OMAN-INDIA TIES, ACROSS SEA AND SPACE

Sunaina Ahluwalia and Asha Iyer set their novels in Oman and thus helped to establish the contours of Indian literature in Oman, a venture which is still in nascent stages but which helps to frame the expatriate experience25.

The recent work of Santhosh Gangadharan’s two novels, ‘Spinning into Oblivion’ and ‘What next?’ use the more explorative form, experimenting in time and space. These novels are historical and futuristic, based in Liwa, moving to Calicut in Kerala, involving the Omani sailor Ahmad bin Majid, moving to the Chandrayaan 8 mission to the moon. Such writing has also been recognized and encouraged by the community. In 2018, the Indian Embassy co-hosted the launch of Amita Sanghvi’s book of poems, ‘Lavender Memories’, inspired by the paintings of Ibrahim al Bakri. The Malayalam novel ‘Story as told by Sufi’, written by K P Ramanunni, was translated into Arabic by Azhar Mohammed al Harthiya, a well-known Omani author and translator, and gained much critical acclaim. The book was launched in the 25th Muscat International Book Fair.

Art and painting The art scene among Indians in Oman is vibrant and engaging. From its initial hesitant beginning in the early 1990s with artists like Jayshree Jaypal who held her first solo exhibition at the Yiti gallery, through the establishment of the Oman Fine Arts Society, the Mona Lisa Art Club, and other platforms, Indians have been actively participating in the visual art form. The medium has become one of the most popular forms of art in the Sultanate with numerous exhibitions, workshops and auctions being hosted from time to time by various governmental and social organizations. Artists like Rashmi Doria and Sheffy Tattarath have been conducting workshops and participating in various art events over the years. An Indian artist, Hina Kothari won the best painting award in 2008 for her portrait of the late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos. Other events included a joint exhibition with Australian-Indian artists in 2012. By 2018, the Indian Social Club established ‘Rangrez’, its art club, in coordination with which various local resident talent has been showcased. Events like the Small Arts Exhibition and the Affordable Art Fair are becoming increasingly popular events in the city. More recently, the Indian Embassy in Muscat partnered with Omani Society for Fine Arts (OSFA) to organize a joint Oman-India Exhibition for Contemporary Arts from September 25-28, 2019. The event, curated by Tarini Aggarwal was supported by Indian Council for Cultural Relations and Indian Social Club through its newly formed ‘Rangrez Artists Group’. As part of this exhibition, five eminent artists each from Oman and India exhibited their works. The exhibition was also educational as it included workshops and live paintings.

25 For more information on Indian creative artists in Oman, See S. R. Mehta (2012) ‘Connecting Across the Sea: Imaginative Creations of the Indian Diaspora in Oman’.

124