Flavours of India at Olympics 2012

The Tea Board of India is organising a series of events including a tea tasting session, dance performances and ‘live’ kitchens rustling up Indian dishes, during the forthcoming London Olympics.

According to a release issued by the Indian High Commission, the best of the Indian teas would be sampled at Heathrow Airport, Harrods, Southbank Centre and other prominent places in London. The special teas will be available for tasting at the Nehru Centre which will organise a host of activities highlighting the Indian culture. The two-day tea tasting event will be held on August 1 and 2. The events include an exhibition titled Flavours of India, a joint collaboration between the Government of India (Ministry of Commerce) and the High Commission. It will display a variety of Indian teas, including the muscatel Darjeeling or strong Assam.

The exhibition will focus on the different assortments of Indian tea, from the Nilgiri to the Darjeeling type, which will be available for display and sale. Various entrepreneurs and experts from India will be invited to exhibit and educate the audience on tea, its types and features. The schedule of events includes a series of cultural performances and workshops to showcase the rich history and culture of India. These include performances of troupes from Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan portraying different Indian classical dance forms — Gidda and Bhangra of North India, choreographer by Jay Kumar. There will be a Bollywood dance session and Bihu group dance, deputed by the Indian Council for Cultural relations. “The final dimension to the event will be a live kitchen offering Indian cuisines. There will also be cooking classes. Indian wine tasting, too, will be a prominent feature,” the release stated.