As a diplomat, her appointment to head the Indian Cultural Central in Cairo was professionally a special post. But now, after more than four years in Egypt, where she has witnessed a turning point in the history of this country, it turns out to have been an exceptional experience that she will never forget. "Cultural activities have always been part of my diplomatic duties, but to run the Indian Cultural Centre in a culturally rich country like Egypt is, of course, not an easy task,” says Suchitra Durai, Director of the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture. Suchitra's career has included working in Indian embassies in Spain, Vienna and Argentina. "In all my postings I have mixed cultural activities with diplomatic, political and commercial duties. “But in Egypt, my main duty has been to foster the relations between the two countries through the medium of culture, which is the best way to bring people together,” she adds, stressing that the fact that the Indian Cultural Centre in Cairo was the first such centre to open in this region shows how much importance India gives to Egypt. "Of course before coming I had some fears, as I didn't know the language. But, when I arrived, I soon noticed the natural interests of Egyptians in India. I found no obstacles at all and was lucky to have a good base to build on.” Suchitra soon knuckled down to work, launching new programmes and co-operating with Egyptian cultural institutions and even other foreign missions in organising activities in different Egyptian governorates. While doing her duty to introduce her country's culture, she has found herself diving into the Arab and Egyptian cultures, searching for what they have in common. “That's why we've had activities such as exhibitions on the Nile and Ganga rivers, and seminars on the traditional musical instruments of India and Egypt,” she explains. And, while the 18 day revolution in Egypt was an excuse to halt almost all the cultural activities in Egypt for some time, Suchitra, whose cultural centre is located just a few minutes' walk from Tahrir Square, insisted on carrying on with her work and keeping the centre open. "We had to change the times of our classes because of the curfew, but it was business as usual,” said Suchitra, who was not afraid and did her best to support India's Egyptian friends. Unlike many other foreigners, she stresses that she was not perturbed by the revolution and the perceived lack of security. "We come from a country with a huge population, that has witnessed many challenges. The Egyptian people are very similar to our people in a lot of ways, and our message to our people in Egypt was not to panic. "Like many people, I was taken aback by what happened, as it was unexpected, but I know the Egyptians well, so I realised there was nothing to fear.” In the wake of the revolution, during the transition and the accompanying political tension, Suchitra stuck to her mission and nothing prevented her from completing her planned activities. "I had to reorient some of the activities and explore new areas. And I was delighted to be here when we were celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Indian poet Tagore,” she adds. Suchitra, whose main area of academic expertise is literature, was the perfect hostess for several activities held over 12 months to celebrate Tagore. These festivities, that involved co-operation with the Egyptian side, were like a big stone thrown into a stagnant ‘cultural pool' and stirring it up. It was the perfect opportunity for Suchitra to do what she loves doing, exploring what Egypt and India have in common. The meeting between Tagore and Egyptian poet Ahmed Shawqi was one of the themes highlighted in the festivities. She is also interested in women's issues and believes that Egyptian women are really second to none. “Throughout their history, they have played a prominent role in their country and I have no reason to worry about them.” There has been much tension in the past 16 months, making many people frustrated, but Suchitra insists on not getting frustrated and carrying on usual. "Being here at this time has been an amazing experience for me,” she stresses. Egyptians suffer from things like traffic jams and pollution, but what she really admires about them is their positive attitude and cheerfulness in spite of it all. "They have always been cheerful, even before the revolution, which just goes to show the strength of the Egyptians and their civilisations.”
