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Mrs. Suchitra Durai, Minister Plenipotentiary (Culture) &
Director (MACIC)
Mr. Ajaya Kumar Sahoo, Yoga Teacher
Address:
23, Talaat Harb Street, Down Town, Cairo
Tel. No. : 2393-3396 - 2396-0071, Tel/Fax
No.: 2393-6572
e-mail:
macic@indembcairo.com |
MACIC was
founded under the ICCR
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Indian Council
for Cultural Relations (ICCR)
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Indian Council
for Cultural Relations (ICCR) was established as
the Cultural arm of the Indian Ministry of
External Affairs, and formally inaugurated in
April 1950 with the primary objective of
establishing, reviving and strengthening
cultural relations and mutual understanding
between India and other countries.
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Among ICCR’s objectives are:
To participate in the formulation and
implementation of policies and programmes
relating to India’s external cultural relations.
To foster and strengthen cultural relations and
mutual understanding between India and other
countries.
To promote cultural exchange with other
countries and people.
To establish and develop relations with national
and international organisations in the field of
culture.
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The major activities of the Council include:
Administration of
scholarship schemes on behalf of the Government
of India for international students; the
Cultural Exchange Programme between India and
Egypt provides for exchange in the fields of
education and science, arts and culture,
mass-media, social affairs, health, tourism,
youth and sports, man-power. The scholarship
programme for the year 1999-2000, offers to
Egyptian nationals, by the Government of India,
11 scholarships for Post-Graduate studies at
Indian Universities. Apart from the scholarship
programme, the general welfare of all
international students, scholarship holders as
well as self-financing students, is also a part
of ICCR mandate. In pursuance of this, the
Council organised various activities throughout
the year to familiarise the international
students with the political, economic, social
and cultural milieu of the India, besides
helping them make friends through shared
experiences.
Exchange of scholars, academicians,
opinion-makers, artists and writers; exchange of
performing arts groups; exchange of exhibitions;
presentation of books, musical instruments;
maintaining Indian Cultural Centres abroad and
supporting special bilateral programmes;
establishing and maintaining chairs and
professorships for Indian studies abroad, etc.
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Maulana Abul Kalam
Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC)
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Maulana Abul Kalam
Azad (1888-1958), a distinguished scholar,
educationist and statesman, was the first
Education Minister of India and
Founder-President of the Indian Council for
Cultural Relations. With Mahatma Gandhi and
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Azad fought for
India’s freedom. A symbol of the pluralistic and
secular ethos of India, Abul Kalam Azad laid the
basis for independent India’s educational and
cultural policies and contributed significantly
to the foundation of centres of scientific and
cultural methods of inquiry. He made a
significant contribution to Islamic studies and
wrote a brilliant commentary of the Quran
“Tarjuman Al-Quran”.
Maulana Azad had a special interest in cultural
exchanges with other civilisations and nations.
He founded the Indian Council for Cultural
Relations and encouraged cultural cooperation
between Asia and Africa.
He visited Egypt and had a special affinity for
Egypt’s great civilisation. It is in recognition
of Maulana Azad’s special contribution to
culture and his affection for Egypt that the
Centre of Indian Culture in the Arab world has
been named after him.
MACIC offers a number of activities: (1) Arts
(Film Shows, Book and Photo Exhibitions, Music
and Dance performances, etc.); (2) Studies
(Library, Lectures, Seminars, Indian Cuisine
classes, Urdu and Hindi Classes, and Yoga
Classes). |
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