Berlin Days in India

Berlin Days in India 

Berlin Days in India

India ranks next to Brazil, China and Russia as one of the world’s most important markets of the future. According to a study carried out in 2011 by TNS Infratest on behalf of the be Berlin marketing campaign, 85% of Indians polled could imagine living in Berlin. And, 88% of those surveyed said they would like to work in Berlin. 

The be Berlin marketing campaign is eager to build on this enthusiasm for the German capital. It has the perfect opportunity to do so during the “ Germany and India ” year, which celebrates the 60th anniversary of Indo-German diplomatic ties and runs from autumn 2011 to autumn 2012 under the motto “Infinite Opportunities”.

A number of Berliners stemming from business, science and culture are actively participating in the programme associated with this presentation of Germany in India. For example, from 27 March to 11 May 2012 an exhibition of the “ United Buddy Bears ” will be presented at the central Connaught Place in New Delhi. The exhibition will be officially opened on 27 March 2012 by Berlin’s Governing Mayor Klaus Wowereit. Buddy Bears representing the 143 countries recognised by the United Nations will stand together “hand-in-hand” to symbolise the vision of a peaceful world. The non-commercial project and help for children in need form an inseparable unit. So far, roughly €1.8 million has been passed on to UNICEF and local children’s charities.

Berlin’s recent involvement in the largest film industry in the world provides yet another opportunity for the German capital to expand its profile in India. In order to generate enthusiasm for Berlin among India’s millions of movie-goers, the city provided support for the recent Bollywood action film blockbuster “ DON 2 ”, filmed in Berlin in autumn 2010. The be Berlin campaign then joined with visit Berlin to produce an image trailer that is now regularly shown before screenings of the Bollywood classic. The trailer gives a broad impression of Berlin, focusing on historical and cultural highlights but also on the city as a leading location for science and business. The film’s target audience is the international Bollywood community: 15 million Indians go to the cinema each day.

From 24-29 March 2012 a delegation of Berlin business representatives brought together by the IHK Berlin will join Mayor Klaus Wowereit on a trip to India. At each of their stops in Delhi and Mumbai, Berlin companies will have the opportunity to access new markets in India via a series of economic conferences and individual B2B meetings. An evening reception at the German Embassy in Delhi is also being organised for the conference participants. Yet another evening event will take place in Mumbai under the motto “DON 2”.

Cultural projects contributed by other major Berlin names will contribute even further highlights to the “Germany and India” year. To name but a few:
The event series “Rock, Pop & Beyond… India Goes 3D” , which arose in cooperation with the Berlin Club Commission and others will have German and Indian music industry experts co-organising concerts, workshops and competitions all the way from New Delhi to Hyderabad.
The “ Indo-German Hip Hop and Urban Arts Project ” is a multidisciplinary urban art concept organised by Berlin’s “Hip Hop Stützpunkt” in cooperation with regional initiatives in India. It combines elements of Hip Hop, music, graffiti and break dance in a number of different projects.
In Mumbai, the multiple award-winning exhibition “examples to follow! expeditions in aesthetics and sustainability” will present innovative products and projects in the fields of renewable energies, climate change, ecology and re/upcycling. ZNE comes from Berlin, is a project by the Goethe Institute and the German Federal Cultural Foundation, with Adrienne Goehler as curator.
Under the title “The Law of the Market” the Berlin-Weissensee School of Art will showcase its activities with a project involving German and Indian students and dealing with aspects of urban life in Bangalore.

All of these exciting events make for a number of attractive contact points and platforms and are designed to showcase the city of Berlin and raise awareness of the German capital in India. They also serve to intensify Indo-German relations in the spirit of the “Germany and India” year.

The winner

At the end of March 2012, the be Berlin campaign was introduced in India with various Berlin-related activities as part of its international project, "the BerlinDays." from autumn 2011 to autumn 2012, India will continue to celebrate " Germany and India 2011 - 2012: Infinite Opportunities ," a year-long program filled with German events to mark the 60 years of diplomatic ties between these two countries.


As part of the Berlin Days in India, a “United Buddy Bear” exhibition took place at the Connaught Place in New Delhi.During the entire exhibition period, March 27 to May 5, 2012, visitors had the chance to demonstrate their creativity by participating in the “Dreiklang,” or three-part-phrase, competition. The winner will receive a one-week trip to Berlin to trace Shah Rukh Khan’s footsteps through the German capital. And now, we are pleased to reveal that the most creative three-part-phrase was selected in New Delhi:

Congratulations!!!

The winner’s three-part-phrase:

be modern
be traditional
be bearlin

The winner even speaks German and is looking forward to her trip to Berlin, which she will take sometime this year.