JEDDAH, 21 July 2005 — A series of events will be held during the Indian festival beginning from Sept. 8 in Jeddah, Indian Consul General Ausaf Sayeed told Arab News. The festival will feature cultural, educational, literary, economic and sports events.
Elaborating on the activities during the festival, the consul general said the International Indian School, the Indian Consulate premises and Trident Hotel would be among the venues of the events. He said one day would be reserved for women only.
“This is the first time such events will take place in the Kingdom”, Sayeed said. The events will be attended by two major business delegations from India. The first team, which will have 20 to 25 delegates from various sectors of the Indian economy, will discuss avenues of opportunities with their Saudi counterparts. Another delegation will comprise 10 people representing Indian businessmen who are members of the Indian Tea board. Representatives from the Tourism Board of India will also be present at the festival.
Besides the business event, an Indian food festival will be held at Trident Hotel in Jeddah, from Sept. 8 to 23. The food festival will give the local population a taste of Indian delicacies.
Other cultural activities such as a mushaira (a poetry session, to be held on Sept. 15), Indian handicrafts show, Ladies Day (to be held on Sept. 19 and focus on cooking) and a special seminar on Urdu fiction scheduled for Sept. 14, will provide loads of entertainment to the visitors.
A photo exhibition will also be held during the festival. The consul general praised the Indian community for the efforts they are making to make the festival a success.