From October 23 to November 21, 2018, the Korea Foundation (KF) organized the first-ever full-length, 90-minute performances of “Nanta” in India, reflecting the South Korean government’s “New Southern Policy,” which aims to deepen South Korean ties with Southeast Asian nations. The KF presented a total of seven performances of Korea’s famous non-verbal comedy show, which incorporates traditional Korean percussion rhythms, including in Vijayawada (October 23), Hyderabad (October 27) and Chennai (November 2) as well as two times each in New Delhi (November 13) and Mumbai (November 20 and 21), entertaining some 8,000 people. Though a shortened 30-minute performance of “Nanta” highlights was put on stage several times in India before, this was the first time that the show was performed in its full length.

Significantly, “Nanta” was not only performed in major Indian cities where exchanges with locals are considered particularly important as many Korean companies have increased business activities there, but also in central India where so far, people have experienced comparatively fewer cultural exchanges with Korea. The Korea Foundation had initially planned to organize the performance only in major cities where Korean diplomatic missions are located, such as New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. But in an effort to introduce Korean performing arts to other provincial areas, too, the KF then added performances in Hyderabad, India’s information technology hub, and its neighboring city Vijayawada, thanks to the dedication of the Honorary Consul-General of the Republic of Korea in Hyderabad and Chairman of the Phoenix Group, Mr. Suresh Chukkapalli. The performances provided local residents with an opportunity to experience traditional and modern elements of Korean culture and left them with a favorable impression of Korea.

Making the most of India’s language diversity – the country recognizes 22 official languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Punjabi and others – the performers incorporated some local s to forge a closer bond with the audience. While the original script includes a troublemaking cousin who gets hired as cook thanks to his uncle being a manager, the character was instead introduced as a son-in-law for the performances in India to better fit to Indian culture and addressed in different local languages. The local news media, including The Hindu, praised the show for superbly incorporating Indian characteristics. Clapping to the beat of “Nanta,” the audience responded enthusiastically and burst out laughing whenever the actors mentioned different vegetables in local languages. Especially in Chennai, with its many K-pop fans, the audience enthusiastically shouted in Korean, “Awesome! Brothers and sisters, I love you! I love Korea!”

Actor Hwang Yohan who played the role of the manager said, “It is quite a burden on actors to perform the full-length, 90-minute show abroad because it is very difficult to anticipate foreign audiences’ responses. But we could perform far more cheerfully as the audience gave great responses to each of the seven performances. The actors and the audience got united as one through Korean beats and rhythms.”

One of the Indian organizers said, “In general, Indian people have fewer chances to enjoy Asian shows than European ones, and the performance of “Nanta” served as an opportunity to introduce East Asian art beyond just Korean culture that Indians are unfamiliar with. Another Indian organizer said, “Historically, India and Korea share many things, such as invasions by neighboring countries and rapid Westernization. The fact that Korea produced ‘Nanta,’ an excellent and original work based on their own culture, has great implications for those in the fields of arts and culture, including performing arts in India.”

Following the recent tour performance of “Nanta” in India, the Korea Foundation’s president, Mr. Lee Sihyung, stated that the Foundation would continue to contribute to enhancing Indian people’s understanding of Korea and Korean culture, and to promoting friendship and cooperation in cultural exchanges between the two countries.