WHY ILACI?

India and Latin America are generally seen as cultures that are far apart not only geographically but also culturally and linguistically. And yet they have far more in common with each other than with any other part of the world. However, there has hardly been any real cultural contact between these two parts of the world and the few occasions when there have been some flow of information, it has been mediated by either Europe or USA. Most cultural perceptions of each other have been either steeped in romantic notions or they merely perpetrate stereotypes born out of Eurocentric interpretations. The current effort is thus an attempt to create a direct bridge between the cultures by overcoming the traditional barriers of language and physical remoteness where modern communication technologies can play a creative role. 
 
An effective contact between the two geographical spheres can open up vast possibilities ofmutual interaction, collaboration and activities that may have a deep and long-term cultural impact. This realization is particularly urgent at a moment when global political dialogue is reinforcing the need of a South-South collaboration with special emphasis on BRIC as the emerging new axis of power in the 21^st century.