in 2020. The Muscat International Book Fair has also consistently showcased Indian authors and their works, making India the focus of their event in 2015 when the fair was accompanied by a series of talks and workshops on Indian literature. Khalid al Belushi of Sultan Qaboos University has been translating contemporary short stories by writers of Indian origin, particularly Bharati Mukherjee and Jhumpa Lahiri. His translation of Omani poet Saif al Rahbi’s “Indians in Dawn’s light” references India thus:
هذه اللحظة امللمومة عىل بعضها
This moment rolled upon itself Like ruins of a decayed body
كأجزاء جثة أدركها التفسخ
As usual I can’t glance at the morning’s face
ال أملح طلعة الصباح كالعادة ) (لقد تأخر
(It has lagged behind)
Before the window,
أمام النافذة يتدفق الهنود
Out flow Indians
حاملني نعش بوذا
Carrying Buddha’s coffin Washed in the Ganga,
مضمخاً مبياه الغانج
Waiting like me
منتظرين مثيل نهارا ً آخر
For another day But with peace and a sacred death….17
.لكن بطأمنينة وموت مقدس
Sartorial and culinary connections The seamless cultural contact between India and Oman is evident at every level of cultural life, including dress, culinary traditions and habits. The dishdasha, the traditional Omani menswear is accompanied with the wizar, akin to the lungi commonly worn in southern India, particularly Kerala. A cotton wrap running down the length until the ankle, the wizar is a common attire among fishermen all along the Indian Ocean communities. The tarbusha, a tassel attached along the collar is often dipped in oud or Omani frankinscence. The Omani turban (mussar) was for a long time exclusively made and exported from Kashmir. The mussar is a square fabric, produced and embroidered in Kashmir. The particulars of color, cut, embellishment, and manner of wearing these pieces reveal historical connections with East Africa and the Indian 17 al Belushi, K (2016). ‘Indians in Dawn’s Light’. p. 26. 120