Embassy of India

Zagreb, Croatia

On 4th November Foreign Office Consultations were held in Zagreb, led by the Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, Shri Sanjay Verma & Director General for Political Affairs at Ministarstvo vanjskih i europskih poslova, Mr. Petar Mihatov.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia, H.E. Mr. Gordan Grli? Radman, participated at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb, Sveu?ilište u Zagrebu at the presentation of the book "Croatian-Indian ties: 30 chapters for 30 years of diplomatic relations", on the occasion of marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

On the occasion of the forthcoming Ayurveda Day 2022, a special Ayurvedic Aaahar (Nutrition) event was held in the centre for Cuisine Culture in Zagreb with professionals in the field of gastronomy & hospitality on 11th October 2022. Ambassador Srivastava explained the message of Ayurveda which should reach all humanity for healthy living. The guests jointly prepared a special Ayurvedic meal with the thought, ‘Har Din Har Ghar Ayurveda’ - ‘Ayurveda for Holistic Health’ in every household.

Mahatma Gandhi’s 153rd birth anniversary was celebrated in Zagreb with the presence of about 75 friends of India. We also remembered Second PM Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri on his 118th birth anniversary.

On the occasion of International Day of Non-Violence, the Embassy of India, Zagreb, FER & Croatian Indian Society partnered a special evening celebrating Culture, Customs, Conversation, Creativity & Cuisine with a keynote speech by H.E. Mr Ivo Josipovic, former President of Croatia on Mahatma Gandhi's legacy with the topic “Nonviolence is a Weapon of the Strong”. The event was attended by Ambassador Srivastava who opened the gathering, Prof. PhD Vedran Bilas, Dean of FER, Prof. PhD Bosko Picula, Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Zagreb and Acad. Mr. Mislav Jezic, Indologist. After the conference, an interactive special Garba Dance Festival was held on the auspicious occasion of Navratras, followed by Vegetarian Indian Cuisine. About 100 guests attended the event.

On the occasion of the 75th Anniversary of India’s Independence Day, Sarod Maestro Arnab Bhattacharya & Tabla player Rohen Bose enthralled the audiences at Dubrovnik Summer Festival on 14th August & Split Summer festival on 12th August

Ambassador Raj Kumar Srivastava hosted the National Day Reception on the occasion of the 75th Anniversary of Independence Day at Zagreb on the 17th August. Among the 150 distinguished guests were the former President of Croatia H.E. Mr. Stjepan Mesić, Mayor of the City of Zagreb, H.E. Mr. Tomislav Tomašević, and Member of the Prime Minister’s Scientific Advisory Board Dr. Dragan Primorac. The guests witnessed the Indian classical music performance by Sarod Maestro Arnab Bhattacharya along with Tabla player Rohen Bose.

On the occasion of the 75th Anniversary of Independence Day, Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav was marked with the enthusiastic participation of 100 guests in the Flag Hoisting ceremony on the 15th August. Ambassador Raj Kumar Srivastava unfurled the National Flag and read out Rashtrapatiji's message, followed by patriotic cultural performances which included a poem and performance of a song Har Ghar Tiranga.

The 8th IDY during 01-21 June 2022 was marked with 75 yoga events

The final event of this chain of IDY 2022 75 events took place in the beautiful park Zrinjevac in Zagreb on the 21st June, with the participation of Mr. Josip Pavić, Advisor for Sport, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Croatia, 2012 & 2016 Olympics Gold & Silver medal winner in Water Polo, MP H. E. Mr. Veljko Kajtazi, Mr. Svibor Jancic, representative of the city of Zagreb, Indian-Croatian friendship societies & support of Zagreb City

Place2go, International Tourism Fair 2022 on 9th April brought the feel of India at Arena Zagreb with Talk Show, Saree Fashion Show, & Bollywood dance performances.

A festive cultural program was held in Rijeka in the Hall of Culture "Yoga in Daily Life" on the 30th March, commemorating 30 years of diplomatic relations between India and Croatia and 75 years of independence of the Republic of India. The program was attended by Indian Ambassador Raj Kumar Srivastava, Mayor of Rijeka Mr Filipović, Mayor of Senj Mr. Tomljanović, Professor of the University of Rijeka Prof Jelenić, President of the CroatianIndian Friendship Society, Mr. Zlamalik and almost 200 guests in all. Traditional Indian wear and dance directed by Mrs Lakshmi Srivastava and Croatian folk wear from different parts of Croatia were presented with the performance of the Folklore ensemble "Zora" from Opatija. The singer Goran Karan also performed, and at the end, socializing and tasting of traditional vegetarian Indian and Croatian delicacies gave the perfect end to a memorable evening. 

Vishwa Hindi Diwas celebrations were organized on 28 March 2022 at the Indology department of the Faculty of Linguistics & Philosophy of the University of Zagreb with the support of the Embassy of India. Dean of the Faculty, Head of the Department, many professors, students of different years, and Indian community members participated in the 90 minutes long event where some original works in Hindi were presented along with a cultural program of songs in Hindi. As India is celebrating 75 years of its independence, Indology Department is also celebrating 60 years of its establishment.

Amb Raj Srivastava was received by the Croatian-Indian Interparliamentary Friendship Group Chairperson Mr. Veljko Kajtazi and members of the Group, Mr. Zvane Brumnić, Mr. Domagoj Hajdukovic, Ms. Martina Vlasic Iljkic, and Mr. Davor Ivo Stier at the Croatian Parliament on Thursday, 24 March 2022. They together welcomed positive and proactive developments in the bilateral relationship in the past few months despite the challenges of the pandemic in the fields of innovation, startups, ICT, businesses, technology as well as culture, education, and sports. As India celebrates its 75 years of independence as Amrit Mahotsav in Croatia, the Group expressed its support for the initiatives of India in Croatia (Embassy of India, Zagreb) in bringing the people of the two countries closer.