Sushma Swaraj to inaugurate Saudi cultural festival today
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will on Wednesday inaugurate Saudi Arabia’s annual ‘Janadriyah Festival’ where India has been invited as guest of honour this year, officials said.
Sushma Swaraj arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and will be in the country till Thursday.
Earlier, Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh had said that India’s participation in the festival will be multifaceted and would take relations of the two nations “to new heights”.
He said it was a matter of “great honour for India” to be invited as Guest of Honour country for the prestigious national event that is being organised annually since 1985.
According to the minister, the Indian pavilion at the festival will project a number of Indian themes and projects.
The Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) is sending nine different cultural troupes for the cultural performances which include Kathakali, Kalariyaptu, Kathak, Manipuri, Chhau, Bhangra, Bollywood, Gujarati and Rajasthani.
There will be cultural performances in all the evenings in this 18-day festival.
There will be cultural performances by the Indian school children and the Indian community as well. Yoga performances have also been arranged every day. Indian movies will also be screened during the festival.
There will be displays and presentations by ministries/departments such as Indian Ordnance Factories Board, ISRO, AYUSH Ministry, India Tourism board, Ministries of Shipping, Textiles, Food Processing Industries, Skill development, the Handicrafts Promotion Council, Digital India, Make in India etc, Singh said.
A number of Indian companies including Larsen and Toubro, Tata Motors, Jet Airways, Shapoorji Pallonji, Aster Med city, KRBL Rice and Toshi Electronic etc are also putting up their stalls in the India pavilion, he added.
On the traditional side, India pavilion will have presentations representing our socio-cultural heritage, folklore, traditional costumes, Indian perfumes, bridal costumes, artefacts, display of specimen of calligraphy, Arabic manuscripts etc.
