ICC to kickstart 50 years of India-Qatar diplomatic relations with Wednesday Fiesta

The Indian Cultural Centre (ICC), an apex body under the aegis of the embassy of India, will be organising various events as part of the celebration of 50 years of diplomatic relations between Qatar and India.

The initiatives include the Wednesday Fiesta and Bharat Utsav 2023.

The ICC Wednesday Fiesta will be inaugurated on May 3 by the chargé d'affaires of the Indian embassy, T Angeline Premalatha.

“ICC is all set with greater preparations and planning for yet another continuous event to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations between India and Qatar every Wednesday. Many events are being planned and the first such programme will be held on May 3,” said Manikantan A P, president of ICC, Saturday.

Manikantan was speaking at a press conference to announce the details of the upcoming events to mark the occasion. He said ICC is resuming the Wednesday Fiesta, which could not be held for a few years due to Covid-19 restrictions.

“As part of the celebrations, we will be organising Bharat Utsav 2023 (India Festival) on May 19 at Al Mayassa Theatre, Qatar National Convention Centre. More details of the programme will be disclosed in the coming days,” said Manikantan.

Wednesday Fiesta used to be a highly popular event among the Indian community before the pandemic. “We are giving a platform for the community members to perform and everyone is welcome to the event. This is a great occasion for Indian artistes to present their talents and for the community members to enjoy a great cultural fiesta,” explained Manikantan.

Pre-event screening of the programmes prepared for the fiesta will be conducted by the relevant authorities at ICC, before the final set is presented to the public.

ICC has planned to reach out to the community in a big way, with flyers published in the digital media, press updates and radio announcements. These and social media postings will be used for communicating with and reaching out to Indian families and community members, as well as other communities, to attend and participate in the events.

“We are hopeful that the Wednesday Fiesta will set the tone for the 50th anniversary celebrations of diplomatic relations between Qatar and India. It will also provide a great platform to showcase some of the traditional and indigenous art forms of India to the community here in Qatar,” added Manikantan.

ICC vice-president Subramanya Hebbagelu, general secretary Mohan Kumar Duraisamy, treasurer Arshad Ali, head of Premises & Social Activities Jaffarkhan M, head of Cultural Activities Sumaa Mahesh Gowda and head of External Events & Activity co-ordinator Gargy Vaidya.