Top Bollywood stars to grace first Seychelles-India Day celebrations |04 September 2013

Some high profile Indian celebrities have confirmed their involvement in the first Seychelles-India Day celebrations to take place here early next month.

In a joint press conference on Monday to officially launch the media campaign on the event, Tourism and Culture Minister Alain St Ange, Indian high commissioner to Seychelles Thanglura Darlong and the chairperson of the India Day organising committee, N. Ramani of Ramani and Company, announced the list of celebrities who will grace the celebrations.

Terrence Lewis and Troupe, the Top Bollywood choreographer who entered the Guinness Book of Record for conducting the largest Bollywood dance class in the world, will grace the celebrations in a grand dance and AV choreography.

Akriti Kakkar will be the famous personality at the Seychelles-India Day music evening. The Tanmoy Bose ace percussionist will enthrall through a fusion recital (Indian percussion instrument) representing classical Indian music. As the icing on the cake, master chef Sanjeev Kapoor will showcase the best of Indian cuisine to food lovers in Seychelles.  

Mr Darlong said this first Seychelles-India Day will explore the theme of ‘100 years of Indian Cinema’. He said that not only will the Indian Bollywood talents mingle with Seychellois, conducting workshops for locals to learn contemporary Indian art, culture, food and dance, but it will be an opportunity for Seychelles to learn about the good things of India.

“The Seychelles-India Day will become an annual event. This first one will be a celebration of a hundred years of Indian cinema. As a result we expect quite a number of well-known faces to take part. More known personalities are still to confirm their participation,” he pointed out. 

“Through this occasion we expect to recognise the contribution made locally by Indian nationals who have played a significant role in the last few hundred years of the Indo-Seychelles history,” added Mr Darlong.

Minister St Ange, for his part, said that after months of intense work with the local Indian community, Seychelles will be welcoming a new event to its annual calendar. The first Seychelles-India Day is confirmed for October 4-6.

“I must thank the Indian community of Seychelles. I really need to thank you because you’ve gone the extra mile. You’ve worked hard, and you have surpassed my own expectations in what we were trying to achieve by bringing Bollywood to Seychelles. The stars will arrive in Seychelles in time for these celebrations, and known personalities from the world of Bollywood will also be landing in Seychelles,” said Minster St Ange.

“We will also ensure that there will be press coming from India. For the tourism industry this Seychelles-India Day is going to help us open India as a tourism market. The celebrations, like the festivals we have, will bring to the forefront our cultural link and showcase Seychelles as a country ready to receive visitors from India,” he added.

As part of the Seychelles-India Day media campaign, the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation has started running Seychelles-India Day celebration teasers. The teasers will run for 31 days until the official launch of the activities themselves.

The event is expected to receive more publicity in the local media in the coming days to increase awareness of the forthcoming event. 

(From l to r) Minister St Ange, HC Darlong and Mr Ramani during the press conference