Wherever a Gujarati lives, there is forever Gujarat! Wherever Gujarati is spoken, there is a palace of Gurjari! A similar situation was seen in the international cultural program in Rovaniemi, the capital of the Lapland state of Finland, the happiest country in the world located in the continent of Europe. In which the Gujarati Garba was presented by the resident Gujarati Jagurti Kalapi Berdia. After the raucous rendition of garba presented by Jagurtiben, the entire program had another glimpse of Indian and Gujarati culture.
After the presentation of the garba, the entire hall erupted with applause from the listeners and spectators from many countries around the world present at the event. Competitors from other European countries including India, Nepal, Ukraine, Finland, Romania, France participated in this program and listeners and viewers from many countries of the world came to watch it.
Berdia Jagurtibehan originally hails from Mahuva in Bhavnagar and moved to Finland last year. He is connoisseur of garba and kuchipudi (folk dance of Andhra Pradesh). In Finland, along with learning the Finnish language, he participates in various activities from time to time, and whenever he gets an opportunity, he keeps igniting the culture of Gujarat on the world stage.
After watching the Gujarati Garba, the Principal of Rowala School, Franti Niemela Paulo praised the Gujarati culture and said that it is a wonderful dance, which he had a special privilege to witness. Appreciated Jagurtiben's performance.
On the other hand, the attendees from other countries who came to watch the program said that the opportunity they got to see Indian culture with Gujarati Garba from Rowala's stage was memorable.
This international cultural program was organized by Rovala School (where students from different countries of the world study different languages) located in Rovaniemi in their own huge hall. Rovala School is famous for its academic, cultural and other activities in Europe including Finland.
About 13,114 Indians live in Finland. In which, there are approximately 2 thousand (no official figure found) Gujaratis. About 100 Indians live in the state of Lapland. About 35 Gujaratis live in its various districts. The state of Lapland is considered the Kashmir of Finland. In which the temperature ranges from minus minus 35 to minus 42 degrees in winter. Last year in December 2023, the temperature was minus 42 degrees.
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