The mega annual cultural festival 'India by the Nile', organised to celebrate Indian culture and its diversity, will begin here next week with the main focus on classical culture this year.
The 12-day event, the biggest foreign festival in Egypt, will host a wide range of events and starts on March 6.
The festival which provides audiences an Indian cultural experience and encourages artistic collaborations between India and Egypt will be held in several cities such as Cairo, Alexandria and Port Said.
"There is a big focus this year on classical culture which is very ancient like music, dance and yoga. But what we are also trying to do is that we are bringing contemporary elements so we have a good mix of heritage aspects as well as the contemporary development," India's Ambassador to Egypt Sanjay Bhattacharyya said yesterday.
He said the embassy had been working for almost a year to prepare for the festival.
This year's edition will host Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan, who will perform in Cairo and Alexandria on March 8 and 10.
"Amjad is the living legend of the Sarod. He is the biggest start by far in India. And to the contemporary flavor of music we are getting a Sufi music band," Bhattacharyya said.
The festival will also bring two new events, a fashion show and screening of the Indian movies.
"The fashion show is entirely a new item. Tarun Tahiliani is among the biggest fashion designers," Bhattacharyya said.
Two models who will display his work are from India but the rest of the models will be Egyptians, he said.
"We needed to give a big push to Indian cinema in Egypt," he said, adding that Egyptians love Indian cinema but the films fail to make an impact on the market as most of them are shown on TV and not in cinema halls.
"We are now going out to the culture places to show more Indian movies in different governorates so Egyptians can enjoy Indian cinema on the big screen,"Bhattacharyya said.
The festival will also host a photography exhibition by Khaled Gawdat, a doctor with a special interest in India. He will exhibit photographs taken during his visits to India.
For Indian food lovers, a six-day event will be held from March 10. Indian celebrity chef Vikram Udaygiri will curate an exquisite gastronomical journey in Indian fine dining from the country's vast cuisine repertoire and introduce Indian whiskey to pair with the food.
Like every year, well-known Bollywood choreographer Gilles Chuyen will provide high-energy dance experience through multiple workshops in Cairo, Alexandria and Port Said.
The festival will also host a series of seminars on Indian tea, economic cooperation between India and Egypt as well as on yoga and well being.
Indian and Egyptian experts in yoga and alternative healing will share their experiences at various venues in Cairo, Alexandria and Port Said.
The festival, which is organised by the Embassy of India in Egypt and the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture in collaboration with entertainment company Teamwork Arts, is a celebration of contemporary and classical music, dance, theatre, visual arts, film, food and literature.
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