Muhammad Ahmad Tayyab, director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Makkah province, lights a candle with Consul General Faiz Ahmed Kidwai while inaugurating the India Festival 2013 at the International Indian School in Jeddah on Wednesday. — SG photo Syeda Amtul Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — An Indian festival showcasing the different regions of the country kicked off on Wednesday at the International Indian School's boys' section in Jeddah. The two-week long India Festival 2013 is organized by the India Forum in cooperation with the country's Consulate General. Muhammad Ahmad Tayyab, director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Makkah Province, inaugurated the event. Fareed Hassan Niazi from the Indian talent show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa gave a live performance that dazzled the audience while dance performances to songs in Hindi, Kashmiri, Punjabi and Telugu by the school's students reflected India's diverse culture. The festival will showcase the Indian regions of Kerala on Friday and Andhra Pradesh on Jan. 23, while the closing ceremony will be held on Jan. 25 with a live performance by Ankita Mishra of Indian Idol. The theme on Thursday was Tamil Nadu. The inaugural ceremony started with a welcome speech by Danish Abdul Gafoor, president of the India Forum. Tayyab said he recognized the special contribution of the Indian community to the development of Saudi Arabia and was looking forward to enhancing this bilateral relationship in every field, including science and technology, economy, trade and education. Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, Indian Consul General, said in his speech: “India is not a country but it's a continent and one of the oldest civilizations in the world. “We have the wettest and driest lands of the world and it's the birthplace of four major world religions. “To capture a country like this in a short period of four to five days is a gigantic task.” He said he felt proud to represent India in the Kingdom. “I am also very thankful to you Saudi brothers because if we have been a part of Saudi development, you have been a part of our development also, since for 50 to 60 years many families in India depend upon the money people send from here. “It feeds many families and many children educate themselves because of it. “I pray and I hope that this relationship between us grows, strengthens and am quite confident that the path that our relationship is following now, will have many more milestones and achievements to our credit.” Fareed Ali Khan, a local singer, also sang some hit numbers from Indian movies.
