Staff Report
Splendors of India, a day-long festival highlighting the cultural diversity of India was held at the prestigious Dar al-Athar Al-Islamiyyah Museum at Yarmouk Cultural Center, on 12 March.
The culture festival, organized by the Embassy of India in coordination with the Indian Cultural Network, and in collaboration with Kuwait’s National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL), was part of the embassy’s year-long initiatives planned to mark the 60th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Kuwait, and the 75th anniversary of the Independence of India.
In his speech at the inauguration of the festival, Indian Ambassador H.E. Sibi George, said: “Despite the many challenges of COVID-19 pandemic, we have been celebrating in Kuwait, Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav, the 75th anniversary year of India’s independence and 60th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries for almost a year now.”
He added, “To overcome the testing times of the global pandemic, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi launched the Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan (Self-reliant India) that promotes local economy, while closely working with our international partners. ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ is about transforming India from being just a passive market to an active manufacturing hub at the heart of global value chains. Our endeavor here is to contribute to this Abhiyan through the promotion of 3 Ts – Trade, Technology and Tourism with our partners and friends in Kuwait.”
Ambassador George explained that the Splendors of India festival “being held today celebrates India’s rich and varied cultural diversity and also showcases our ‘Made in India’ products in Kuwait. This is part of our Aatmanirbhar India and 3 Ts series of events we organize regularly at the Embassy. I am confident that today’s festival will further help build our partnership with Kuwait at both economic and cultural levels, and will further inspire our Kuwaiti friends to make India as their next tourism destination.”
The ambassador concluded his speech by dedicating the festival “to our school children, over fifty thousand of whom are studying in various Indian schools in Kuwait”. He added, “Let’s make all our children an integral part of our India celebrations in Kuwait, imbibing in them the spirit of India’s civilizational ethos.”
Besides the Made in India exhibition that included a trade and commerce section and a tea-appreciation seminar, the Splendors of India festival had separate events dedicated to various aspects of Indian culture. Among the festivities were a book festival, a festival highlighting yoga, and a food festival showcasing the multiplicity of Indian cuisines, as well as the screening of a couple of Indian movies with Arabic subtitling. A mega cultural performance replete with music and dance by artists in dazzling colorful costumes drew the Splendors of India festival to a close.
The day-long event witnessed thousands of Kuwaitis, foreigners and Indian nationals visiting the venue and experiencing and enjoying various aspects of Indian culture at its best.
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