Indian summer of festivities in London
London is kicking off a summer of celebrations marking its links with India Tuesday as the city's mayor bids to strengthen ties with one of the world's fastest growing economies.
By Agencies |
LONDON: London is kicking off a summer of celebrations marking its links with India Tuesday as the city's mayor bids to strengthen ties with one of the world's fastest growing economies.
The launch of "India Now" saw Ken Livingstone sailing down the River Thames alongside a replica of the Taj Mahal, one of India's most-visited tourist attractions.
The three-month festival of 1,500 events spans theatre, food, music and dance, films and exhibitions but also has an economic purpose. "India is not only one of the world's most important and rapidly growing economies, an emerging economic superpower, but it also has one of the world's most important cultures," Livingstone said when the event was announced earlier this year.
"In 2007, we are aiming to strengthen London's relations with India... with the arrival of more Indian companies, India's cultural impact on London is going to increase further."
Britain and India already enjoy significant relations -- some six percent, or 437,000, of Londoners are of Indian origin, making it the largest national minority community in the British capital, the mayor's office said. In addition, the capital attracts over half of all Indian investment into Europe.
Think London, the city's investment promotion agency, adds that Indian investment contributed 33 million pounds (49 million euros, 67 million dollars) to the London economy in 2006/07.
India's economy is set to grow by 8.1 percent this year, according to the United Nations, behind only China among the world's fastest-growing major economies
The launch of "India Now" saw Ken Livingstone sailing down the River Thames alongside a replica of the Taj Mahal, one of India's most-visited tourist attractions.
The three-month festival of 1,500 events spans theatre, food, music and dance, films and exhibitions but also has an economic purpose. "India is not only one of the world's most important and rapidly growing economies, an emerging economic superpower, but it also has one of the world's most important cultures," Livingstone said when the event was announced earlier this year.
"In 2007, we are aiming to strengthen London's relations with India... with the arrival of more Indian companies, India's cultural impact on London is going to increase further."
Britain and India already enjoy significant relations -- some six percent, or 437,000, of Londoners are of Indian origin, making it the largest national minority community in the British capital, the mayor's office said. In addition, the capital attracts over half of all Indian investment into Europe.
Think London, the city's investment promotion agency, adds that Indian investment contributed 33 million pounds (49 million euros, 67 million dollars) to the London economy in 2006/07.
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India's economy is set to grow by 8.1 percent this year, according to the United Nations, behind only China among the world's fastest-growing major economies
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