(Clockwise from right) Elaine Kennedy with Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw; a glimpse of St Patrick’s Day celebrations | Nagaraja Gadekal
BENGALURU: Bengaluru’s Irish community along with locals showed up in hues of green on Sunday when Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw hosted an exclusive gathering to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. In fact, the idea for the setting up of the Science Gallery Bengaluru–which had a soft launch recently–was conceived in Ireland.
“I was at the Trinity College in Dublin when I thought we should bring something like it to Bengaluru. What was most impressive is the support we received in making it a reality. After all, we are trying to create a scientific temper,” says Mazumdar-Shaw, the Honorary Consul-General of Ireland.
Prominent Bengalureans–former badminton player Prakash & Ujjala Padukone, MAP founder Abhishek & Radhika Poddar, and TTK Prestige chairman TT Jagannathan & Latha Jagannathan – attended the programme which included some singing and swaying to Irish tunes.
Mazumdar-Shaw fondly remembered her late husband John Shaw who used to liven up on occasions like this. “After a two-year lull, we are commemorating the day. If you look back, a lot of our history is interwoven. If you look ahead, there’s great camaraderie and synergy when it comes to both countries in terms of technology and life sciences. Both share a strong vision on these areas,” she says.
While celebrating all things Irish, Elaine Kennedy, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Ireland to India, says, “It’s a significant year with it being 100 years of Ireland in the League of Nations. It’s also 25 years since the Good Friday agreement. It’s important to acknowledge leaders who brought about peace amidst conflict,” she says.
Kennedy has the last word when she says with a chuckle, “Sports is a great unifier except when you play against England of course! The popularity of cricket is growing as the Indian population is.”
