Celebrating togetherness

Starting today, Non-Resident Indians in the UAE can attend a host of events and cultural performances in celebration of the Republic Day. The Indian ambassador to the UAE, M.K. Lokesh, will hoist the national flag at Abu Dhabi Indian School at 8.30am today and host a reception at the embassy.

Meanwhile, the Indian Consulate in Dubai will hold a flag-hoisting ceremony at 9am, which will be followed by cultural events.

Poetry lovers can witness the tenth annual Indian Republic Day Kavi Sammelan and Mushaira, an evening of poetry, which will be held at the Shaikh Rashid Auditorium of Indian High School in Dubai.

Syed Salahuddin, founder and chief organiser of the event, says that prominent Hindi and Urdu poets will present their work at the event.

The list includes famous names such as Javed Akhtar, Gulzar Dehlvi, Dr Pirzada Qasim, Santosh Anand, Anis Ansari, Jauhar Kanpuri, Dr Kalim Qaiser, Azm Shakri, Nusrat Mehdi, Anwar Jalalpuri, Ramendra Mohan Tripathi, Popular Meeruthi and Hilal Rana. Entry to the event will be strictly by invitation. The programme, as in the preceding years, is part of the roster of events being held in conjunction with the Dubai Shopping Festival.
Other Indian cultural events being patronised by the Indian Embassy include a 12-member Gujarati folk dance troupe led by Avani Markandbhai Rushi. The group will perform on the evening of January 27 at Global Village, on January 28 at Indian Association in Sharjah, on January 29 at the Indian Consulate Dubai auditorium, on January 31 in Fujairah and on February 1 at the Abu Dhabi Indian School.

They will also perform from February 2-4 at the India Social and Cultural Centre in Abu Dhabi. The troupe is part of Samanvay, an Indian NGO that is involved in the socio-economic development of the tribal and rural people from the backward regions of Gujarat. Performances will include Dandiya Raas, Dhal-Talwar Nritya, Bhawai Nritya and Tippani.

Another highlight is the eight–member Qawwali group led by renowned Qawwal Jamil Ahmad. Catch performances on January 31 in Fujairah, February 1 at the Indian Association’s Community Hall in Sharjah and from February 2-4 at the India Festival being held at India Social and Cultural Centre, Abu Dhabi.

Don’t miss a performance by the five-member shehnai troupe led by the renowned Pandit Daya Shankar. The wind instrument performances can be witnessed from February 2-4 at the India Festival held at India Social and Cultural Centre, Abu Dhabi. In the last 50 years, Pandit Daya Shankar has captivated audiences with solo performances all over the world and has held recording sessions recordings with legendary artists such as Ravi Shankar and the Beatles.