Salim Sulaiman buzz crowds at India day

Singing siblings Salim and Sulaiman serenaded the Indian community in Uganda during the India day celebrations

One would have been mistaken to think that Kololo Independence grounds in Kampala was a small town in India as legions of Indians in Uganda came together to celebrate culture, food and music.

India day is a celebration of India's independence culture and traditions that falls on August 15. However, in Uganda, this year's India Day was celebrated on August 20.

The day's activities started with well-choreographed dances by pupils of Delhi Public, Aga Khan High, Rainbow International and Kampala Parents Schools. The dances were from Bengali, Punjabi, Maharashtra and Bollywood.

For the head of the Indian High Commissioner to Uganda Ramesh Chandra, it was a chance to bid the Indian community farewell, where he has worked for the last two years. He spoke passionately about his time working in Uganda and the close ties Uganda and India share.

The event was also a prize-giving ceremony for the Indian Achievers Awards that in different categories such as sports, academics and creative entrepreneurship. The sports field in the female category went to Jyostna Ruparelia for having won various awards in golf.

The award for Indian community ambassador of the year went to Rajesh Chaplot. He is the brain behind the festival of Diwali at State House with President Museveni and also sits on the Presidential Investor Round Table.

The Vice-President H.E Edward Ssekandi represented President Museveni who was the guest-of-honour. Ssekandi read the president's speech and also presented a framed photo to the outgoing ambassador Dr Ramesh Chandra from President Museveni.

When the speeches were done, there was a magnificent fireworks display that lasted five minutes and also ushered in Salim and Sulaiman, the highlight of the day's entertainment, to the eagerly waiting multitudes. 

Salim, dressed in a white shirt with black pants, hit the stage to a thunderous applause from his fans. For about 10 minutes, he held his enthusiasts hostage with his music.

The second part of the show saw Salim introduce Sulaiman together with the whole band members that included Vipul Mehta, Bhoomi Trivedi and Raj Pandit.

Children, women and men all crammed around the stage to get a glimpse of the Bollywood stars. The duo has sang Shukran Allah, Bismillah and Khaliphan, among others.

The musical duo collaborated with South African singer Loyiso Bala and Kenyan singer and songwriter Eric Wainaina to record the anthem for 2010 FIFA World Cup, Africa - You're A Star.

The theme of this year's celebration was unity in diversity and the Indian Association that is the umbrella society organised the day's event.   

When the curtain closed on the concert, it marked an end of the day's festivities, with chants of ‘Jai Hind', which is a salutation, slogan, and battle cry most commonly used in India to indicate patriotism towards India that can be loosely translated as "Victory to India" or "Long live India".