Cultural festival 'India by the Nile' starts in Egypt

Cultural festival 'India by the Nile' starts in Egypt The fifth edition of the mega cultural festival ‘India by the Nile’ began in Cairo, Egypt on 8 March 2017. The festival aims to showcase the diversity in India’s culture, art and cuisine and also to strengthen India’s partnership with Egypt. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the festival, India’s Ambassador to Egypt, Sanjay Bhattacharyya said that the event is a special moment as this year commemorates 70 years of India’s independence as well as 70 years of its diplomatic relations with Egypt. Key Highlights
• The festival will continue till 27 April 2017 and will be held in Cairo as well as several other cities.
• The inaugural ceremony was attended by the Egyptian Minister of Antiquities, Khaled Al-Anani and other prominent dignitaries.
• It took off with a Crafts Mela, which will run from 8 to 14 March. The mela showcases a joint handicraft exhibition of India and Egypt.
• It is being organised by the Embassy of India in collaboration with the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (India), the Ministry of Social Solidarity (Egypt) and the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI).
• The craftsmen displayed their crafts at the Pyramids Light and Sound Theatre in Giza on 8 March at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University, Zamalek and on 9 March at the Misr Public Library in Zawya
• On 11 March, the exhibition would be displayed at the Children’s Civilisation & Creativity Centre in Heliopolis and on 12 March at the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture in Zamalek and on the 13th at the Manipuri Restaurant in Sofitel Cairo. Overall, the festival is the largest foreign festival in Egypt, showcasing at least 70 events across the country. According to Bhattacharyya, the event will provide an opportunity to several craftsmen to demonstrate their expertise, share their experience and relive the ties shared by the two ancient civilisations.