NOV. – DEC. 2013 VOL 1 ISSUE 1

INDIAN COUNCIL FOR CULTURAL RELATIONS Newsletter

Inaugural Issue

Message of Dr. Karan Singh, President ICCR

During the various meetings, including of the General Assembly and Governing Body, members had expressed a need for regular dissemination of information about the ICCR’s activities. To strengthen our commutations with our various stake holders, ICCR is launching a bi-monthly newsletter with this issue. Through this newsletter we hope to keep you posted on the intellectual, cultural, social, educational and artistic dimensions of ICCR’s work both in India and abroad. We sincerely hope that you will enjoy the regular update and find it useful. We also look forward to receiving your comments and suggestions to improve this newsletter which will be widely disseminated electronically.

Shri Satish C. Mehta, takes over as the Director General, ICCR

Shri Satish C. Mehta, on return from Kuwait where he served as Ambassador of India, assumed charge as Director General, ICCR on 22nd November 2013. Shri Mehta joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1983 and has served in various capacities in France, Ivory Coast, Italy, Haiti (With the UN Peace Keeping Operation), Permanent Mission of India to UN, New York, Israel, Canada and Kuwait. At headquarters, he has served as Under Secretary (BSM) Division, OSD (PR), Director, Prime Minister’s Office and Joint Secretary (North).

Governing Body and the General Assembly Meetings of ICCR The meetings of the Governing Body and the General Assembly of ICCR were held on 20th December, 2013 at Azad Bhavan, New Delhi, chaired by Dr. Karan Singh, President, ICCR. After welcoming the members, in particular the new Foreign Secretary, and

Director General, ICCR, Dr. Karan Singh drew attention to the ICCR’s activities which had seen a manifold rise over the last five years. A special mention was made of ICCR’s cultural highlights of the past year, such as the International Dance Festival, the South Asian Band Festival, the Europalia Festival and the Interfaith Conference on the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. The discussions covered ICCR’s activities and

measures to raise new resources, including through Public Private Partnership. The Annual Report, presented to the two bodies, is available on ICCR’s website. www.iccrindia.net.

Europalia.India: India’s impressive cultural extravaganza A tie-up between the Government of India and Europalia International culminating in the Europalia.India Festival which was flagged off on 4 October, 2013. It was jointly inaugurated by H.E. Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Hon’ble President of India, along with their Majesties The King and Queen of the Belgians. The four – month long rich and diverse extravaganza showcases India’s enormous and varied cultural wealth.

The inaugural programme comprised of a recital by the , and a dance ballet led by Ms. , which was followed by Ms. Aditi Mangaldas (Kathak), Ms. (), Ms. Priti Patel (Manipur), Mr. Sadanam Balakrishnan (Kathakali and Mohiniattam), and Ms. Uma Mahesh Vinayakram on percussion.

Europalia is a major international arts festival held every two years to celebrate one invited country‘s cultural heritage. Since 1969, Europalia has organized twenty-two international cultural festivals showcasing one culture of the world through a comprehensive programme of music, fine arts, photography, cinema, theatre, dance, literature, architecture, design, fashion, gastronomy etc. For its 24th biennial, Europalia International, and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, presented India in and around the Brussels, the capital of EU. During 4 month Festival, ICCR is sponsoring 21 performing groups to showcase the diverse culture of India including Ustad Shujaat Hussain’s Group (sitar), Dr. L. Subramaniam (violin & fusion group), Ustad (sarod), Shri Madhup Mudgal (hindustani vocal) and Ms. (bharatanatyam, for the closing ceremony).

From Our Cultural Centres Abroad

Nehru-Wangchuck Cultural Centre, Bhutan The Twin Realities of Tantra and Natya The renowned Bharatanatyam dancer Dr. Padmaja Suresh elaborated on the deep-rooted character of Indian classical dance. Dr. Suresh’s well attended lecture – demonstration was followed by a lively Q&A session. Shades of Togetherness: India-Bhutan Artists’ Camp A joint exhibition of 10 Indian and 25 Bhutanese artists, following an art camp organized by the Delhi based NGO Empowerment and the VAST Gallery, Thimphu, was held at NWCC. The exhibition generated much interest among viewers. Yoga and Music: The NWCC’s classes in Yoga and Music remain popular with enrollment clocking a commendable figure of 551.

Mexico Cultural Fest: Mexico City Contemporary music and dance were brought together in a programme choreographed and composed by maestro Shri Ilyas Khan and Ms. Kate Asmara, dance teacher. The programme was greeted with rousing cheers and applause in the packed Embassy Auditorium.

Indonesia A Slice of India at Mulawarman University, Samarinda Scintillating dances, a talk on ‘Education Scholarship in India’, a short film on India and demonstration in the yoga, tabla and violin disciplines at the university, marked the celebration of the ‘Slice of India’ evening at JNICC, Jakarta. This initiative’s success has led to repetitions at platforms of eight other universities.

Sri Lanka Bilateral Workshop on Kathak Dance & Choreography At this workshop various aspects of Kathak dance such as introduction to Kathak, meditation and dance therapy, comparison of Kandyan percussion and Kathak, music exercises, creative dance and choreography etc was taught. Around 100 students took part in this workshop. At the end of the workshop all students were awarded participation certificates.

Sao Paulo, Brazil Brahma Kumaris at Sao Paulo The ICC Sao Paulo played host to a lecture on Brahma Kumaris titled ‘Making India the Best Year of My Life’ by Dr. Ken O’Donnell, coordinator, Brahma Kumaris, South America. The event drew a huge response from visitors till the very end.

From an Indian Kitchen India’s emblematic recipes: aloo paratha and gulab jamun, were demonstrated to Brazilian enthusiasts by Ms. Harvinder Kaur. She vowed her audience with her skillful ways and insightful tips on making authentic Indian food.

Nepal

Music Rings at ICC Kathmandu A Master Class and workshop on Hindustani Classical Music was organized by Shri Kamla Kant, vocal teacher at ICC Kathmandu. Participants were acquainted with the nuances of Ghazal, Thumri and Dadra singing as also other forms of light classical music before an interested group.

Afghanistan

Kabul’s Music Links Classes for music under Ustad Gulfam Ahmad, from Sunday to Thursday, is a great hit among students. The 90 regular scholars of music are pursuing sitar, sarod, rabab, tabla and harmonium, with great proficiency. The Centre has also been looking after the ITEC Training Programme.

Egypt

Vishwa Hindi Diwas Cairo: The Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC) has seen a growing interest in the language among local Egyptian students. The celebration of Hindi Diwas was a two-hour session marked by the

reading of the Prime Minister’s message on Hindi Day. The finale was a dazzling ‘Bollywood’ dance by around 100 Egyptian students of MACIC.

Suriname

Georgetown’s Cinematic Zeal The Indian Cultural Centre Film Club screened the movie “Dirty Picture” starring and and directed by Milan Luthria, to a full house.

Russia Vishwa Hindi Diwas: Celebrations were held at the Indian Embassy, Moscow. The Ambassador of Mauritius to Russia H. E. Ms. Indira Savitree Thacoor-Sidaya was the Guest of Honour, while other guests included the Hindi teacher, Dr. Safarmo Tolibi, at the JNCC. The Centre’s students presented a cultural programme of poems, skits and songs.

The Institute of Philosophy, Moscow (under the Russian Academy of Sciences) organized a presentation of the book Art as a Vehicle –Kashmiri Shaivism by Prof. Natalya Isaeva, a leading Research Fellow of the Oriental Studies Institute, Moscow. In her

speech, Prof. Isaeva explained the contribution of the 11th century Kashmiri philosophers Abhinav Gupta and Kshemaraja, and also various rasas (aesthetics) of Indian theatre. The presentation was attended by more than 50 scholars/ theatre personalities and was followed by an interactive discussion with Prof. Isaeva.

Russian students of the Jaw aharlal Nehru Cultural Centre of the Embassy (JNCC) presented a cultural programme of various classical and folk dances of India, choreographed by JNCC’s kathak teacher.

Georgetown

Youth Programmes The Commonwealth Youth Programme and the Indian Cultural Centre, Georgetown’s dance students presented a dance item in Georgetown Club, witnessed by the Prime Minister of Guyana, The Hon’ble Samuel Hinds, his cabinet colleagues, Caribbean delegates and senior government officials. The programme received kudos from the audience.

Chairs for Indian Studies Collaborating with Indian Missions abroad, the ICCR has established Chairs in reputed universities and institutions across the world covering various aspects of Indian studies, to promote knowledge and understanding about India as also for research and related high-end academic activities. The latest group of academicians appointed as Chairs (short-term) include, Prof. S Sundarabalu (Tamil Chair at Jagiellonian University, Poland), Prof. S Arokianathan. (Warsaw University, Poland), Prof. Priyanakar Upadhyay (Indian Studies, Dublin University), and Dr. Harsh Bala Sharma (Hindi, University of Lausanne).

From Our Regional Centres in India ICCR has 20 offices in various parts of India to support over 5000 scholars, host foreign troupes, arrange Horizon series events, as also Conferences & Seminars. As part of the ‘Horizon’ series, the ICCR Regional Centres organized a plethora of programmes including: Bhubaneswar: A Kuchipudi solo recital at the Rabindra Mandap, Bhubaneswar, was inaugurated by Dr. Priyambada Mohanty, a noted Odissi expert. Jammu: The vibrant Hern Festival was an attempt to revive this ancient tradition of the region. The festival, held at the Press Club, gave the surrounding villagers a platform to showcase their art. Kolkata: A dance-drama titled “Anando Dhara Bhubone”, based on Hindi translations of Tagore’s poems, was held before an appreciative audience. The sitar recital of Debajit Chakravarty drew much acclaim. Among the host of collaborative programmes held at the Centre, included an exhibition of paintings gifted by artists to the Kolkata International Foundation for Arts. Dakshinayan UK and Dakshinee Kolkata collaborated with ICCR to present a cultural programme titled ‘Kobi O Sanyasi’. Samurai war costumes were on display in a joint venture with the Japan Foundation. A number of programmes in the field of arts, music and dance were also held in collaboration with the Indo-Bangladesh Society, Shruti Foundation, New Delhi, Visva-Bharati, among others. Guwahati: A record number of programmes have been held at the Centre by groups and individual artists. New Delhi: In addition to stage performances on a regular basis under the ‘Horizon’ series the Centre has been hosting a series of art exhibitions at the Azad Bhavan Gallery. Some of the outstanding exhibitions in this period include the works of Sangeeta Singh, depicting the common cycle-pedlar and his wares, titled ‘Chalat Musafir’ and the exciting portrayals of Sachin Tendulkar, including his iconic moment at the World Cup in the exhibition titled ‘Digital Art’ by Sanjay Mehta. ICCR’s Scholars One of the important activities of the ICCR is the implementation of scholarship schemes for overseas students. Presently, ICCR is administering 24 scholarship schemes annually, of which 8 are the Council’s and 16 administered on behalf of various divisions of MEA/other departments. These schemes cover slots offered to about 120 countries. It is a testimony to the immense popularity of the scholarship schemes that from 2008 to 2014, the total number of slots offered has gone up from around 1800 to around 3300 in 2014-15. The scholarship schemes cover a variety of courses from the undergraduate level to doctoral degrees, including professional courses such as Engineering, Pharmacy, Accountancy, Law, Business Administration and Management etc. At present, there are over 5000 ICCR scholars studying in various Indian central and state universities under these scholarship schemes. Some of the ICCR scholars are in prestigious institutes such as IITs at Roorkee, Guwahati and Mumbai, the National Institutes of Technology (NITs). In addition, the ICCR along with State governments and others, organizes Orientation Courses and other events to expose its scholars to various facets of Indian culture, customs and traditions as also extra-curricular activities, such as Summer/Winter camps. It also organizes events for scholars to present culture of their countries.

Forthcoming activities:

Book Launch: Tuesday, 04th March, 2014 - ICCR & SAGE Publications book launch “On World Religions:

Diversity, Not Dissension”.

Horizon Series for March – April 2014 Venue – Azad Bhawan Exhibitions: 14th – 25th March, 2014 – Painting exhibition by Ms. Arifa Khan, London based artist. Arifa points women that are an amalgam of bewitching beauty, strong personality, romance, a spirit of joie de vivre, and an unmistakable sensuality. 28th March – 02nd April, 2014 – Art exhibition of women artists from India and Pakistan “Colours of Hope” by Empowerment, New Delhi.

04th – 09th April, 2014 – Madhubani painting Ms. Rajni Kiran Jha, Delhi based artist. She is a Madhubani artist and got seven awards on all India level. 11th – 16th April, 2014 – Painting exhibition by Ms. Priyanka Nijhawan, Delhi based artist. He works portray human forms on life situations specially eyes. 17th – 23rd April, 2014, - Painting exhibition by Shri Supriy Sharma. His work reflects the struggle between the feelings of challenged people, specially focused on beautiful and pure imagination of challenged child and people.

25th – 30th April, 2014 – Painting exhibition by Dr. S D Shrotriya. He is a veteran artist working in traditional water colour technique since 1950. He has painted landscapes, mostly in Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand.

Dance and Music: Friday, 14 March, 2014 – Odissi dance drama presented by Ms. . Friday, 28 March, 2014 – Light classical music by Ms. Rashmi Agarwal.

Friday, 11th April, 2014 – Kathak dance performance by Ms. Mamta Maharaj. Friday, 25th April, 2014 – Hindustani Violin presentation by Asghar Hussain.

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Editor’s Name: Padam Talwar Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Azad Bhavan, I.P. Estate, New Delhi – 110002

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