Frankfurt's BAPS Temple Marks Diwali as India-Germany Industry Forum Seals New Cooperation Pact
Frankfurt's Indian and Hindu diaspora gathered this season for BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha's Diwali and Annakut celebrations, even as separate developments highlighted the city's expanding role in India-related commerce and scholarship. A high-profile industry networking evening in New Delhi cemented a cooperation agreement between Frankfurt's Messe and Indian engineering bodies, while the Max Planck Society announced Europe's first dedicated research centre for Indian legal history, anchoring Frankfurt further as a hub of India-Germany engagement.
🏢 DECHEMA, EEPC and Messe Frankfurt Seal India-Germany Industry Cooperation in New Delhi
More than 200 industry leaders, business stakeholders and professionals from India's process, chemical, pharmaceutical and engineering sectors gathered in New Delhi for an exclusive Networking Evening jointly hosted by DECHEMA, EEPC India and Messe Frankfurt India. The high-profile event provided a platform for participants to exchange ideas, explore business opportunities and strengthen professional networks, underscoring the growing potential for collaboration between Indian and international stakeholders across the process industries. The evening opened with a welcome address by Adhip Mitra, Executive Director of EEPC India, followed by a presentation from Andreas Konert, Director of Marketing and Sales at DECHEMA Exhibitions. Alesya Deyanova, Show Manager at ACHEMA Middle East under Messe Frankfurt Middle East, also addressed the gathering, while Pankaj Chadha, Chairman of EEPC, shared insights with the industry audience. A major highlight was the signing of a Letter of Intent between DECHEMA and EEPC India, marking a significant step towards deeper cooperation between the two organisations. The agreement aims to create new avenues for engagement, strengthen industry connections and support greater international business opportunities across India's engineering and process-industry ecosystem. The gathering placed a strong spotlight on ACHEMA 2027, the World Forum and Leading Show for Life Science and Process Industries to be held in Frankfurt, positioning it as a key platform for Indian companies seeking international exposure and partnerships with global technology providers and decision-makers. [2]
🎓 Max Planck Society Establishes Europe's First Research Centre for Indian Legal History
The Max Planck Society has established a new Centre for Indian Legal History, marking a landmark development for South Asian scholarship in Europe. The centre, affiliated with the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory based in Frankfurt, is described as the first institution of its kind on the European continent. It signals growing recognition within European academia of India's rich and complex legal traditions, which span millennia and encompass ancient Sanskrit texts, Mughal legal codes, colonial-era statutes and post-independence constitutional jurisprudence. By providing a dedicated institutional home for this specialised field, the Max Planck Society aims to deepen cooperation between Indian and European legal historians and scholars, fostering research exchanges and joint publications. The centre is expected to attract researchers from across the world and to produce scholarship illuminating how historical legal frameworks in India continue to shape contemporary law and governance on the subcontinent. Its establishment also reflects broader European interest in understanding South Asian legal cultures at a time when India's growing global economic and diplomatic influence makes knowledge of its institutional history more valuable than ever. Frankfurt is thus positioned as an emerging centre of interdisciplinary work at the crossroads of history, law and South Asian studies, adding an academic dimension to the city's longstanding commercial ties with India. [3]
🪔 BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha Hosts Diwali and Annakut Celebrations for Frankfurt's Hindu Community
BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha organised Diwali and Hindu New Year Annakut celebrations in Frankfurt, Germany, bringing together the city's South Asian community for one of the most significant festivals in the Hindu calendar. The BAPS organisation, with its expansive global network of temples and community centres spanning India, North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific and the Middle East, hosted the event as part of its ongoing cultural and spiritual outreach across Europe. Annakut, meaning mountain of food, is a tradition in which an elaborate display of vegetarian dishes is offered to the deity as an expression of gratitude and devotion, drawing hundreds of worshippers, families and well-wishers. The Frankfurt celebrations provided an opportunity for members of the Indian and Gujarati diaspora to connect with their spiritual heritage far from home, reinforcing the community bonds that sustain cultural identity across generations in the diaspora. BAPS has long served as a spiritual and cultural anchor for Hindu communities outside India, offering regular satsang assemblies, educational programmes, humanitarian initiatives and festival observances throughout the year. Such events are particularly meaningful for second and third-generation diaspora youth, who through participation in Diwali celebrations gain a lived connection to traditions and values passed down from their families and homelands, strengthening a sense of identity and belonging within German society. [4]
Sources: [2] Indian Pharma Post · [3] mpg.de · [4] BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha