Monday, May 2 2005 18:24 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Houston: India's vibrant culture, diverse cuisine, exotic music and dances and ethnic clothes attracted nearly 2,00,000 visitors to the Houston International Festival in Houston during the last two weekends.

The colourful annual extravaganza, which drew to a close yesterday (May 1, 2005) focused this year on India with artistes from the country showcasing their talents in a traditional ambience at a venue spread for over 16 acres in downtown Houston.

"Perfect weather all four days and moving of iFest back to downtown drew an enthusiastic" crowd of at least 2,00,000 people, including volunteers, sponsors and children, said Robert Sakowtiz, chairman of the festival yesterday.

Sakowitz attributed the strong turnout to several factors, including the "exotic" appeal of India for the many local residents, who wanted to learn more about the heritage and culture of the world's most populous democracy.

"The response was more than we had even expected. People really were interested in seeing what India is all about," Sakowtiz said.

Appreciating the support from the Indian community and looking at the response of the masses, Sakowitz said, "From next year onwards we will keep India Stage going, it will be a permanent feature to make this community feel at home."

"Everything was done keeping in mind the sense and sensibilities of over 100,000 people of this community", said a community member.

iFest, as it is popularly known, has grown into one of the nation's largest urban festivals, with cultural entertainment and a music line-up, that can rival any such event from around the world, organisers claimed.