Painting competition held to celebrate India-Egypt ties

Hundreds of school children in Egypt participated in an annual painting competition to celebrate the ties between Indian and Egyptian people.

The children participated in the 23rd annual 'Glimpses of India' painting competition and painted on various themes including 'India-Egypt friendship' and 'India of My Dreams'.

The competition has been organised by the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC), the cultural wing of the Embassy of India in Cairo, in co-operation with the Egyptian Ministry of Education, officials said.

The competition, which began on October 24, was being held at six venues in Cairo and 14 different governorates across Egypt.

India's Ambassador to Egypt Sanjay Bhattacharyya said each child painted their own vision of India and the result was hundreds of beautiful, coloured paintings that reflect how the children think about the country.

"For us, this is really a very beautiful event because it helps us get all the children into India House and it's a very energetic experience," he told PTI during the event.

"The imagination of the children is so vivid and so far reaching that I think in many ways it shows what they think India is and what they want India-Egypt relations to be and in that we draw inspiration and lessons," added Ambassador Bhattacharyya.

The competition is an annual feature in Cairo that commemorates the birthdays of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.

This year, for the first time, the competition was being held in 14 governorates across Egypt, including Aswan, Port Said, Alexandria, Marsa, Hurghada, Qaliobiya, New Valley, Menia, Menofiya, Matrouh, Ismailia and Fayyoum.

Children along with those with special needs from various government, private and national institute schools in Cairo and Giza governorates were participating in the competition.

The winners, who will be decided by a six-member jury, will be awarded during a function at Al Gomhuria Hall, Downtown Cairo on November 20.

"We hope that we can make a connect with the children because we believe that they are not only the foundation of our society but also our future so it is important to stay in touch," the Ambassador said.