First Saudi India Festival to be held in Jeddah on Friday

Jeddah: The Consulate General of India, in collaboration with Goodwill Global Initiative (GGI), will host the inaugural Saudi India Festival Season-1 on Friday, January 19, 2024. The organizers announced the program details in a press conference held in Jeddah.

The festival will feature a screening of a documentary, an inaugural session, and traditional and folk cultural performances by Saudi and Indian artists. Indian Consul General Mohd Shahid Alam will be the chief guest at the event. The distinguished dignitaries who attend the inaugural session include veteran Saudi journalist Khaled Almaeena, renowned Saudi poet Abdullah Obaian, Dr. Ismail Maimani, director of Madrasa Sawlatiyah in Makkah, and Lina Almaeena, former member of the Shoura Council.

This landmark event, themed “5K Camaraderie,” will feature a captivating Arab-Indian cultural extravaganza. A Saudi folk arts team, who performed for over six months at the 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 at the festival.

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 premises of the International Indian School in Jeddah’s Al-Rehab district.

The 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 Gulf Cooperation Council States.

Indian Consul General Shahid Alam emphasized 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 this unprecedented event.

The press meet was attended by GGI President Hassan Cheruppa, General Secretary Ishaque Poondoli, and Vice Patron Asim Zeeshan. The organizers said that the event will start at 6:00 pm and will conclude by 10:30 pm 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.