JEDDAH, 2 May 2008 — Forging cultural ties between the two countries could bring their peoples closer to each other, according to Saudi and Indian speakers at a panel discussion organized by the Consulate General of India at International Indian School auditorium here on Wednesday night.
Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Abu Baker Bagader credited some of India’s scholars with enriching Islam over the centuries. “Indian Muslim scholars have contributed immensely to the cause of Islam,” he said, adding that Islamic and Arabic scholarship was deeply rooted in India. He mentioned some of the major Saudi families who have business and cultural relations with their Indian counterparts and said the Kingdom had always considered India as a friend. “Saudi Arabia is a good friend of India,” he said.
Tariq A. Al-Maeena, a Jeddah-based columnist, said the failure to resolve the Kashmir issue was coming in the way (of bilateral relations). “This (Kashmir) is always at the back of the minds of Saudis,” he said and implied that its resolution could make a big difference in bilateral relations. He suggested that the civil society delegation from India, whose members were among the panelists on the dais, should take up Saudi concerns (about Kashmir) at appropriate levels back home.
Also contributing to setbacks in the bilateral relations is the Saudi perception that India is a country of poverty and diseases, “although things are to the contrary,” Al-Maeena said.
India is not aggressive in selling itself despite the fact that it has rich history, he said and mentioned as an example Malaysia that has been effectively promoting its tourism. India has rich potential to cash in on the Saudi trend to look to the east. “Indians need to increase awareness of their country among Saudis,” he added.
Syed Shahid Mahdi, vice president of Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and leader of the delegation that is currently on a visit to the Kingdom, agreed that the bilateral ties had not gone beyond the buyer-seller relationship. “My concern is about people-to-people relationship and that should be promoted. Distorted perceptions of India by Saudis and vice versa have really come in the way,” he said. “It is wrong to perceive that India is a poor, dirty and overpopulated country. It thus becomes the task of the civil society enlighten the people who entertain these wrong perceptions.”
It was during this visit that the delegation has come to know that literature and poetry is quite rich in this part of the world. “We have now heard of literature, dramas and even cinematic arts prevailing here. So there is a need to do more sustained work at the cultural level between the two countries, especially literature, fine arts and cinema,” he said. He noted with pleasure that Saudi films were screened during an Asian film festival held here a few months ago.
Anwar Moazzam, Islamic scholar, academician, writer and director of Urdu Documentation Center in Hyderabad, called for a people-to people dialogue to forge close cultural ties between the two countries. He recalled how such an exercise helped promote cultural ties between India and Pakistan in the recent past.
“Merely political and business relations are not enough. It is knowing each other through people-to-people contact that should be encouraged more,” he added.
Actress Mita Vasisht said that there could be collaborations through arts that could bring the two peoples closer. She suggested workshops for promoting arts like painting and music between the two countries. “Engagement has to start at collaborated levels,” she emphasized.
Indian Consul General Dr. Ausaf Sayeed in his opening remarks recalled that various local organizations of the community had been working toward forging bilateral ties.
“The Kingdom’s look-east policy is evident and there is tremendous scope for India, its people and organizations to work toward drawing Saudis closer,” he said and cited the announcement of plans to appoint a cultural attaché at the Saudi Embassy in New Delhi as a positive step.
India Forum President Abdul Ghafoor Danish conducted the proceedings.
