Please explain the significance of Spanish Cultural centre.

The IC is the Spanish Cultural Centre to disseminate the Spanish language and the Hispanic culture all over the world. So, to be precise, it can be considered as the Spanish version of the British Council and the Alliance Française. We have 72 centres spread across the five continents in over 45 countries. Only two years ago we started our first Asian centre in China1 and only last year the Japanese centre was inaugurated. Finally, and very happily we are in India. We believe that now is the right time to be here given the continuously growing presence of Spain and the Latin American countries in the global economic panorama. Because of various historical reasons, Spain had always centred its attention more on Latin America. Now the Spanish government realizes the importance of India.

Please share with us some of the major objectives of this cultural centre.

Two main objectives of the Instituto Cervantes are teaching Spanish languages and the dissemination of the Hispanic Culture. There is around 450 million native, culturally different Spanish speakers spread across more than 20 countries. We aim to promote this language and these cultures in collaboration with Latin American countries. Spanish language can also be a very potent instrument for those who want to use its knowledge for their career.

In your view, what are the strengths of Spanish culture?

The Spanish culture is quite an ancient culture. We are proud of Don Miguel de Cervantes (whom the Institute owes its name) who wrote the first modern day novel Don Quixote, which is the universal symbol of the human condition. We have a great tradition of classical music like Albeniz and Granados. The history of 20th century modern painting could not be written without taking into account the Spanish artists like Picasso, Dali and Miro. Spanish cinema has produced great filmmakers like Luis Buñuel, Carlos Saura and Pedro Almodovar.

How flexible is Spanish as a language vis-à-vis other European languages?

Spanish is a language that is very easy to pronounce for an Indian as it as only 22 sounds of which only two are unfamiliar to a Hindi speaker. Every vowel is pronounced the way it is written like in Hindi, which makes the pronunciation very natural.

What is your take on Indo-Spanish cultural relations?

I must say that Spain and India are in the process of discovering each other. There is a sustained interest about India in Spain. People in Spain know a lot about India’s millennium old philosophical tradition and literature. But it is important to note that the discovery of modern India is still an on going process in Spain. Lately people in Spain have started to realize India’s achievements in technology and education apart from their ever-present perception of India as an extremely spiritual country. The Modern India and her traditions have been permeating across the cultural boundaries familiarizing the people of Spain with her evergreen classical music and Bollywood, the world’s biggest film industry.

Institutions in Spain like Casa de India in Valladolid organize a festival on India and Casa Asia organizes a yearly Asia Festival with a very strong focus on India. ‘Imagine India’ is the Indian film festival that is organized in Madrid every year.

Similarly here in India last week we organized Spanish film festival in collaboration with the Spanish Embassy. The Latin American Embassies keep organizing cultural activities from time to time and now with the Insitituto Cervantes having its own centre in the city there will be many more occasions for the people to get to learn more about the culture closely.

Which are the festivals in Spain that share certain resonance with those in India?

Folk culture in Spain is very rich and every village takes pride in its own celebrations and festivals during summers like the so-called Fiesta Mayor. Besides, there are many festivals with certain similarities with those of India. The Sant Joan festival is like the Holi eve, in a way that a bon fire is made and people dance and sit around it. Pongal in Tamil Nadu has certain resemblances with San Fermin of Pamplona where people race with the bulls.

During the summer festivities people in many villages in Spain parade gigantic images of different characters made of wood and cloth something that reminds us of the images of Ravana and his brothers during the Dusshehera festival in India. In Valencia, these giant figures known as Fallas are even burnt with firecrackers after the parade. In Catalunya very tall human towers are made during the festivities, which bear a strong resemblance to the human pyramids made during the janmashthami in Maharashtra and other parts of India. The enthusiasts of these celebrations from India as well as from Spain have had various occasions to visit and know in a profound way the respective traditions.

What is the investment involved in the Spanish cultural centre?

The government is very committed to the centre. That is why we have taken an expensive location in the heart of the city that is Connaught Place now connected with the metro network.

Finally what is your message to our readers?

This Institute is for the people of Delhi. We invite the citizens to attend courses and cultural activities. Admission to cultural activities is free. There will also be a cafeteria and an auditorium in the premises. We intend to create Little Spain in India’s heart i.e. Delhi.

Apart from the centre in Manila.