In conversation with H.E José Maria Ridao Ambassador of Spain to India

A Diplomat's Diary

- Seema Dhawan

Thanks to your initiative and support to music lovers, what favorite genre is your of music and are there any future music projects in India you are working on.

This concert that took place on Feb 25th, "Minu Bakshi interprets Federico García Lorca" is the first big event organized by the Embassy of Spain after several months of restrictions due to the pandemic. I am very happy and honored to have an Indian artist singing the Spanish popular songs that were once interpreted by one of the greatest poets of the 20th century, Federico García Lorca. I feel delighted to share that the Embassy of Spain is already working on similar cultural events such as a Jazz concert by a Spanish band in Delhi and Mumbai, a large-scale flamenco performance in the second half of this year, and even a Spanish play translated into Hindi.

Tell us about your home country.

Spain is a beautiful country that has a very rich and diverse culture. I was very pleased to know that people of India are fond of Spanish culture, its lifestyle, language and food. And therefore, one of my aims as the Ambassador of Spain to India is precisely to make Spanish culture more visible and accessible to people of India. I think that I have the responsibility to help the people of India discover the finest cultural, intellectual and artistic representatives and works of Spain.