Embassy of Israel in India unveils symbolic street-art mural to mark 30 years of India-Israel friendship

New Delhi: To mark the 30 years of diplomatic relations between Israel and India, the Embassy of Israel in India unveiled a symbolic street-art mural on Monday in collaboration with Delhi Street Art to conceive and execute a wall art project.

Israeli envoy to India Naor Gilon along with Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakashi Lekhi unveiled a mural at Connaught Place in Delhi, which depicts and pays tribute to Indian-Jewish actresses who made a mark in the early years of Indian cinema.

Pleasure to unveil the murals of Pramila, Nadira & Sulochana, 3 remarkable Indian Cinema Personalities with Jewish connection, at CP.

I thank @IsraelinIndia for taking the initiative & highlighting the connection b/w our 2 countries in the field of cinema#30yearsofIndiaIsrael pic.twitter.com/WZF2xuV6xU

— Meenakashi Lekhi (@M_Lekhi) April 25, 2022

According to a statement issued by the Embassy, the mural is a tribute to the deep-rooted cultural relations between Israel and India. During the event, Ambassador Naor Gilon said thanked Meenakashi Lekhi, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), and Delhi Street Art.

“We hope that passersby in this corner will be inspired by these characters; women from a small community who have paved a path for other women to be bold and fearless, and left a mark on what is today, the largest film industry in the world, Bollywood,” the Israeli envoy said further.

“This project is one of a series of events to mark 30 years of diplomatic relations between India and Israel, but as you can see, the relations between our communities have been strong, long before,” he added.

Speaking at the event, Meenakashi Lekhi said that this project represents the shared history and friendship between India and Israel.

“I congratulate the people of both nations as together we celebrate 75 years of India’s independence and 30 years of our diplomatic relations”, the MoS said.
The mural was designed by Delhi Street Art’s founder Yogesh Saini and his team of artists. It took them seven days to prepare the art.

To mark 30 years of diplomatic relations between #Israel and #India, special murals of 3 prominent Indian Jewish actresses who made a mark in Indian cinematic history were unveiled today by @NaorGilon & @M_Lekhi at Connaught Place.#IndiaIsraelAt30 pic.twitter.com/tCGsZFBYDC

— Israel in India (@IsraelinIndia) April 25, 2022

“This mural is the fruition of several months of conceptualising, planning and designing. Both India and Israel have been blessed with empowered women in every professional field. We have chosen to represent some of these trendsetting women from the early days of Indian cinema who brought the best of both cultures to the silver screen,” Yogesh Saini founder of Delhi Street Art said at the event.

Through the artwork, three prominent Indian-Jewish actresses who made a mark in the Indian cinematic history include – Esther Victoria Abraham- Pramila, Sulochana – Ruby Myers and Nadira- Florence Ezekiel.