The Embassy of Denmark in India is working to strengthen
the relations between Denmark and India. We believe that
the foundation for a strong and solid bilateral relationship –
both in regards to politics and trade – lies in the knowledge
of our historical bonds and each other’s different cultures.
style houses, Danish Governor’s Bungalow, churches with
Danish gravestones and the Land Gate with the Royal
Danish insignia.
In 1845, Denmark left Tranquebar. Nevertheless, the
Danes are not all gone but still present. The Danish
Tranquebar Association, an organization with around 200
volunteers, is carrying out renovations of The Dansborg
Fort and running an Indian-Danish Cultural Centre.
The Centre involves Tranquebar Maritime Museum, a
historical library and facilities for cultural exhibitions and
arrangements.
In 1984, the Tamil Nadu Government declared Tranquebar,
a protected cultural heritage site and in this connection,
it was decided to restore and develop the town in order
for tourism to grow. Therefore, when you visit Tranquebar
today, you will be presented with the prospect of having
a unique glance into the first and ongoing Indo-Danish
relations and cultural exchanges.
The Danish legacy of Serampore
When Denmark left Tranquebar, they sold it along with
Serampore to the British people. Serampore, a small
town located 35 km. from Kolkata in West Bengal, was
from 1755 – 1845 also a Danish settlement. Together with
Tranquebar, it was the second Danish trading post in India,
and it has significant value in the history about Denmark’s
connections with the wider world. Small villages already
existed when the Danes arrived, but through the Danish
presence, they grew substantially. In 1818, Denmark
established its third university and placed it in Serampore,
called Serampore College. The college was the first
university in Asia, and is still a part of the city. Today the
Danish Embassy in New Delhi has made an agreement with
Serampore College to distribute Scholarship to students
at Serampore College.
Along with St. Olavs Church, bearing the royal monogram
of the Danish King Christian VII, the main gate and the
Danish Government House, the college represents a small
bit of Denmark in India.
Today West Bengal, the Danish Government, the National
Museum of Denmark and the foundation Realdania, are
under The Serampore Initiative working towards digging
out the Danish past and restoring the buildings, the Danes
have left in the city. The initiative was founded in 2008 with
the purpose of documenting and preserving the Danish
cultural heritage of Serampore.
Indo-Danish culture relations are blooming
The Embassy of Denmark in India is working to strengthen
the relations between Denmark and India. We believe that
the foundation for a strong and solid bilateral relationship –
both in regards to politics and trade – lies in the knowledge
of our historical bonds and each other’s different cultures.
For that reason, the Embassy continuously work on
creating awareness and knowledge of Danish culture and
history within the Indian community.
With the purpose of creating awareness of the Danish
culture in India; the Embassy of Denmark actively
participates in and organize cultural projects in the areas
of literature, arts, music, films, etc., where the Indians
experience the different aspects of Danish culture.
We believe that showcasing Danish culture is an important
step towards strengthening the cultural ties between
India and Denmark- through literature, art, cinema,
theatre etc.; we can learn, understand and appreciate our
cultural differences and similarities. These contributes
with an insight and understanding of each other’s cultures
and result in building people-to-people relations between
countries. For instance, we have taken part in India’s
renowned cultural festivals such as New Delhi World Book
Fair, Jaipur Literature Festival, Long Night of LiteratureS,
and Nordic-Baltic Film Festival. These festivals serve as
an important platform for fostering strategic cultural ties
and promoting Danish culture in India in the near future.
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