In line with the government of India's initiatives to promote Indian states abroad to showcase history, culture, tourism and business opportunities of Indian states, the Consulate General of India, in association with Saudi Indian Business Network (SIBN) and Indian community from Uttar Pradesh and Goa, organized "The Uttar Pradesh and Goa States Day" on Saturday at Consulate General of India premises. The event reflected the rich cultural tapestry and traditions of these Indian states and a large number of people from the Indian community and Saudi nationals participated in the celebration. Consul General of India, Md. Noor Rahman Sheikh, who officially inaugurated the fest along with his wife Dr. Nazneen Rahman, was accompanied by Consuls Moin Akhtar and Sahil Sharma. Prominent Indian community members from different states, besides from Uttar Pradesh and Goa, were also present. Aziz Kidwai, Danish Abdul Gafoor, Eng. Nooruddin, Aziz ur Rub from Uttar Pradesh and Sikander from Goa welcomed consul general and other consuls to the Uttar Pradesh and Goa Day. Speaking on this occasion, Md. Noor Rahman Sheikh highlighted the objectives of organizing various state days as part of the Ministry's State Facilitation Activities Abroad. "The Consulate will also continue to extend all possible assistance to Saudi nationals in connecting them with the concerned authorities in India to facilitate their investments in India as well as to the Indian businessmen/companies to facilitate their business in the consular jurisdiction of this consulate," he said. He also expressed his admiration for the Uttar Pradesh and Goa for their excellent contributions in social and cultural fields and appreciated the Uttar Pradesh community for coordinating with the Goa community to organize the Goa Day alongside the Uttar Pradesh Day. Moin Akhtar, consul (commerce), welcomed the audience and gave a briefing about upcoming Indian states felicitation in the consulate which was followed by Danish, higher board member, who gave a brief picture about the Uttar Pradesh State. He said the culture of Uttar Pradesh is truly an Indian culture, which has its roots in Urdu literature, music, fine arts and cinema. He highlighted the various historical sites in UP, while citing that the state has preserved the damaged complex of the Awadh period. "Uttar Pradesh attracts a large number of visitors, both national and international, and is one of the topmost tourist destinations in India. There are two regions in the state where a majority of the tourists go, one is the Agra circuit and the other is the Hindu pilgrimage circuit," Danish said. "The city of Agra gives access to the world heritage sites such as Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and the nearby Fatehpur Sikri. As a pilgrimage site it hosts the holy cities for Hindus on the banks of the River Ganges and Yamuna — Varanasi, Mathura, Vrindavan and Allahabad (Prayagraj), on the confluence (sangam) of Ganga, Yamuna rivers," he added while stressing the state apart from being a tourist destination is also ready to do business with a investor friendly policy. Mir Gazanfar Ali Zaki gave presentation about the investment opportunities in Uttar Pradesh and Goa. He explained about the investor friendly policy direction of Uttar Pradesh government and the good governance initiatives, complementing the inherent strengths of the state, will definitely go a long way in transforming the state into a preferred investment destination. The government of Goa has not lagged behind in making the state a paradise for foreign investors. To attract significant investments, the government of Goa offers numerous attractive schemes and incentives for the investors investing in the state. On the sidelines of the event, video presentations on tourism and investment opportunities of the two states were also shown. Wooden handicrafts from Uttar Pradesh were displayed which drew huge visitors with the nice gift items on offer. The replicas posters of Taj Mahal and beach of Goa stood out as special attraction during the event. Amjad Shareef from the commercial section of the consulate anchored and supervised the event. Cultural part of program was anchored by Ateeq Siddiqui of AMOUBA. Event was coordinated by Suresh Rao and Bobby Manatt from consulate. The event was concluded with a vote of thanks by Vijay Soni, treasurer SIBN. The program started off with the dance and skit, in which the participants metaphorically expressed the range of colors with their emotive depictions. The dance was choreographed by Sirajuddin & Ms. Rajani and the skit choreographed by Asim Zeeshan. Local singers Sikander, Waseem Mukhadam and Amjad Hussain performed Hindi songs from Uttar Pradesh and Goa. Indian companies such as Al Kabeer and Haldiram supported with free sampling of their products during the event. — SG
