Cultural exchange has the X-Factor

They may not be well known in Luxembourg but the three musicians attending an Indian community gathering on Wednesday are stars in their own right back in India.

Ravishankar Gopalakrishnan, Lakshmi Madhavan and Karthik Raman are better known as the three finalists of India's answer to X-Factor on Jaya TV. Selected out of some 15,000 people for their diverse musical talents, part of their prize was an all expenses paid trip to Luxembourg.

The trio entertained audiences with a stunning performance, to be repeated on Thursday when the Consul hosts its musical extravaganza at Mamerschlass.

The prize and gesture, which was funded by the Honorary Consul General of India to Luxembourg, ensured a colourful addition to what was essentially an evening to showcase the Consul's work and give thanks to individuals and asbls for supporting stronger relations between Luxembourg and India.

During the evening, audiences learned just how busy Honorary Consul General Ambi Venkataraman had been in 2011. Among the landmark activities organised was a trip for six Luxembourgish teenage girls to India where they stayed with host families and toured Chennai, Coimbatore, Ooty and Mudumallai Forest at the end of the summer. The girls presented their feedback via an entertaining video of their trip.

Ambi said following the presentation: “In a short space of time, more than one third of the world's population will be shared by India and China. So, every third person you see in the years to come will be either Indian or Chinese. This kind of exchange is a good chance for the girls to understand what it is to be an Indian. When they landed in India they told me they saw people, people, everywhere. That's what they will see in the future.”

Three engineering students from the University of Luxembourg told the audience about their three-month university programme at the PSG Institution Coimbatore in India, which the Consul arranged for them.

Among their key observations were just how hard Indian students worked compared to Luxembourg students. Henriette Weiss told spectators: “The students really pay attention in lectures. They are really better students than we are sometimes, I think.”

During the stay, the three helped launched a cinema initiative at a local orphanage. Alvaro Antonio Estupinan Donoso said: “I'm so grateful for this experience because now I can say that I'm a better guy than the guy who was here six months ago.”

The evening closed with acknowledgements to individuals and organisation who supported strong relations between Luxembourg and India. These included Indesch Patenschaften asbl, Aide de l'Enfance de l'Inde asbl, Indian Business Chamber Luxembourg asbl, Indian Association Luxembourg asbl, the Indian Stand at the International Bazar and the Belle Etoile.

Check out the Consul's Musical Extravaganza at Mamer Schlass on November 24, 7.30pm-9.30pm Entry by donation. For information, email consularservices@emdi.lu or call 691 307 733.