The Consulate General of India, in collaboration with Goodwill Global Initiative, will host the inaugural Saudi India Festival Season 1 on Friday, Jan. 19.
The festival will feature the screening of a documentary, an inaugural session, and folk cultural performances by Saudi and Indian artists. Indian Consul General Mohammed Shahid Alam will be the chief guest.
Distinguished dignitaries who are expected to attend the inaugural session include renowned Saudi poet Abdullah Obaian and Dr. Ismail Maimani, director of Madrasah As-Sawlatiyah in Makkah.
The event, themed “5K Camaraderie,” will feature a captivating Arab-Indian cultural extravaganza. A Saudi folk arts team, who performed for more than six months at Dubai Expo, is expected to captivate the audience with their mesmerizing performances. Around 150 Indian boy and girl artists will also stage over a dozen traditional and folk performances.
More than 2,000 people, including prominent Saudis of Indian origin and Saudi and Indian media persons, cultural figures, academics, writers and business leaders are expected to participate in the festival, which will be held at the International Indian School in Jeddah’s Al-Rehab District.
Screening of a historic documentary will be one of the major highlights of the festival. It will delve into the 5,000-year-long Arab-Indian roots and routes. This narrative will traverse the ancient Spice Route, Silk Road, and Incense Route, culminating in the elevation of the relationship to a strategic partnership on the world’s second-largest migration corridor encompassing India and the GCC countries.
Consul General Alam underlined the festival’s significance in further bolstering the historical, cultural, and strategic ties between India and Saudi Arabia. He also called for the full support of the Indian community to ensure the success of the event.
The details of the event were revealed at a press conference addressed by Goodwill Global Initiative President Hassan Cheruppa, General Secretary Ishaque Poondoli and Vice Patron Asim Zeeshan. The organizers said that the event will start at 6 p.m. and will conclude by 10:30 p.m. and the entry will be free.
The festival will explore and showcase glimpses of the historical, cultural, religious, and economic ties, as well as civilizational interactions and exchanges, between India and Arabia. The chosen theme, “camaraderie,” reflects the mutual trust and intimate friendship that binds Arabs and Indians, with roots extending back five millennia.
The festival will also feature B2C exhibitions showcasing Indian products and companies, fostering Indo-Arab trade. Organizers expect a substantial crowd of around 5,000 attendees for this exhibition, further enhancing the cultural and economic exchange between the two great nations.
