Indian celebration time across the gulf: LuLu set to launch India Utsav

Doha—LuLu Group has announced the first-ever simultaneous region-wide launch of its celebration of the 75th Indian Independence Day - Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav under the tagline 'India Utsav 2022'. The popular Indian Independence Day festival "India Utsav" was launched at the same time across all Lulu stores in the GCC countries on Monday, the 15th of August 2022.

The festival in the Qatar region was inaugurated by Dr Deepak Mittal, His Excellency the Ambassador of India to the State of Qatar, at Lulu Hypermarket, Ain Khaled branch yesterday evening in the presence of many dignitaries including H.E. Mr Mohamed bin Ahmed Twar Al Kuwari, First Vice Chairman of Qatar Chamber, Sheikh Mohamed bin Ahmed M.A. Al-Thani, Mr. Abdulla Al Kuwari, Mr. Ibrahim Almalki, Dr Mohamed Althaf, Director of Lulu Group International and a host of important guests from the Royal family, Ministries, Indian Embassy, Indian community organizations and officials from Lulu chain and a large gathering of ethnic and expatriate communities.

Ambassador of India to Qatar, H E Dr Deepak Mittal expressed his happiness over the initiative of Lulu Hypermarket in organising Indian festivals throughout Lulu outlets in Qatar and other GCC counties.

"It is a very special moment for every Indian citizen to be celebrating the 75th Anniversary of India's Independence. Lulu has been playing important role in promoting Indian brands in the GCC. I am very happy to be here for inaugurating the festival," said the Ambassador.

He said that Lulu has been playing a major role in promoting food security in Qatar even during challenging times during the past few years.

"The festival is showcasing so many varieties of products which have been imported exclusively from different parts of India including Jammu, Kashmir to northeast and southeast of India," said the Ambassador.

He said that the festival is wonderful offering various food items including fruits, organic vegetables, millets and other plant-based protein and vegans.

Qatar Chamber (QC) First Vice-Chairman Mohamed bin Ahmed bin Twar Al Kuwari said that Lulu Hypermarket offered a big range of Indian food items under the festival including fruits, vegetables among others in very nice packs.

"Lulu Hypermarket is very famous for its promotion offering products at competitive prices. It always offers something new to its customers. We are grateful to Lulu for supporting our local market," said Al Kuwari.

Director of Lulu Group International Dr Mohamed Althaf said that the festival aims at celebrating Indian culture on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of India's Independence.

"Being a major player in Qatar-India relationship, Lulu Hypermarket is taking this opportunity not only to promote Indian products to enhance trade relations between two countries but other ties as well like cultural and cuisines," said Althaf.

He said that the diplomatic relations between Qatar and India is going to mark 50 years making the two countries to be closer.

"Many new shipping routes were opened during the past five years. Now we have a direct trade relationship between Qatar and India which enhances further trade ties between two countries," said Althaf.

Regarding food security, he said that India has got a very major role to play in Qatar by exporting food items in a large quantity which is being recognised by people including Indian expatriates, Qatari citizens and residents of other countries.

"This is one of the major events we are hosting in this new branch of Lulu Hypermarket. The festival-related offers are made available in all the 18 stores in the region," said Althaf.

Lulu has been conducting the festival on the same theme for the last two decades aligning with Indian Independence Day to celebrate the diverse culture and heritage of India and to highlight the unique quality and richness of the food products from India.

The Indian culture is often considered an amalgamation of several cultures and has been influenced by the long-twisted history of imperial colonization for many centuries, which rendered a deeply shared culture. Many elements of India's diverse cultures such as Indian philosophy, art, music, architecture and Indian cuisine have a profound impact across the world.

"India Utsav" is a retail festival that brings alive the 3Cs of the Indian experience at LuLu: Culture, Commerce and Cuisine. It showcases the close commercial ties Qatar enjoys with India.

In celebration of the 75 Years of India's Independence, the "India Utsav" will present a unique immersive shopping experience at LuLu with regional food trails, amazing promotions and offers on every category from fresh food to the grocery to lifestyle and fashion wear in time for the festive season to follow.

Every year, Lulu Group organizes special events to showcase the beauty and diversity of Indian culture through festivals like "India Utsav" as customary to their hypermarket's brand identity, and it is a humble tribute to the glorious tradition, food and offerings of India, wherein they have exerted great efforts to introduce a new range of products, from their own sourcing offices across India. After 2 years of challenging times, the shopping industry is making a strong come back and they want to make sure that shoppers get everything they need for the festive season at the most affordable prices.

LuLu, which has a strong Indian network of food processing and logistics centres for exporting bulk products to the Middle Eastern countries, has flown in many exclusive Indian products for this well-loved and immersive shopping festival that showcases a wide range of food products, agri-produce range with fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as meat and seafood. LuLu chefs have created a huge range of authentic specialities, desserts, and street food delicacies in the hot food section. To complete the Indian culture experience, trendy high-street fashion, as well as a curated collection of designer wear for festivals, are made available.

This year LuLu highlights over 3,500 products in different categories, which are flown in straight from India for this promotion—from fruits and vegetables to meat, packaged food products, kitchen essentials, and traditional wear like sarees and churidars etc. A wide range of hot food dishes is also being freshly prepared daily. The festival puts forth the opportunity for shoppers to enjoy the taste of authentic Indian cuisine from LuLu's delicious biryanis to mouth-watering curries, popular street foods, traditional sweets, and many more delicacies that are available at the most affordable prices.