Speech of Dr Ausaf Sayeed, Consul General on the Occasion of
Kerala Utsavam
 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 Good evening to all of you!

            I am extremely delighted to attend the Kerala-Utsovam being organised by the Kerala Pravasis as part of the ‘India Week’ celebrations.  

            On this joyous and momentous occasion, I would like to extend my warm greetings and felicitations to all Keralites residing in the western province of Saudi Arabia as well as in other places.

            The over 2 million Malayalees working in the Gulf have made the country proud by contributing significantly to their motherland as well as to their host countries by their sincerity, dedication and hard work. Everyone recognises the contribution of Keralites. In fact, the Keralites have become the identifiable face of Indians in this part of the world.

 The state of Kerala enjoys a unique status in the history of India. Kerala has served as the doorway for the entry of three of the world’s major religions viz., Judaism, Christianity and Islam into the Indian sub-continent. What inspired me most about Kerala is the unique binding factor of its language transcending religious affinities. I, thus, see   Kerala a role-model for communal harmony and co-existence of different faiths. Another important factor of Kerala is that it enjoys 100% literary rate and this makes its people display political awareness and maturity of highest order. 

  Endowed with natural beauty and a rich cultural heritage, no wonder this gorgeous state with its bountiful natural splendour has been rightly christened as ‘God’s Own Country’ and one of the fifty must-see destinations of the world.

  I am confident that the Kerala-utsavam would definitely expose these multi-facet characteristics and attract non-Keralites and in particular our Saudi brothers to visit this great state.

 I take this opportunity to congratulate to congratulate the Malayali community and extend my best wishes for today’s programme.  Thank you