Dubai, Aug 11: An Indian schoolteacher in Oman is holding a unique exhibition of his paintings to commemorate 5,000 years of relationship between India and Oman.

Kanak Mitra's exhibition of 25 oil paintings besides other collage works and drawings has drawn accolades from Omanis and Indians alike.

The exhibition, inaugurated by India's Ambassador to Oman, Ashok Kumar Attri, at the Omani Centre for Fine Arts in capital Muscat, will run till Thursday.

Mitra, who teaches at the Indian School Wadi Kabir in Muscat, told the Times of Oman newspaper, "Many expressed their delight at my paintings and for an artist such valued appreciation counts a lot. And it was a very lively affair."

He said that his paintings depicted "a universal truth, common to both countries and everyone's heart".

Some paintings were done in totally Indian style and imbued aspects of Indian dance and music.

Mitra, who holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Visva Bharati university, Santiniketan, has held a number of exhibitions of his works since 1983.

India's ties with Oman can be traced back to the ancient times with records of Indian merchants doing trade with that Gulf nation. Artefacts from the Indus valley civilisation have also been discovered in eastern Oman.

Today there are over 300,000 Indians in Oman.