In a show of expanding interaction with India, Saudi Arabia conducted a fortnight-long celebration of Indian culture as part of the annual Riyadh Season festivity in Riyadh. The Indian segment of the Riyadh Season, a mega tourism event was conceived as a branch of the Global Harmony Initiative of the Saudi government.

The celebration of India’s diversity and pluralism was marked by musical evenings, outdoor culinary events, and visits by Indian performers and sportspersons. The rare celebration was led from the Indian side by Dr. Suhel Ajaz Khan, the Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia who described the event as an “unforgettable experience”. The festival organised at the Suwaidi Park was attended by large number of visitors which included Saudi and South Asian guests. Saudi Arabia at present hosts around 2.4 million expat Indian workers.

The Indian community in Saudi Arabia has grown over the years and is now second after Bangladesh which has the largest number of foreign workers in Saudi Arabia with nearly 2.7 million. Saudi government has introduced several measures including wage protection system and background check of employers to ensure hassle-free working condition for expat workers in the Kingdom.

Saudi Arabia, an energy giant and one of the major suppliers of energy to India is diversifying its economy and is expected to emerge as a tourism magnet of the region in the coming years. As part of the programmes, Saudi authorities showcased ongoing environment conservation projects that will launch little explored tourism spots of the Saudi Red Sea coast as well as ancient trade routes of the country on the tourism map of the world. These destinations are expected to draw tourists from India in the near future.

The Indian cultural festival came to an end on Sunday (October 21, 2024) when cricketer Sreesanth was the star invitee of the Saudi government. The underlying theme of this year’s Riyadh Season – was the pace of social and cultural changes that are sweeping Saudi Arabia’s tradition-bound society. The change in the Saudi society was reflected during the event with the widespread participation of Saudi women in various parts of the festivity.

The Saudi initiative to celebrate diversity and harmony was mixed with the regional developments. In the backdrop of the cultural programmes and visit by an Indian media delegation, the Saudi Deputy Minister of political affairs Saud Al-Sati flew to New Delhi and held talks with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Friday (October 19, 2024) and Saturday (October 20, 2024). The two delegations also held the second meeting of the Committee on Political, Security, Cultural and Social Affairs on October 18.

“During the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to enhance them in various fields. They also tackled regional and international developments and issues of mutual interest,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry announced after the discussion in New Delhi. Saudi Arabia has been engaged in finding a solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict which has led to Israeli attacks on Lebanon. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman visited Cairo last week and held talks with President El Sisi. The region is also facing tension because of the hostilities between Israel and Iran which had fired hundreds of missiles at Israel after the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Israeli bombing in Beirut.

The season of  engagements in Saudi Arabia will continue throughout the winter of 2024 as the Riyadh Season is scheduled to be followed by the Saudi exhibition for innovation, technologies, infrastructure and services which will begin here in the first week of November.