Mesmerising end to UAE-India Fest

Abu Dhabi - The festival drew to a close with a gala finale of entertainment performances by local artists and dance troops

The UAE-India Fest, the annual cultural fiesta at the India Social and Cultural Centre (ISC) concluded with festive cheer here on Saturday.
Bollywood singer Aditi Singh claimed the stage by belting out some of her chart-toppers as the crowd swayed to the tunes. It was a true cultural potpourri on the offer, with Filipino, Spanish, Russian and Samba dancers setting the stage on fire with some heavy-duty music and foot-tapping rhythms.
The festival drew to a close on Saturday with a gala finale that saw a string of entertainment performances by local artists and dance troops. The all-new rooftop stage at the ISC also dazzled with some power-packed performances on Friday night, the second day of the UAE-India Fest.
The three-day event also paid tribute to the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE's founding father. "In our 50th year, it is our responsibility to make our humble contribution to bolster the bilateral relations," ISC president Joy Thomas John said.
John added the India Fest is an annual event that has been celebrated among the Indian community since 2010.
"The event is a celebration of the diversity in Indian culture, music and food. It brings Indians from across the country together under one roof. India Fest is designed to be a cultural, recreational and educational experience as visitors have the opportunity to see and interact with diverse aspects of India's deep-rooted culture and heritage," John said, before the Thursday opening of the fest.
The barber-painter
Even as the daily entertainment and performances drew in the crowds, the works of a resident artist grabbed all the eyeballs.
Rasheed Ali, 32, is a barber by profession. But his oil on canvas paintings, landscapes and even portraits of UAE's leaders exhibited at the ISC exhibition hall, was proof that his hands are equally deft at wielding the paintbrush as well as the scissors.
"It is a great opportunity to exhibit my paintings at the India Fest. People are showing interest in my work. I sold a painting on the first day itself," said Ali, who runs the Jouda Salon behind Handan Street in Abu Dhabi.
A Malayali and married with three kids, Ali picked up the paintbrush to beat the boredom of living alone in Abu Dhabi. "I had a lot of free time in the evenings and used to sketch portraits and copy some pictures on to the canvas. Soon, it became a passion. I even started painting during breaks at the salon."
It did not take too long for his customers to take note of the artist in Ali. "Some people wanted to buy my paintings. I also got an opportunity to exhibit my work at some art galleries in Abu Dhabi. Some of Ali's paintings have fetched between Dh2,000 and Dh3,000, he claimed.
"Now I experiment with different mediums like acrylic and oils and pencil sketches, and also produce works like inverted and mirror images and letters," said Ali.
Even as he is being commissioned to work on made-to-order portraits from customers, Ali says he will continue to work at the salon. "Painting is a passion and a hobby. But I am a barber by profession and proud of it," said Ali.
anjana@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi