Emirati wows Indians with Hindi skills
Age- old connection between India and UAE celebrated
Emirati Faisal Mohammad Al Bastaki, who works with Emirates airline, addressing the audience in Hindi was the highlight of the Vishwa Hindi Diwas ( World Hindi Day) celebrations organised by the Indian Consulate in Dubai on Sunday.
In his speech, Al Bastaki talked about Emiratis having long- standing business and cultural ties with India and wished for that UAE- India ties only grow stronger.
The Consul General of Afghanistan in Dubai, Masood Ahmad Azizi, also regaled the gathering in Hindi, recollecting famous Hindi film dialogue sand speaking aboutof Hindi and their strong tieswith India.
Prominent Emiratis
Businessman and philanthropist Suhail Mohamed Al Zarooni, who is known for his record- holding collections; Roudha Yaqoob Al Shamsi and Fatma Al Khaja were among other prominent Emiratis who attended the event along with Consul General of India in Dubai Dr Aman Puri and members of the Indian community.
The Emiratis talked about how Hindi has become one of the most spoken languages in the UAE after Arabic and is understood even by many Arabs and others. There are several Emiratis and Arab citizens who can speak Hindi. Some even sing Hindi songs, thanks to the popularity of Bolly wood movies, they said.
Dr Puri appreciated the guests’ efforts in speaking Hindi and said it showed how Hindi has gained its own identity across the borders. He read out a message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Indian expats.
Cultural extravaganza
A host of cultural events were held to mark the occasion. A Haveli Sangeet performance by octogenarian Dr Krishna Chaturvedi and Sahitya Chaturvedi from India and poetry recitations by India- based poets Rakesh Tiwari and Rohan Golwalkar were part of the events. Some of the Indian expats e also recited poems in Hindi.
A fusion performance of Kathak and Sufi dances was performed bymembers of Gurukul and a Bollywood dance performance was presented bymembers of Nrityanjali.
Dr Puri also felicitated the winners of a Hindi essay competition.