‘India by the Nile’ fest to kick off this month in Egypt     

The annual ‘India by the Nile’ festival in Egypt will be held this year from March 2-10, bringing with it a selection of classical and popular Indian art forms to the cities of Cairo, Alexandria, Port Said and Fayoum.

The festival is organised by the Teamwork Arts (a company that specialises in showcasing Indian art at festivals all over the world) in cooperation with the Indian Embassy in Cairo and several other Egyptian partners, the Al Ahram newspaper said in a report on Friday.

This year, the festival will include “En Route to Bollywood”. a colourful show featuring well-known songs from Bollywood films, accompanied by dancers.

A Bollywood dance workshop, which is one of the main features of the event, will take place this year too, led by India-based French dancer and choreographer Gilles Chuyen.

In addition, the Astha Dixit Dance Company will provide a modern perspective on one of the oldest Indian classical dance forms, kathak.

The culture of Rajasthan will also be on display and also feature folk musicians, according to the Al Ahram newspaper.

The festival will also feature “Yoga and Wellbeing” sessions.

The festival would not be complete without a taste of Indian cuisine which will be offered in Cairo’s InterContinental Hotel.

Since the festival’s inception in 2013, India and Egypt, natural allies with colourful cultural legacies, and with affinities towards the performing and visual arts, cuisine and objets d’art, have come together in wonderful artistic partnerships. It is culture which weaves together bilateral relationships in the real sense of the terms – no dialogue is more effective and memorable that that which is based on the matrix of a country’s heritage, an integral part of its identity. And it is dialogue which is proliferated through partnerships in art, that forms the building block for enduring future relationships.

The India by the Nile programme, over the past six years has always been rich and eclectic with a wide canvas spanning street art, photography, folk music, yoga, craft, and empowerment of women. Considered to be the largest foreign festival in Egypt, the festival has had the privilege of presenting renowned artistes such as Amitabh Bachchan, Shubha Mudgal, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Dr L. Subramaniam, Aditi Mangaldas amongst many others.

(With inputs from IANS)