Embassy of India Cairo

 

Maulana Azad Centre For Indian Culture (MACIC ) *

 

1. Dr. Basheer Ahmed, Director (MACIC)

2. Mr. Pranav Ganesh, TS (MACIC)

3. 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.

1. Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR)

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

2. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC)

 

            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).