spin:Layout 1 5/27/2011 4:41 PM Page 1 INDIA REVIEW SPECIAL EDITION CELEBRATING CELEBRATING CELEBRATING a Civilization a Civilization MESSAGEfinal:Layout 1 5/28/2011 7:02 PM Page 1 march 1–20, 2011 G the kennedy center, washington, dc MESSAGEfinal:Layout 1 5/28/2011 7:02 PM Page 2 MESSAGE AMBASSADOR OF INDIA 2107 MASSACHUSETTS AVE. N.W WASHINGTON. D.C. 20008 April 4, 2011. Meera Shankar Ambassador of India The ‘maximum lNDlA’ festival hosted by the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in cooperation with the Indian Council of Cultural Relations and the Embassy from March 1-20, 2011 was a resounding success. As a co-sponsor of the festival, the Embassy was proud to be associated with ‘maximum lNDIA’. A festival of this magnitude to present India’s arts and culture in the U.S. was held after a gap of twenty five years. Our American friends were able to see and experience the rich diversity of art and culture from different parts of India under one roof — Indian dance, music, theatre, crafts, cuisine, literature and cinema. The milling crowds and sold out performances were a testimony to the tremendous interest and goodwill that Indian culture enjoys in the United States. ‘maximum INDlA’ also served as a unique opportunity for the people of India and the United States to rejoice in the steadily strengthening partnership between our two great democracies. I would like to congratulate Chairman David Rubenstein, President Michael Kaiser, Vice-President Alicia Adams and their entire team at the Kennedy Centre for their flawless execution of this large-scale project. lt not only required hard work, but also a great deal of imagination and creativity. This was evident, not only in the way the programme was conceived but also in the way the Kennedy Centre was transformed into a magical piece of India, with all its colour and energy. Meera Shankar Ambassador of India CELEBRATING a Civilization MESSAGEfinal:Layout 1 5/28/2011 7:02 PM Page 3 MESSAGE ADDITIONAL SECRETARY MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS DIRECTOR GENERAL INDIAN COUNCIL FOR CULTURAL RELATIONS (ICCR) The “Maximum India” at the Kennedy Center from 1-20 March 2011 has, according to every indication and report, exceeded all expectations both in terms of the response of the discriminating art connoisseurs of not just Washington but other parts of the USA and the range of Indian cultural forms on display. It was particularly an outstanding moment for me to be present at the opening ceremony of the event on March 1. The presence of a large number of eminent Americans, the distinctive format of performances and the rich presentation of various aspects of the Indian culture added a new dimension Suresh K Goel to the interaction between Indian culture and the American audience. Director General It is not very often that so many well known artistes from India gather under Indian Council for Cultural one roof and provide a continuum of performances across the spectrum of Relations (ICCR) genres. ICCR was particularly delighted to be a partner in this effort. Some of the groups sponsored by the ICCR did manage to travel to other cities thus expanding their footprints. “Maximum India” succeeded beyond all imagination in charting a new journey of American mind into Indian culture. It demonstrated in a unique manner the interest which the people of the USA have in interacting with India at a cultural and intellectual level. Both these are important in enhancing our relations which have gathered considerable strength during the recent years. I convey my best compliments to the President of the Kennedy Center, Mr. Michael M. Kaiser and more particularly Ms. Alicia Adams, the festival curator for this gigantic and most elegant project. Suresh K Goel Director General CELEBRATING a Civilization MESSAGEfinal:Layout 1 5/28/2011 7:02 PM Page 4 MESSAGE Message from Michael M. Kaiser The maximum INDIA festival raised the bar for successful international festivals at the Kennedy Center. We saw on a daily basis for three weeks, lines that snaked around the building as people waited to get into theaters for performances. The enthusiasm and response were beyond what we had imagined but I suppose with a country with an arts and culture heritage so rich, we should have expected that all of the performances would play to capacity and sometimes more than capacity audiences. Over the three-week period of the festival, the Kennedy Center hosted 530 artists participating in 65 performances. There were a total of 77 offerings in- cluding film and literature and more than 300,000 people came through our doors for the festival. Wonderful exhibitions lined our grand halls and public spaces and there were nearly 4,000 meals provided to the artists by the 12 Taj chefs who were here for the duration of the festival. Our education programs are vital to any of our festivals and for maximum INDIA, we had a full array of programs to offer to schools, teachers, students including those that were online and interactive. Also, there were special performances for the festival that were part of our Theater for Young Audiences Michael M. Kaiser, series. Twenty-one of the free performances remain, in their entirety, archived on our website for future viewing by anyone who wishes to experience the President vibrancy of Indian culture. It is through our education programs that we are The John F. Kennedy Center able to provide context for the performances on our stages and to increase the for the Performing Arts knowledge about the country and the culture for all learners both students and adults. As a non-profit organization we must raise money to present performers on our stages and volunteers are a very important part of the equation to balancing our budgets. For maximum INDIA, the Kennedy Center relied on the assistance of 323 volunteers, of which almost 100 were of Indian descent. I think that this speaks volumes to the engagement by the Indian American community in the festival and the Center’s embrace of its local community. We are grateful to the Embassy and Ambassador Shankar for her support and for our partnership with ICCR, which enhanced our programming offerings with eight talented groups. The American Embassy in Delhi under the stewardship of Ambassador Tim Roemer was also an important partner and advocate for the festival. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Indian artists and to including them in the future in our ongoing series. Michael M. Kaiser, President The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts CELEBRATING a Civilization MESSAGEfinal:Layout 1 5/28/2011 7:02 PM Page 5 MESSAGE The Making of a Festival: “Maximum India” The idea for this festival germinated almost a decade ago, when the Kennedy Alicia Adams, Center decided to focus its festivals on Asia. As we made plans to pursue this Vice President artistic course — which included China, Japan, the Middle East and the Arab The John F. Kennedy Center World — it became clear that India would be the jewel at the end of our Silk for the Performing Arts Road journey. In 2006, discussions began with the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC, and with the Director General of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in Delhi. Then in 2007, the National School of Drama extended an invitation to their festival in Delhi, and I was able to send a member of my staff; thus began our travel, research and connection to the sub-continent. We made many trips during the following years, discovering India through performances, meetings with various cultural entities and seeking advice and information. This of course led us to many more performers and cultural agents in cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Jaipur, Agra, Bengaluru and Kochi. Ultimately, I made a selection of artists and participants that I felt would be representative and reflective of the art and culture of India in the areas of the performing arts (music, dance and theater), visual and literary arts, film, fashion, food and crafts. As I traveled to different regions of the country, I discovered India’s rich cultural diversity, and it became imperative to reflect that variety in my choices in order for them to constitute a representative portrayal of India’s arts and culture. Given that India is a vast country with many, many talented and deserving artists, it was difficult to pare the selection down to the 530 who were ultimately chosen. My background and interest in dance led me to include more dance artists in “Maximum India” than in previous festivals I have curated. I was so moved by the artistry of the dancers and wanted our audiences to see the best representa- tion of Indian classical dance in many of its forms including Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Kuchipudi and Odissi. Performances by such great dancers as Madhavi Mudgal, Alarmel Valli, Malavika Sarukkai, Priyadarsini Govind, Nrityagram, Shantala Shivalingappa and Daksha Sheth generated a response and enthusiasm that led to sold-out performances. My hope was to have American audiences deepen their experience and appreciation of Indian classical dance, and I believe that happened. Musicians such as Zakir Hussain, L. Subramaniam, Kailash Kher and the CELEBRATING a Civilization MESSAGEfinal:Layout 1 5/28/2011 7:02 PM Page 6 MESSAGE Manganiyar; theater and film artists Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das and Sharmila Tagore; literary giants Salman Rushdie, Suketu Mehta and Nayantara Sahgal; visual artists Jatin Das, Jitish and Rena Kallat, Bharti Kher and the jewels of the Gem Palace made for a stellar line up that individually and collectively contributed mightily to the festival’s success.