada songs. Said Kazumasa Kuboki, one of the participants, “I have always considered it important to know the local language and my love for music made me learn many Kannada songs. I find the language very similar to Japanese so it was not very difficult to learn.”   

Origami, the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, was the star attraction at the event. The entire venue was decorated with origami and people even got to try their hand at the art form.

Interestingly, more Indian origami artists dominated the scene. Visitors were seen hovering around Krishna Panyam, whose striking art works used no glue and were assembled on the basis of tight foldings that served as locks. “It’s such an interactive fest. I loved the fact that we could actually try out some of things instead of being silent spectators,” said Sujatha, a visitor.

The kimono wrapping section appeared to be a hit with the women who then were seen queuing up to wear the traditional Japanese dress. Another stall that had a lot of youngsters hovering over was the kanji mehendi stall. Out here, people could get
mehendi tattoos of Japanese words. There was also a corner for ‘Playback Theatre’ where a team of artistes performed an interactive session where they brought the stories of the audience alive.

The cultural programme too saw Japanese women shaking a leg to Bollywood numbers and Indians trying their hand at martial arts. “I found the entire fest a good platform to build new relations and even learn a bit more about another culture. The fest is held every year and each year, they bring in something new to make this a lot more exciting for the guests,” summed up Tanya, a visitor.