Embassy of India 

Muscat

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Press Release

Embassy of India unveils a landmark Lecture Series 

FROM MANDVI TO MUSCAT: 

INDIAN COMMUNITY AND THE SHARED HISTORY OF INDIA AND OMAN

The history of Indian communities in Oman goes back several hundred years and stands as a unique feature of the time-tested bonds of friendship between Indian and Omani people. The Indian community has significantly contributed to Oman's cultural and economic landscape for generations. Some of these trading families still exist today and many of them can trace direct descent from these early trading families. Their stories of resilience, hard work and adaptability are important oral documents which need to be preserved for posterity.. 

2. To celebrate the contributions of the Indian community in strengthening India-Oman relations and for bringing their history to the wider public, the Embassy has launched a landmark lecture series titled 'farom Mandvi to Muscat: Indian Community and the Shared History of India and Oman', in association with the National Museum of Oman and Oman Historical Association.

3. The series was inaugurated on October 19th by Hon'ble Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs of India H.E. V Muraleedharan at the National Museum in the presence of dignitaries and distinguished members of the Omani society. The inaugural  lecture was delivered by Dr. M. Redha Bhacker on the topic "Indian Ocean Trade in the 18th and 19th Century". 

4. The series is scheduled to run from October 2023 to April 2024 and will celebrate and document the civilizational and people to people connection between India and Oman from multiple perspectives. The series will be a set of public talks by distinguished academics, historians and anthropologists who will offer perspectives on the India-Oman historical relations. The focus will be on early traders and their individual life stories, the dhow as the carrier of trade and culture, as well as the role of Indian traders in expanding networks along the Indian Ocean. The lectures will also focus on the lesser explored aspect of women in Indian diaspora, centering their narratives of travel and belonging. 

5. The papers presented will be compiled and released as a book with the conclusion of the lecture series.