DAMMAM — Embassy of India in association with Indian Council of Cultural Association and and International Indian School Dammam is organizing a Mehfil-e-Qawwali (Qawwali concert) at the multi purpose auditorium of International Indian School (Boys Section) in Dammam on Thursday evening, according to an announcement from the school. Qawwali is a yet another genre of music in the subcontinent, which basically reflects spirituality and mysticism. It revolves around praises for religious personalities cutting across religious and sectarian barriers. Legendary Ghulam Fareed Sabri, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan of Pakistan and Aziz Nazan and Shakeela Bano Bhopali (both from India) are some of the famous components of Qawwali. In the upcoming event, some famous qawwals from the subcontinent will enthrall the audience with their recital and traditional music. According to school announcement, the entry to the program will be restricted and people interested in attending the concert and should first get registered on Indian school website www.iisdammam.edu.sa. The school will then issue entry pass on the basis of registrations. The school has not specified its criteria for issuing invitation card. It is not clear whether it will be on first come first serve basis or school will use its discretion in issuing invitation cards. It is probably first time in recent years that Indian Embassy is organizing a cultural event in Dammam. From time to time Indian Embassy and Consulate General organize cultural events like mushaira, and musical evenings but only in Jeddah and Riyadh. It is worth mentioning here that the General Entertainment Authority, a Saudi government body, has announced that 2017 will be the year of entertainment in the Kingdom. The Qawwali concert is one concrete step in this direction and it appears that several other cultural events of different countries as well as of Saudi Arabia is in store for the rest of the years.
