Furthering solidarity between the two cultures of Saudi Arabia and India, the Saudi Indian Friendship Society (SIFS) organized a cultural evening on Monday at the Dunyaty Ballroom in Jeddah's Westin Hotel. Upon the visit of a delegation from the Indian Civil Society, the event was organized to highlight the common heritage and values shared by the two cultures. SIFS was formed shortly after the Saudi Civil Society delegation's visit to India. This delegation had gone to India on the sidelines of King Abdullah's visit to India in 2006, where he was the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations. The event included dance performances by Saudi local bands and Indian performers and speeches by noted representatives of both the societies. The Saudi band performed a wedding dance, called Majas in Arabic, to the cheering of the audience. Around 300 people attended the event. Dr. Rashad Hashim Hussein, President of SIFS, said cooperation between the two countries is very old, and centers on culture, economic ties and at individual business and social levels. The Saudi Civil Society Delegation is planning to visit India again in February 2009. Faten Bundagji, from the Saudi Civil Society delegation, said that terms between the two countries are beyond excellent. “We have seen a great number of Haj and Umrah pilgrims from India,” she said, “and the increasing number of pilgrims are a good example of good collaboration between the two countries.” Danish A. Ghafoor, SIFS's representative, said that Indian expatriates always feel right at home in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. “After forming SIFS, we have received a very good response from Saudi and Indian communities.” The Indian Civil Society delegation included Syed Shahid Mehdi, leader of the Indian Civil Society. He has an illustrious career of nearly 50 years ranging from teaching, serving as a Government of India officer in various capacities, to serving at the United Nations. He said the society is looking forward to more cultural and literary activities with the collaboration of the two countries. Another member of the Indian Civil Society delegation is Professor P. K. Abdul Aziz, currently Vice Chancellor of the prestigious Aligarh Muslim University, India. Mita Vashisht, an Indian Television, film and theater actress, has also been conducting theater workshops in the UK and Damascus. Rakhshanda Jalil has briefly taught English at the universities of Delhi and Aligarh and has worked for various publishing houses for over 15 years. Professor Anwar Moazzam is an Islamic scholar, academic, writer and director, and has a career spanning more than five decades. A.C. Patankar is a strategic advisor with the Confederation of Indian Industry that works to create and sustain environment conducive to the growth of industry. __
