RIYADH, 22 August 2006 — A high profile cultural event, the first of its kind to feature Saudi-Indian heritage, ties, culture and cuisine under one roof, will be staged here at the King Abdul Aziz Medical City on Sept. 21 as part of the Saudi National Day celebrations. Organized jointly by the National Guard Health Affairs (NGHA) and the new Riyadh-based Indian Summer Restaurant, the event will focus on the cultural similarities of the two countries.
“This cultural event will be attended by hundreds of guests invited by the NGHA and also by the embassies,” said Sultan Mohammed Al-Ahmed, NGHA manager for recreation services, here yesterday. The event will be open to all staff members of the NGHA, which is a large health organization providing medical care to National Guard employees and their dependents, as well as to Saudi nationals with tertiary health problems.
Referring to the highlights of the event, Zulfiqar Barodawala, marketing manager of the Indian Summer Restaurant, said that a large collection of Indian products, ranging from arts and crafts to fashion wears, parlor games, rides and fun games would be featured at the exhibition. These will be in addition to a major food festival, which will exclusively feature a range of Saudi and Indian cuisine presented by this Indian restaurant.
This new restaurant, which is currently on an expansion course, has planned to serve a huge range of Indian dishes at the event. “There have been many popular dishes, which are liked by men, women and children of all nationalities,” said Zulfiqar, adding that a bite of boneless chicken boti, delicious mutton dishes especially served in Indian style and a high selection of fresh fish baked and blended with moderate spices and vegetables are some of their specialties.
These dishes will be in addition to different types of barbecues prepared in sizzling grills, like chicken, lamb and fish tikka, seekh kabab, lamb chops and mixed grill. “Moreover, we also have a high number of vegetable dishes on our menu in the capital city,” claimed Zulfiqar, while counting the services offered by the restaurant including outside catering, catering for special occasions, family section and above all the unmatched décor and ambience.
Referring to the importance of such cultural events, Zulfiqar said that the Kingdom and India had forged closer relations in all sectors especially after the visit of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to India early this year. “Now, it is our turn to promote people-to-people level contacts,” said the marketing manager, while announcing the opening of a new outlet of his restaurant in Rawdah district of Riyadh.
“Moreover, we are very happy to tie up with the NGHA and we seek such collaborations with the NGHA in other future events,” said Zulfiqar.
The NGHA has emerged as one of the major health care facilities of the Middle East and it has also become well known internationally, especially for successful separation of conjoined twins. The growth of NGHA has also led to the establishment of King Abdul Aziz Medical City Academy following the directives of King Abdullah in this regard recently.
