The Japanese connection, on a celluloid canvas

CHENNAI: One of Japan’s first treaties after they regained their sovereignty was the peace treaty they signed with India on April 28, 1952. Since then diplomatic, trade, economic, and technical relations between the countries have been flourishing for 60 years.But relations between the two countries go further back, beginning with the cultural exchange of Buddhism in the early sixth century. Depicting these connections, a photo exhibition has been organised by the Japan-India Association, Tokyo, Consulate General of Japan in Chennai, Japan Foundation ABK-AOTS DOSOKAI, Tamil Nadu Centre and the Indo-Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The exhibition was inaugurated by Masanori Nakano, the Consul General of Japan in Chennai.The photos include a map of the world from a Buddhist perspective – India, as the birthplace of the Buddha is the centre of this map. A copy of a cotton trading agreement signed before the British period is also on display.Apart from this, several milestones like the formation of the Japan-India Association in 1903 and several of their general meetings, the Maharaja of Baroda’s state visit to Japan in 1910 and advertisements of sea routes to Bombay and Calcutta can be seen. The Indian Merchant Association of Yokohama and the Indo-Japanese commercial museum in Calcutta are also featured.Cultural and literary exchanges between the two nations are also shown: From Rabindranath Tagore’s visiting Tokyo in 1929 to wall paintings by Japanese artists in Mulagandhakuti Vihara in Sarnath and the Nipponzan Myohoji Temple in Calcutta, the culture on display is a lesson in itself.More recent events are also featured – Prime Minister visits, technological collaborations in the form of industry partnerships, even the Delhi Metro and the Indian relief and rehabilitation team that went to Japan in he wake of the natural disasters that ravaged the island nation last year.Suguna, a representative of the Indo-Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry said, “The objective of organising the event is to show that India and Japan have a long history. Even now, Japan looks to India, in particular, Tamil Nadu, for investments, and the public should know of it.”(The display is open to the public till March 31 at ABK-AOTS DOSOKAI)