Brisk bilateral trade between India and Thailand — up eightfold over the past 15 years — may make all the headlines, but cultural and social ties in recent years have also been deepening, leading to greater understanding.
The globally renowned dancer Daksha Seth and her troupe will perform Sari, inspired by the exotic Indian garment, in Bangkok.
Building on the momentum, the second Festival of India in Thailand is about to begin.
"Cultural diplomacy will make our ties even closer," says Harsh Vardhan Shringla, the Indian ambassador to Thailand, who in 2014 launched the first Festival of India in the kingdom.
This year's Festival is being held on a much larger scale, and is being organised by the Embassy of India in collaboration with Chulalongkorn University.
The event has been put together by the well-known Indian impresario Sanjoy Roy and his New Delhi-based Teamwork Arts Company. Together, they have staged 21 festivals in 11 countries, including the recent Festival of India in Hong Kong earlier this month.
They are best-known for the star-studded Jaipur Literature Festival — everyone, from Salman Rushdie to Oprah Winfrey, has attended it — which is considered one of the biggest literary events in the world. This year, for the first time, a Thai writer and Seawrite recipient, Wipat Srithong, participated in the famed festival.
While last year's Festival of India focused on the ancient arts and cultural forms that have always connected India and Thailand, from the traditions of Buddhism to the story of The Ramayana, this year's Festival will showcase new and dynamic productions, exciting and path-breaking artists, and introducing audiences to the ever-evolving India of the 21st century.
Sufi singer Sonam Kalra and her group, the Sufi Gospel Project, have won rave reviews from the United States and Europe to South Africa for their unique English and Hindi repertoire.
To give people a taste of what is to come, an arresting curtain-raiser tonight will feature a performance by the world-renowned Sufi singer Sonam Kalra and her group, the Sufi Gospel Project. They have won rave reviews and standing ovations in the United States, Britain, Europe and South Africa. The dynamic singer sings both in English and Hindi, and her "hallelujahs" and "oms" have created a uniquely new sound.
"The Sufi Gospel Project is living proof that many different 'hallelujahs' can exist in harmony," the singer has said. "And because of the many languages and musical influences we have combined, everyone is able to relate to it."
About her debut performance in Thailand, she said: "There is a special relevance in the music and message of the Sufi Gospel Project for Thailand, because the ideologies of Sufism find a resonance in Buddhism's teachings, which are beliefs of tolerance, and acceptance of all people to be equal."
Another vibrant musician with a unique global sound, who will perform at the Festival, is Raghu Dixit and his multilingual folk music band, the Raghu Dixit Project. After obtaining a master's degree in microbiology, and long training in Indian classical dance, this artist became a self-taught composer and singer. He was awarded the "Best Newcomer" honour in the Songlines awards of 2011.
Dixit and his band play an amalgam of Indian and Western rhythms, which, together with their bright, ethnic clothes and uniquely charismatic style, have created waves around the world. They performed at Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee pageant in 2012.
The globally renowned dancer Daksha Seth and her band of superb artists including her Australian composer-husband Devissaro and movie star daughter Isha Sharvani, are among the other star attractions at the Festival. Their productions, combining classical, contemporary and martial forms, have stunned audiences from China to Finland, the US and the Middle East. In Bangkok, they will stage their celebrated production Sari, which traces the magical history of the exotic Indian garment.
A special feature of this year's Festival will be a literary interaction with five top contemporary Indian writers and their counterparts in Thailand. The Indian authors include Vikas Swarup, the diplomat-writer whose book Q & A was translated into the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, and Amish Tripathi, the management guru-turned-writer, whose Shiva Trilogy was one of the fastest-selling book-series in Indian publishing history.
A grand art exhibition "Forms of Devotion" with 200 works by more than 100 Indian artists, combining many mediums (collage, installation, sculpture, video) will open in Bangkok at the Festival, before it tours abroad, and finds a permanent space in the specially built Museum of Sacred Art in Belgium.
Finally, there will be a specially choreographed performance centred on the fashions, crafts and cuisine of the exotic Northeast part of India, taking inspiration from the travels of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who visited of Nagaland last year.
It appears that the Festival of India in Thailand this year will resonate strongly with audiences, as well as help reinforce the "Make in India" brand promoted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is no coincidence that almost every major Indian corporate house in Thailand is supporting the event.
The Festival of India in Thailand will be held in Bangkok from Feb 16 to May 25, 2015. For details see: www.festivalofindiathailand.com