Dutch culture and language in India
King's Day, tulips in Kashmir, learning Dutch and where to find stroopwafels.
Around 27 April, Dutch people in the big Indian cities celebrate King's Day, often at the invitation of the embassy, a consulate or a Dutch association; in December Sinterklaas pays a visit. Dutch artists, designers and architects regularly work in India, supported by DutchCulture, the Dutch centre for international cultural cooperation.
Visit Kashmir in spring and you will see something unexpectedly Dutch: the tulip garden of Srinagar, one of the largest in Asia, blooms for a few weeks in March and April. And in Kerala stand the Mattancherry Palace, popularly known as the Dutch Palace, and the churches and warehouses of Fort Kochi.
You can learn Dutch in India online and at language institutes in the big cities; for some people moving to the Netherlands the basic civic integration exam is compulsory and can be taken at the embassy. Dutch products such as cheese, stroopwafels and hagelslag can be found in shops selling imported food and online, although almost every Dutch person also brings their own.
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Useful links
- DutchCulture dutchculture.nl
Dutch cultural projects in India. - Naar Nederland naarnederland.nl
The basic civic integration exam abroad. - Taalunie taalunie.org
Learning and teaching Dutch outside the Netherlands.