ICC President AP Manikantan addressing the media at the press conference held today.
Doha, Qatar: A yearly celebration of diverse and rich Indian tradition, Bharat Utsav this year will highlight the folk dance forms of the country in the last week of October.
Organised by the Indian Cultural Center (ICC), under the aegis of Embassy of India, the mega-cultural event will be held on October 25, 2024, at the Al Mayassa theatre in Qatar National Convention Center.
This was announced in a press conference that was attended by Vaibhav A Tandale, First Secretary, Embassy of India; ICC President AP Manikantan; ICC Vice President, Subramanya Hebbagelu; and other ICC officials including Mohan Kumar Duraisamy, Abraham Joseph, Nandini Abbagouni, and Gargyben Vaidhya.
Giving details about the festival, Tandale said, "The four-hour cultural extravaganza will begin at 5pm and will feature more than 40 folk dance forms performances by various Associated Organisations (AO) of ICC and Indian School students. Bharat Utsav is an effort by the ICC with the support of Embassy to highlight India’s cultural heritage and we can assure that the event is going to be grander this time."
Tandale added that above 60 teams have already registered for the event of which 40 best will be chosen to perform in front of the roughly 3,000 guests who are expected to come for the show.
Adding on ICC President AP Manikantan said that the primary motive of this event is to showcase the rich folk dance forms of various states and tribes in India. "This event will become a chance to connect with our own community and those of other nationalities. The teams have begun their practice with ICC holding selection trials for the same," said Manikantan.
Entry to the event will be through passes which will be issued by the ICC at a later date.
The event is expected to be attended by a record number of attendees, including some prominent Qatari personalities, diplomats of various nationalities, entrepreneurs and community leaders.
The press conference concluded with a vote of thanks from Hebbagelu.
