The Consulate General of India in Seattle, in partnership with Creighton University, inaugurated Nebraska’s first India Culture Week in Omaha on October 21, 2026, featuring Indian cinema, cuisine, literature, photography and dance, according to a statement from the consulate.
The program opened with the unveiling of Nebraska’s first India Corner at Creighton’s Reinert-Alumni Memorial Library. A gift from the Government of India to the university, the collection includes books on Indian culture, history, cinema, art, ecology, spirituality and cuisine. The statement said the initiative aims to make Indian literature and scholarship more accessible to students and faculty.
An “Incredible India” traveling photo exhibit at the Harper Center Atrium featured images of India’s people, places, heritage and everyday life, with subjects ranging from the streets of New Delhi to the temples of Bhubaneswar.
According to the statement, a Seattle-based photographer took the photographs during a consulate-organized visit to India by a U.S. Pacific Northwest delegation in March 2026. The delegation also included participants from Nebraska, among them Creighton University Vice Provost Dr. Kari Costello.
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“The India Culture Week celebrations also featured a captivating cultural performance by the Gurukulam Center for Indian Arts, presenting a range of Indian dance traditions, including the classical forms of Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi and Mohiniyattam, Punjabi and other contemporary dances,” the statement said.
The consulate said the performance highlighted India’s regional diversity and longstanding music and dance traditions.
Students and faculty also attended an Indian Food Festival featuring dishes that introduced participants to the country’s spices, flavors and regional culinary traditions. The inaugural day concluded with a screening of the 2016 film Dangal as part of the university’s Indian Film Festival, according to the statement.
The consulate said its India Culture Week initiative began at Seattle University in November 2024. Since then, Indian film festivals have reached students and communities at venues including the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle; Shoreline College in Washington; the University of Montana in Missoula; North Dakota State University in Fargo; and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Screenings have also taken place at schools in Washington’s Bellevue and Northshore school districts.
According to the statement, India Culture Week seeks to introduce young Americans to contemporary India through its literature, art, cuisine, cinema and cultural traditions. The initiative also aims to encourage interest in Indian studies, strengthen educational and people-to-people ties, and promote travel to India from the U.S. Pacific Northwest.
