Beijing: Amid the steadily growing Sino-Indian political and business ties, India on October 1 launched its biggest-ever attempt to woo the Chinese by hosting the first-ever 'India carnival week' that offers a glimpse of the richness and diversity of the country's culture.

"Greater cultural interaction is an important dimension of our now evolving bilateral relationship," the new Indian Ambassador to China Nalin Surie said. Speaking at a colourful inaugural ceremony, Surie said that India hopes to further strengthen the process of people-to-people contact and mutual understanding with China and its people in a modest way through the first Indian carnival week.

"We hope that this week-long event would inspire our Chinese friends to see India with their own eyes and to know more about her people," he said.

The 'India carnival week' will introduce the country's rich culture and art to the Chinese people. The timing of the event has been appropriate – when Chinese people are enjoying a week-long holiday to mark the 54th national day.

For Surie, this was his first opportunity to interact with the Chinese after presenting credentials to Chinese President Hu Jintao on September 28.

"We welcome more and more people from China to visit India, which is now an approved destination status for Chinese tourists," he said.

He noted that the two neighbouring countries had extensive exchanges since over 2,000 years ago until about the 12th century AD, during which Buddhism provided a major motive force for significant cultural interaction between the two civilisations.

PTI