EAM Jaishankar Gets A Surprise In Israel, Treated To Bollywood Songs At Special Gathering

Dina Samte, a blind Indian Jewish girl from the Bnei Menashe community, sang hits from Bollywood movies Kal Ho Na Ho and Kuchh Kuchh Hota Hai which left the minister and his delegation emotional. 

Israel Foreign Minister Yair Lapid with External Affair Minister S. Jaishankar (Twitter)

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his delegation were given a warm welcome with a surprise performance on Monday. They were treated to hit popular Bollywood numbers at the Centre for Persons with Disabilities in Israel. 

Dina Samte, a blind Indian Jewish girl from the Bnei Menashe community, who is a part of the Shalva band, sang hits from Bollywood movies Kal Ho Na Ho and Kuchh Kuchh Hota Hai which left the minister and his delegation emotional. 

Hon. MEA @DrSJaishankar was in for a surprise today!

A visually impaired Indian-Jewish girl welcomed the FM & sang hit songs from #Bollywood movies at Shalva National Centre in @Israel, which left the minister and his delegation emotional.

Credit: Michael Dimenstein/GPO pic.twitter.com/kuGPCudXEm

— Israel in India (@IsraelinIndia) October 18, 2021

Israel's Alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid hosted a lunch for Jaishankar at the Shalva Centre, which extends care for individuals with disabilities providing them with tools for social inclusion.

The Shalva National Center's advanced programmes and facilities create new frontiers in disability rehabilitation, research, and inclusion; defining new standards in the field and impacting the world beyond those in Shalva's direct care. The organisation is known for providing equal access and opportunity to all participants regardless of religion, ethnic background, or financial capability.

Shalva provides an all-encompassing range of services for thousands of people with disabilities from infancy to adulthood and their families. Its comprehensive life-cycle programming provides leading-edge therapies, inclusive educational frameworks, social and recreational activities, employment training, and independent living, as well as respite and family support.

Samte, who immigrated to Israel from Manipur in 2007 has the unprecedented honour to have been chosen to light a torch at Israel's Independence Day official state ceremony a few years back.

EAM, Jaishankar, also visited the Israel Museum where he would be seeing the replica of the Kudavumbagam Cochini synagogue, the section on Indian art section and also the Dead Sea scrolls. He interacted with some young members of the Cochini Jewish community.

Visited the Kadavumbagam Synagogue at the Israel Museum. So happy to meet the younger members of the Cochini-Jewish community there. pic.twitter.com/NR1yDKkcQE

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) October 18, 2021