Artists perform Odissi dance during India Day celebrations in Seoul on Friday. (Embassy of India in Seoul) The Indian Embassy in Seoul hosted its first India Day festival on Saturday, drawing thousands as New Delhi and Seoul seek to deepen cultural and people-to-people ties alongside the two nations' special strategic partnership.Held at Yeouido Hangang Park under the theme “Unity in Diversity,” the event featured Indian classical dance, fusion Indian-Korean and Bollywood performances, regional cuisine, and cultural exhibitions showcasing India’s 28 states and eight union territories.The celebration comes just weeks after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s state visit to India, where the two countries agreed to boost cooperation in culture, film, animation and music, while promoting Korean language studies in India and Indian languages — particularly Hindi — in South Korea.During Lee’s India trip, talks reportedly required double interpretation from Hindi to English and then Korean because of a shortage of Hindi interpreters, prompting Lee to call for preventive measures. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry was planning to establish a dedicated interpretation office for summit diplomacy.“Festivals like this (India Day) remind us that culture has the power to bring people together in ways that high politics cannot,” Indian Ambassador to South Korea Gourangalal Das said in his remarks.Das compared Seoul’s Han River with India’s Ganga River, calling both symbols of “civilization, resilience and human connection.” K-pop girl group Blackswan and her group perform during India Day celebrations in Seoul on Saturday.(Sanjay Kumar/The Korea Herald) The envoy also used the Korean phrase “ma-eum-i tong-han-da,” meaning “hearts are connected,” to describe bilateral ties.Visitors crowded booths of Indian handicrafts, textiles and regional dishes, while performances ranged from Bharatanatyam and Odissi dance to India-Korea fusion music and Bollywood dance routines.One highlight was a performance by Sriya Lenka of K-pop group Blackswan, widely regarded as India’s first K-pop idol. During his recent state visit to India, President Lee Jae Myung praised the Odisha-born performer at a banquet hosted by Indian President Droupadi Murmu, who also hails from Odisha state in eastern India, calling Sriya a symbol of growing Korea-India cultural exchange.The event was attended by more than 2,000 people, including embassy officials and their families, journalists, influencers, members of the Indian community, foreign residents in Korea and representatives from nongovernmental organizations.