The Day Nehru and Nasser Were Soaked in Myanmar
By The Irrawaddy 13 April 2021
On this day in 1955, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser celebrated Myanmar’s traditional new year festival or Thingyan with Burmese Prime Minister U Nu.
Nasser and Nehru celebrated Thingyan during a stopover in Yangon (then Rangoon) en route to Indonesia to attend the non-aligned Bandung Conference. They enjoyed the splash walk from Merchant Street to the Thingyan pandal on Botatung Street.
The two legendary leaders and Nehru’s daughter, Indira Gandhi, who were all clad in traditional Burmese dress, were soaked as female revelers threw water at them along the streets. Indira enjoyed Thingyan at Pyudaingsu Yeiktha pandal in the diplomatic neighborhood.
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