About Us MACIC

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.

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, the 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 fought for India’s freedom alongside Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. A symbol of the pluralistic and secular ethos of India, 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 a special affinity for Egypt’s great civilization.

 
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. MACIC is one of the International Cultural Centres under ICCR.


MACIC conducts regular academic programmes and sessions in Hindi, Urdu, and Indian dance forms, and organizes academic seminars, film shows, exhibitions, and cultural festivals 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. In cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, MACIC screens Indian films in Hanager Theater, Cairo Opera House on a monthly basis. Indian films are also screened on monthly basis at the Garden City Culture Palace.

‘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. A special edition was published in January 2023 to mark the historic visit of President of Egypt, H.E. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to India.

The Glimpses of India painting competition is being conducted for the Egyptian children for the last 29 years.  An overwhelming response was received in its 2022 edition with the participation of 4,600 schoolchildren from 7 Governorates in Egypt.   As part of its outreach activities, the Cultural Centre also organizes India Day(s) in Egyptian governorates and Universities.  As part of the celebrations of National Unity Day and Birthday of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel a series of the events were organized 31 October 2022 which included floral tributes and forming of human chain at the Embassy. A Unity Race and India Culture evening were also organized at the Arab Contractors Club, Cairo. Under the auspices of MACIC, cultural groups from India perform in various cities of Egypt make the presence of India felt in all the major festivals of Egypt.

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. The 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 and continued to 2018.

Yoga has gained popularity in Egypt with more than 60 schools of Yoga in Cairo, besides centers in other cities. For the eighth consecutive year, the International Day of Yoga was celebrated in June 2022 in five cities of Egypt - Cairo, Sharm El Sheikh, Hurghada, Luxor and Alexandria. There are seven regular Yoga batches at the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC) – from Beginners to Advanced levels with 142 regular students learning Yoga at the centre. Apart from regular Yoga classes, Special Yoga sessions for managing specific health issues are also held at the Centre 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. Regular Kathak classes has 26 registered students. Apart from Kathak classes, Indian dance sessions are also organized from time to time. Hindi and Urdu classes at MACIC have 76 and 37 registered students respectively.


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) : Mr D.S. Meena

Teacher of Indian Culture – Yoga : Ms Anita Solanki

Teacher of India Culture – Kathak : Mr Ambrij Sarkar



Address
: 3, Abu El Feda Street, Zamalek, Cairo
Tel. No. : 2737-1995 / Fax No.: 2737-1996 email: macic[at]indembcairo[dot]com