Embassy of India

Cairo, Egypt

Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC)

Background

MACIC was inaugurated on 14th January 1992, by Mr. Madhav Singh Solanki, the then Foreign Minister of India, in the presence of Mr. Farouk Hosny, the Minister of Culture of Egypt and Mr. Amr Moussa, then Foreign Minister of Egypt. It was named after Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (1888-1958), a distinguished scholar, educationist and statesman, who was the first Education Minister of India and the founding President of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. Maulana Azad laid the basis for independent India’s educational and cultural policies and contributed significantly to the scientific and cultural methods of inquiry. He made significant contributions 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 special affinity for Egypt’s great civilization.

MACIC is one of the India Cultural Centres under Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) which was established as the Cultural arm of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. ICCR was formally inaugurated in April 1950 with the primary objective of establishing, reviving and strengthening cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and other countries.

The cultural exchanges between the two great civilizations of India and Egypt have existed since the Pharaonic times. The first cultural Agreement between the two nations was signed in 1958 which envisaged establishing cultural institutes in each other’s territory. With the setting up of the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC) as a cultural wing under the Embassy of India at Cairo, the spirit of that cultural exchange has seen an institutional embodiment. Two important aspects were considered for opening an Indian Cultural Centre in Egypt: 1) Cairo’s great importance as an intellectual and cultural center of the Arab World and Africa. 2) Long and rich history of cultural exchange between the two civilizations.

Overview of activities

MACIC conducts regular academic programmes and sessions in Hindi & Urdu languages, Kathak dance, and Yoga in addition to academic seminars, film shows, exhibitions on Indian art & culture, special Yoga workshops, caricature activities, sports tournaments, World Hindi Day and cultural festivals/fairs from time to time. The MACIC round-tables and seminar series involve youth, academia, culture lovers and the civil society in stimulating discussions on issues of mutual interest and sharing of experiences. As part of its outreach activities, MACIC also organizes India Day events in different governorates and Universities.

In cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, MACIC screens Indian films in Garden City Cinema and Hanager Theater, Cairo Opera House on a monthly basis. ‘Sawtul-Hind’, Embassy’s flagship Arabic magazine, published from time to time since 1952, continues to be an interface between India and Egypt and the Arab world at large. Special editions were published in 2023 to mark the historic visit of President of Egypt, H.E. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to India and first ‘State-Visit’ of Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi to Egypt in June 2023.

Academic exchange

As far as the academic arena is concerned, a number of Egyptian students have benefited from ICCR and other scholarship schemes to study in India. Under Africa Scholarship Scheme, many Egyptian students enroll for the every academic year for studying in Under-graduate, Post-graduate and PhD courses in various Indian Universities/Institutes.

An MoU for first ICCR Chair was signed with the Ain Shams University in March 2016 and accordingly, the Indian Chair on Bioinformatics was established from September 2016 until 2018.

Library

MACIC hosts an extensive library with over 7000 books on wide range of subjects such as history, politics, philosophy, international relations, and economics. This library serves as a vital resource for many Egyptian students, offering them a gateway to understanding Indian art and culture.

ICCR Foundation Day

MACIC celebrates the Foundation Day of ICCR every year by highlighting the important role being played by ICCR in strengthening cultural connectivity between India and Egypt. The prominent ICCR Alumni are invited to attend celebrations. In 2024, MACIC celebrated 75th Foundation Day of ICCR on April 04, 2024, with a mix of Indian traditional music and songs. The event was attended by prominent ICCR Alumni in Egypt.

Flagship Events

1. Yoga

MACIC offers regular Yoga classes from beginners to advanced levels. Apart from regular Yoga classes, special Yoga sessions for managing specific health issues are also held at MACIC from time to time under the supervision of a qualified Yoga teacher from India. MACIC also organizes special Yoga sessions at various other places such as sports clubs, libraries, museums, schools, parks etc.

Yoga has gained popularity in Egypt with more than 100 schools of Yoga in Cairo, besides centers in other cities. The 10th edition of the International Day of Yoga organized by the Maulana Azad Center for Indian Culture on 21 June 2024 at Al-Horreya Park, Zamalek, Cairo. This year’s celebration was marked by a series of curtain raiser Yoga events across Egypt, including in Luxor, Hurghada, Alexandria, Minya, and Ismailia. The IDY events were attended by thousands of Egyptian Yoga enthusiasts and friends of India. Embassy has received unwavering support from the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt, including Ministry of Youth and Sports and various Governorates.

2. Glimpses of India” Painting Competition

One of the flagship events of MACIC, “Glimpses of India” painting competition is the annual painting competition organized in association with the Ministry of Education of the Arab Republic of Egypt. The first edition of the competition was held in 1994 with the main objective to inculcate interest in India and Indian culture among successive generations of youth in Egypt and thereby promote stronger people to people ties.  The 28th edition of the “Glimpses of India” painting competition was organized from 20 October to 13 November 2024 for Egyptian school children of 17 Governorates of Egypt including Cairo, Giza, Qalioubiya, Gharbiya, Sharqiya, Red Sea, Alexandria, Menoufiya, Bani Suef, Fayoum, Kafr Elsheikh, Beheira, Port Saed, Ismailia, Aswan, Luxor and Mynia  The painting competition was organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Education of the Arab Republic of Egypt. Approximately 22,572 Egyptian school children from 1427 schools participated with great enthusiasm, creating amazing paintings on wide array of themes centered around India and its art and cultural heritage.

Others

9th Ayurveda Day 2024 was celebrated at Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture on 28 October 2024 with great enthusiasm.  An exhibition on Ayurveda was organized showcasing Ayurvedic herbs and its benefits in addition to video presentation and Yoga demonstration, aiming to raise awareness about the holistic approach of Ayurveda to health and wellness. A virtual session on Ayurveda was also organized by Mission with Ayurveda expert, Dr. Nikita Sharma who delivered valuable insights into the basic principles of Ayurveda, its treatment modalities, and the benefits of adopting this ancient Indian practice. 

75th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between India and Egypt was celebrated in year 2022. The Government of Egypt released a postal stamp to celebrate the event. The Embassy also organized a Photo Exhibition on India-Egypt relations in August 2022.

MACIC organized 'Tagore-Mahfouz Caricature' Exhibition on 8 May 2024 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Indian nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, in collaboration with the ‘Fayoum Caricature Museum’ and ‘Egypt Cartoon Blog’. A total of 117 caricature entries featuring the world's two great nobel laureates were received from cartoonists across the globe.

MACIC organized India-Egypt Friendship Kabaddi tournament to promote Indian sports in Egypt in cooperation with the Egyptian Kabaddi Federation at Helwan University Club on 30 July 2024. A total of 12 teams (both men and women) participated in this tournament. In 2023, MACIC also organized a Kabaddi tournament in Cairo in collaboration with the Egyptian Kabaddi Federation.

The strong ties between India and Egypt are evident from the affection towards India amongst the Egyptian population. Three streets in Cairo are named after Indian leaders namely, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Dr. Zakir Hussein. There are two busts of Mahatma Gandhi – one in Cairo at the Supreme Council of Culture and the other one in Alexandria at the Bibliotheca, Alexandria. On the other hand, Gamal Abdul Nasser Marg in Delhi is named after the late President of Egypt.

MACIC TEAM

Director (MACIC) : Dr. Prakash Choudhary, IFS

Teacher of Indian Culture – Yoga : Ms Anita Solanki

Teacher of India Culture – Kathak : Mr Ambrij Sarkar

With the objective of ensuring direct online accessibility to the Centre, MACIC has its pages on following popular social media platforms:

Twitter- @iccr_egypt

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ICCREgypt

Instagram (@ICCR_Egypt)

For any inquiries and information about various classes & admission, please contact us:

Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture

Address: Second floor, 3, Abu El Feda Street, Zamalek, Cairo
Tel. No. : 2737-1995 / Fax No.: 2737-1996
Email: macic@indembcairo.com