ABU DHABI // The imminent arrival of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi fired up patriotic fervour among non-resident Indians celebrating their country’s 69th independence day on Saturday.
The flag-raising ceremony at the Indian embassy in Abu Dhabi drew close to 500 patriots – four times the usual turnout – to commemorate independence from the British Empire.
Ambassador T P Seetharam said growing excitement for the arrival of Mr Modi fuelled the increased participation.
“A lot of people came, more than usual, and it’s because they all know the prime minister is arriving tomorrow,” said Mr Seetharam, who read Indian president Pranab Mukherjee’s address to the nation.
Mr Seetharam said more than 50,000 people have registered to attend a reception for Mr Modi tomorrow evening at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
The venue holds about 25,000 people, so organisers are making arrangements to add outdoor video screens to allow an overflow crowd to watch the address.
“It’s an exciting event for them,” said Mr Seetharam. “He’s a charismatic leader so they all want to see him and hear him speak.”
Vinod Tiwari, an engineer who has lived in Abu Dhabi for four years, said the ceremony at the embassy inspired pride and promoted a sense of patriotism.
“The major thing that we do is the flag-hoisting, we salute, we feel proud,” said the 42-year-old.
Indira Gandhi was the last Indian leader to visit the UAE, in 1981. In the 34 years since, a lot had changed.
“The relationship has grown, the trade relationship is again very important for each other. We are certainly in the top three trading partners,” said Mr Seetharam. “There is significant Indian investment here in the UAE as well.”
The Indian Social and Cultural Centre (ISC) also held a flag-raising ceremony yesterday that drew close to 300 residents.
“We are celebrating 69 years of independence we won through a freedom struggle without arms or ammunition,” said George Varghese, sports secretary for the ISC. “We are enjoying the freedom.”
The centre was forced to postpone its evening cultural celebrations after the passing of one of its former presidents, M K Ravimenon, who died of a heart attack on Friday.
“He was 70, he looked like 50 only. He never drank or smoked. He used to walk one hour daily,” said Mr Varghese, who noted Ravimenon had been active in the ISC up to three days ago.
He served as president of the ISC and 1991 and 1992.
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The specs: 2019 BMW X4
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015
His visit on August 23-24 will be the third in four years
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited India in February 2016
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if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
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