Almost 20 months after the opening of a Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, another cultural landmark is in the offing — an India House in the capital of the UAE, which as per plan may come up in a couple of years. It will serve as the centre of strengthening ties in art and culture, student exchanges and to highlight shared history. The Gulf nation is also set to declare yoga as a competitive sport.
This was discussed at a recent meeting in Abu Dhabi held between an Indian delegation comprising representatives from several ministries with their UAE counterparts, those aware of the proceedings said.
The Gulf country with a four-million-strong Indian community is also planning to include yoga as a competitive sport, considering its popularity in the country. All this is coming out of the second Joint Steering Committee Meeting of the India-UAE Cultural Council, held in Abu Dhabi on October 8-9. The ICCR Director-General, Nandini Singla, led the Indian delegation comprising representatives from the ministries of Tourism, Culture, Youth Affairs, National Archives of India and the Nalanda University.
The UAE side was led by Noura Al Kaabi, MoS in the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The meeting also discussed several initiatives to strengthen cooperation in the domains of youth engagement, sports, education, tourism, and archival collaboration, thus reaffirming the role of culture in the strategic partnership, officials said.
Singla also met with key cultural and academic leaders, from NYU Abu Dhabi and the Louvre Abu Dhabi, to explore collaborations in the fields of arts, museology, and academic exchange.
The meeting built upon the foundation established during the first Joint Steering Committee meeting in New Delhi in March this year, when Al Kaabi had visited India. The Cultural Council Forum was established in 2022 through an MoU between the two nations, followed by a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohammad.
Trade to cultural collaboration
While trade remains a pillar of India-UAE cooperation, the importance of culture ties is not lost on either side. While establishing a economic pact in 2022, the countries expressed interest in forming a cultural partnership. The new initiatives originate from this.
As a follow up to the high-level meet in Abu Dhabi, the UAE Embassy in New Delhi hosted a UAE-India cultural roundtable last week that brought together some of India’s most celebrated figures from the fields of art, design, and performance. “The dialogue focused on the India House concept, a forthcoming cultural platform in the UAE designed to showcase India’s artistic heritage and contemporary creativity,” said a statement from the Embassy.
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The UAE is also actively moving to formalise yoga as a competitive sport, as reported by The National recently. To achieve this, a national framework through the UAE Yoga Committee is being developed, which operates under the Ministry of Sports. The UAE would become the first Gulf country to grant yoga full sporting recognition.
The India House will also act as a hub of yoga training, officials say, besides being a space to exhibit the traditions, cultural history of India and its connection to the UAE. Ambassador Alshaali said: “The UAE believes that India House will create opportunities for artists and audiences to meet, share, and collaborate. India House is envisioned as a symbol of the creative spirit that unites our two nations…”
