Indian association celebrates spirit of tolerance
abu dhabi — Indian Social Centre (ISC) Al Ain, the only registered Indian association in the Eastern region of the country, concluded a three-day festival to mark the ‘Year of Tolerance’ celebrations.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon bin Mohammed Al Nahyan inaugurated the ‘India Festival’ and Indian Ambassador to UAE Navdeep Singh Suri opened the ‘Year of Tolerance’ celebrations in Al Ain on Thursday evening.
The ambassador noted that both the UAE and India embody the spirit of tolerance and inclusiveness — values which have further enhanced the bilateral ties. “We are living through the golden age of UAE-India relations. Both the countries are collaborating on range of areas — education, environment, climate change, industry, economy, energy and defence,” Suri said adding that Al Ain is the ‘spiritual capital’ of the UAE.
Suri presented Sheikh Tahnoon with the famed ‘Aranmula Kannadi’ — a handmade mirror from Indian state of Kerala.
Dr Sasi Stephen, ISC president, said the flagship annual festival marked the start of year-long celebrations based on the concept of tolerance.
“We had a variety of art, entertainment and cultural programmes and all our activities are in line with the theme ‘Year of Tolerance’. This was also an opportunity to express our gratitude to the leadership of this country for their constant support to Indian community,” Stephen said.
Jithesh Purushothaman, ISC general secretary, noted that 150 artists from India and the UAE are part of the events.
“Over 10,000 visitors sttended the event. We had musical extravaganza celebrating 100 years of Indian film industry. There was a quiz contest, games, exhibitions, entertainment among others.
“We also had food stalls with panIndia cuisine. There will be raffle draw on Saturday with a lucky winner driving away with a four-wheel,” Purushothaman added.