Diwali festival celebrated with pomp and gaiety in Jeddah

Jeddah: Saudi Arabia‘s hospitality and welcoming nature irrespective of race or religion and also the proactive public diplomacy of Indian government coupled with the support of young Indian diplomats in Kingdom have fostered the Indian community to joyfully celebrate its festivals and also honor its traditions adhering to local norms.

November holds special significance for a substantial number of Indian community members who follow Hinduism, as it marks the joyous festival of Diwali.

The enthusiastic community, representing various Indian states, celebrated Diwali festival with pomp and gaiety on Friday evening at Indian Consulate amidst traditional diya rituals.

The event was conducted by Saudi Arabia Telugu Association (SATA) in collaboration with Global Indian Group and attended by Consuls Mohammed Hashim and Deepak Yadav.

“This year’s Diwali celebration indicates unity in diversity as followers of other faiths also support the celebrations”, said Mallesan, President of SATA in his inaugural speech.

He said that Diwali brings all Indians together back home irrespective of religion or region.

Khaja Moinuddin, Dr. Hema Raja of Tamil Association of Jeddah, Prof. Jaya Shanker of Global Indian also addressed the audience.

The cultural performances from various Indian states, accompanied by music, thrilled the audience.

The high-octane Maharashtra’s Mangla Gowri folk dance showcasing women



adorned in traditional ‘Nauvari’ sarees, complete with exquisite jewelry like the ‘nath’ (nose ring) and ‘saaj’ necklaces, left the audience mesmerized. Girish Kulakarni of Aurangabad has coordinated the Maharashtra cultural performance.

Other captivating performances included Gananayakaya Dance Performance by Alokitha of UP, Bharatanatyam by Sukhada Neelesh of Kerala, Classical Krishna dance by Hasel Bhel of Punjab, Graba dance by Tisha Parek of Gujarat, Rabindra Nritya by Mahika Gupta of Madhya Pradesh, Odissi dance by Sadhana Battamishra of Odisha, Tamil Art by Parnitha Dinesh of Tamil Nadu Carnatic dance by Dyuthi Danvi, Kuchipudi Dance by Hanvika of Andhra Pradesh received warm response from the audience.

Various Hindi songs sung by Sowjanya of Jubail, Amjad Hussain, and Asha added to the vibrant atmosphere, with the young audience enthusiastically clapping along.

Adeeba Saleem, a 10th class student of IISJ, anchored the event while Prof. Jaya Shanker was master of ceremony. Though it was her maiden event, her presentation was praised by many.

The event was coordinated by Ms. Nidhi Charag of Gujarat Om Prakash (Jharkhand), Babu (Rajasthan), Yoganand (Karnataka), Suresh Pala (Andhra Pradesh) Raju, Mirza Qudrat Baig (Telangana) and Alok Kumar of Uttar Pradesh.

A group of women exclusively traveling from Riyadh to participate in the event, capturted attention with their elegant traditional attire.