A Passage to India festival, organised by the Indian Cultural Centre (ICC) at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) Park, was cancelled due to inclement weather forecast, the organisers said on Friday.
Though the two-day event started on Thursday afternoon, it was disrupted by heavy winds and a strong downpour later, forcing the organisers to suspend the festivities around 8.30pm.
It was expected that the event would take place on Friday afternoon following the sunny weather. However, the Qatar Meteorology Department had forecast strong winds in the evening, forcing the organisers and the authorities to rethink on the feasibility of holding the programme
ICC president Girish Kumar told Gulf Times that the show was cancelled on the directives from the authorities concerned on the basis of the weather forecast.
Kumar said it was a huge disappointment for the community as members had put in considerable time and effort over several weeks preparing for the event.
“This year it was supposed to be a mega event. We thought we would be able to highlight several key Indian cultural items during the event. However, the weather spoiled the whole party,” the ICC official said.
Kumar noted that there were several artists who had come from India for the programme. “They will be in Qatar until April 19. They are giving a performance at Katara on Saturday.”
According to the ICC president, the organisation is thinking of conducting the event later this year. “I am in discussion with various community members if a feasible date can be arranged to hold the event. We will soon decide on this matter.”
The adverse weather conditions caused considerable damage to the show, bringing down a number of pavilions at the venue. The roof cover on the main stage also came off the support poles.