JEDDAH, 8 February 2004 — The Jeddah Tamil Sangam’s republic day celebration held at the Consulate General of India on Friday night featured a number of items, which were conceptually new.
Aside from a 10-minute power point clip on the rise of India’s missile man, President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and his dream of turning the country into a vibrant world economic power within the next few years, there was a conceptually choreographed presentation on the proposed linking of the country’s main rivers that would facilitate irrigation of large chunks of agricultural lands across its length and breadth.
Chief guest Consul General Syed Akbaruddin outlined the services rendered by various local Indian expat groups. He singled out the Tamil expats for their organizational skills. Padma Akbaruddin, wife of the consul general, released a Tamil publication comprising literary contributions of local writers and poets, which was received by Professor S.M.M. Mohamed Ali who came from Madras to perform Haj. Dr. Ali is the head of the Tamil department at Quaid-e-Millat College, and general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Muslim Service Movement and the Islamic Literature Society.
Air-India’s Western Province Manager S.M. Mazharuddin was honored for introducing nonstop flights from Jeddah to Madras. Tamil Sangam President S.A. Abdul Malik welcomed the guests. C.J. Shahjahan, senior general manager at Electromechanical & Technical Associates, also spoke on the occasion. K.G. Guna compered the show.
