Ambassador of India Rahul Kulshreshth with singer Reem Ezz El-Din and director of Zai Zaman group Ahmed Hassan
At a ceremony titled “Bharatiya Divas” (India Day), Ambassador of India in Cairo Rahul Kulshreshth handed over a letter of appreciation from Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj to Reem Ezz El-Din for singing in the Gujarati language as a member of Zai Zaman musical group.
El-Din sang the Gujarati song “Vaishnav Jan To Tene Kahiye” (One who is a Vaishnav knows the pain of others), as part of celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi.
The ceremony took place at the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture located in Zamalek on Wednesday, 9 January.
Ezz El-Din is a dentist who started singing at the Cairo Opera House and then joined Zai Zaman group and currently is a main member in Ayamna Al-Helwa band.
As part of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi, artists from over 124 countries contributed musically, paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi through the hymn, "Vaishnav Jan To Tene Kahiye", written by Indian monk Narsimha Mehta (1409-1480), a "poet saint" from Gujarat.
The Gujarati hymn was one of Gandhi’s favourites who included it into the roster of prayers routinely sung before his meetings.
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