JUBAIL — Indian Forum Jubail (IFJ) celebrated the Indian Independence Day with Patriotic Songs and Talent Show Program by children, followed by a sumptuous dinner. The exquisite evening was held at the Deluxe Petrokemya Beach camp of Jubail Industrial City over the weekend. Veteran Bollywood actor Kiran Kumar was the chief guest. In his address he appreciated the good work being done by the forum and emphasized the need to promote educational, cultural, social and business aspirations of the large Indian community in Jubail. Known for his exclusive style of acting, he delivered some of his movie dialogues to entertain the large gathering. He said the expatriates are so lucky to have two motherlands — one where they are originally born and the other one that helps them grow professionally. He requested the expatriates to treat both the motherlands equally, respecting the rules and regulations set by them. Kiran, son of the legendary Bollywood villain Jeevan, highlighted the role of education and felt that the Indian diaspora needed a university here. He volunteered any possible help and also assured the support of the Indian filmdom. The IFJ was established in 2005 to promote educational, cultural, social and business aspirations of Indian nationals residing in Jubail. Aziz Ahmad Siddiqui, the master of ceremonies, welcomed the guests and the members. President Habib Shaikh briefed the audience on the mission of the forum. Shameer Ahmed Kudroli outlined the program of IFJ for the term 2012-2014. The outgoing executive committee headed by Anis Bakhsh as president were honored for their excellent performance and valuable achievements. The incoming executive team includes Habib Shaikh (President), Shameer Ahmed (vice president administration), Mohammed Shibli (vice president operations), Aziz Ahmad Siddiqui (vice president public relations), Azhar Alam Khan (general secretary), Pascal D'Souza (joint secretary) and Mohammed Khursheed Anwar (treasurer). The list of executive members includes Mohammad Zubair Khan, Ramakant Bhala, Malik Sayeed, Sayed Anwar Moinuddin, Jayanarayanan Prabhakaran, Dasari Bhikshapathy, S.K. Subramaniam, Jagdishan Ramesh, P.P. Antony and Ashraf Abdul Rahiman. A grand cultural program and talent show was conducted by the school children headed by Venkatesan and Azhar Alam and the patriotic song team from Sangeet Sayadri. — SG
