A windmill or a clog being made from scratch are not familiar sights here, but a “Holland Village” set up in the city is providing its residents an insight into life in the Netherlands.
Over the weekend, Mumbaikars will have a chance to witness all these and a lot more at the makeshift village, which captures many facets of life from the European country known for its sporting prowess and emphasis on clean energy.
The event is a part of the initiative “Holland meets Mumbai” taken up by the Dutch Consulate on the sidelines of visit of the Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte to the city on Saturday. He will be accompanied by a delegation and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
“To import the Oranje experience, we have erected five houses within the village and some popular companies from the Netherlands have also set up their stalls,” said an organiser.
While one hosts a live demo of clogs, the others serve Dutch delicacies or provide information about the universities there. On Friday, the first day of the three-day-event, visitors lined up to get a taste of Dutch pancakes poffertjes being freshly made by R.P. Klooster, a baker from North Netherlands, and served after adding a dollop of butter and dusting with sugar.
Another highlight is the hockey clinic for school-level players held by former Olympian Floris Jan Bovelander. Under the initiative, “A million legs for hockey”, a hockey pitch has been laid out in the village where boys and girls aged between eight and 16 are learning the tricks of the trade from Bovelander, a gold medallist in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Popular Dutch band Kleintje Pils performed on the first day.
