Kuwait to India and India to Kuwait A Twelve-Year Old's View

Monday, February 17, 2025

As we stand at the season when life is most celebrated in Kuwait (Hala February) when I heard about this supplement, I was quite excited to express my gratitude to my second home (only in words, actually it is my first home)

Hi everyone! I am Abhiram, a 6th std student at Indian Community School, Kuwait. I thought an article would be kind of boring to write, but I was completely wrong as writing this was extremely fun ! It started with a long statement “ what is the relationship between Kuwait and India.”

My journey through the same gave me many positives of relationship between two countries. It mentioned from, trades of spices, pedigreed horses, dates and boats in olden days, life before discovery of oil in Kuwait, currency existed in Kuwait before Kuwaiti Dinar, flow of Indians to Kuwait in search of their living, hard work of Indian Expatriates to form modern Kuwait especially the efforts behind its present medical and engineering status till the latest, recent visit of Indian Prime minister Narendra Modi to Kuwait, Awarding him the nation’s highest honor, Wisam Al Mubarak Al Kabir.

But what concern does all this brings to mind of a twelve-year-old like me? For me, It is all about the time I spend playing cricket and football in the restricted space of our building’s corridor with our family like neighbors, my loving teachers and friends from school. Hmmm… May be one another thing will give you a clear picture what Kuwait is to me!!! Not only me, same might be the feeling for most of Indian kids here in Kuwait. We were born here, we breath Kuwait Oxygen first, we grew till this day here. Even though we are stamped as Indian Kids, what really beats in us is Kuwait… Then how can I call her my second home? And all of these obviously brings up a curiosity about India - Kuwait relationship in me and so here I am to present you an article about it.

So let’s get started! India and Kuwait have had a relationship since a long ago. We know about this as the pottery and jewellery here points to the commercial and cultural interaction between the two countries dating back several millennia. Prior to the discovery of oil in Kuwait, Indo–Kuwait trade revolved around dates and pedigreed horses, with Kuwaiti sailors making annual trips between the Shatt-Al-Arab and the western ports of India to conduct the trade. The horse trade was ended in 1945 after World War, following which trade turned to Pearls and Teak wood. Since 1946 oil-rice trade started and even continues today! The Diplomatic relations between the two countries had started in June 1962 when Yacoub Abdulaziz al-Rushaid came to India as the first Kuwaiti Ambassador. During the 1950s and 60s, Mumbai was a hub for many Kuwaiti businesses and the Emir himself kept a house there on the Marine Drive. There have been regular high level state visits between the two countries.

Zakir Husein in 1965, Hamid Ansari in 2009, Prime Minister Indira Ghandi in 1981and just recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi 2024 have led Indian visits to Kuwait while the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah in 1964, the Emir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in 1980 and 83 and the Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in 2006 have led state visits from Kuwait to India. During the COVID-19 pandemic, in May 2020, the Indian Government sent a 15-member rapid response team and provided medical supplies to combat the pandemic. Kuwait also provided urgent medical assistance to India including Liquid Medical Oxygen, Oxygen concentrators and ventilators in during the second wave of COVID-19 in India during May 2021.

This shows how India and Kuwait are like friends which care after each other! Indians form one of the largest expatriate communities in Kuwait numbering about 640,000 people. Their presence in white collar jobs has been increasing consistently, especially in the electronic, industrial, architectural and engineering sectors. Kuwait's Ministry of Health also employs a substantial number of Indian medics and paramedics.

Indians have been described by the Emir's special envoy as having a special space in Kuwait as "a brilliant and the least problematic expatriate community which works for the overall development of Kuwait". In the known history of both countries, we can’t even find a single line of negativeness happened to both sides. So, let’s hope that these ties will get stronger and stronger till the end of time. Thank you.

Abhiram Sisilkrishnan ,6-A,Indian Community School Amman Branch

By:

Abhiram Sisilkrishnan , 6-A, ICSK -Amman

Disclaimer: Statements and opinions expressed in the article are those of the authors and written by them; the author is solely responsible for the content in this article. IndiansinKuwait.com does not hold any responsibility for them.

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