"Kabhi Kabhi" at Samia Allouba's

I am at my Pilates class and trying to get a really difficult stretch right-breathe in and breathe out and stretch out a bit more-when the strains of “Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil mein..” waft across and I almost lose my balance! Why am I so amazed at hearing this song?-you may ask. Amazing it is! Since I am not at a gym in Mumbai but at Samia Allouba’s fitness classes in Cairo, Egypt! Now do you find it so unusual too? To hear one of the most romantic Hindi songs forming the backdrop for a fitness class in Cairo? But then maybe it is to be expected –after all we are in the age of globalization.

Hindi movies and the stunts of Hrithik Roshan are popular among my Egyptian friends-am always receiving requests for the DVDs of the latest Hindi movies of Hrithik and Amitabh Bacchhan! On the other hand, I heard that belly dancing is the latest craze to hit Mumbaites , a dance which has its origins in Egypt! And the Egyptian fuul and ta’amiya are tickling the taste buds of people all across the globe and the popularity of the Indian cuisine among the Egyptians is evident from the number of Indian eateries mushrooming all over Cairo.