EAM Sushma Swaraj to visit Saudi Arabia after being invited as Guest of Honour for Janadriyah festival

New Delhi, February 5: The bilateral relationship of India and Saudi Arabia have shined brightly. Therefore, Saudi Arabia has invited India as the Guest of Honour country for the Janadriyah festival. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will embark on a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia starting from Tuesday.

 

Notably, Minister Sushma Swaraj will embark on a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia with the Indian delegation for the inauguration of the prestigious National Festival of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. India has been invited as the Guest of Honour country for the Janadriyah festival.

Addressing a joint press conference in New Delhi on Sunday with Saudi Minister of National Guard Prince Khalid bin Abdulaziz bin Muhammad bin Eyaf al-Muqrin Al-Saud, General (Retd.) V K Singh said India’s participation in the festival will be multi-faceted.

General V K Singh further said that India’s participation in this festival will take the relationship to new heights. “We will have an Indian Pavilion where we will project a number of Indian themes and projects. The India Pavilion will comprise glimpses of Traditional and Modern India. There will be displays and presentations by Ministries/Departments such as Indian Ordnance Factories Board, ISRO, Ministry of AYUSH, India Tourism Board, Ministry of Shipping, Ministry of Textiles, Handicrafts Promotion Council, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Skill development, Digital India, Make in India etc,” he added.

General V K Singh further said, “On the traditional side, India Pavilion will have presentations representing our socio-cultural heritage, folklore, traditional costumes, Indian perfumes, bridal costumes, artifacts, display of specimen of calligraphy, Arabic manuscripts etc. Our Saudi friends will also be able to enjoy glimpses of Indian Food at the Flavours of India booth in the Indian Pavilion.”

“On the cultural side, we will have an extensive programme as well. The Indian Council of Cultural Relations, ICCR, is sending 9 different cultural troupes for the cultural performances which include Kathakali, Kalariyaptu, Kathak, Manipuri, Chhau, Bangra, 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. For all the Bollywood lovers, we will also screen Indian movies during the festival. The Indian Community in the Kingdom is also joining hands and putting up cultural extravaganza representing the various States of India,” General V K Singh added.

Giving up a detailed information, General VK Singh noted that a number of Indian companies are also putting up their stalls in the Indian Pavilion including L & T, Tata Motors, Lulu Group, TCIL, Al Abeer Medical Group, ITL Group, Jet Airways, Shapoorji Pallonji, Virat, Aster Med city, KRBL Rice, Toshi Electronic etc. “FICCI is the industry partner in this endeavor and has put together the Indian pavilion and ensure Indian industry participation in the festival.,” he added.

Importantly, Saudi Arabia is home to more than three million Indian people and ties between the two countries are on an upswing in the last few years. Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth largest trade partner after China, the United States and the United Arab Emirates.

BACKGROUND:

The Janadriyah Festival is organized by the Ministry of National Guard (SANG) Saudi Arabia and Minister of National Guard which presides over the Supreme Committee of the Festival.