The Programme Wing's activities of bilateral cultural interactions and exchanges continued and covered twenty-two countries: Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Hungary, R.O.Korea, Morocco, Nepal, Romania, Singapore, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, the UK and the USA
In the field of performing arts, the forms covered included : Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Bhartanatyam, Hindustani vocal, carnatic vocal, Bhojpuri songs, Qawwali, theatre, puppet theatre, mohan veena instrumental, sitar instrumental, percussion instrumental, folk dances & ballet
Indian cultural presentations were held in several cities in Bangladesh, Nepal, Singapore, Brunei, Morocco, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Hungary, France, the USA, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago and Brazil. Artistes from Bangladesh visited India during the last week of the month for performances in the Capital and other cities
The Council facilitated the travel of Indian scholars and artists to several countries for lecture tours and interaction with their counterparts during exhibitions and international festivals. Destinations included: Australia, the USA, Switzerland, China, ROKorea, the UK, Argentina, Colombia, France & Germany
The Council's prestigious Retrospectives series featured a Kathak dance presentation (8th) by Kum Kum Dhar and a Mohan-Veena recital (18th) by Grammy award recipient maestro Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt at Tagore Hall
The popular Horizon series, presented Hindustani vocal (12th), Odissi (19th) and Qawwali (26th) recitals
Spur of the Month:
We can't all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by
Events in New Delhi
* 8th June : Tagore Hall :Retrospectives Series : Kum Kum Dhar : Kathak dance recital
* 18th June : Tagore Hall :Retrospectives Series : Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt : Mohan Veena recital
* 19th June : Tagore Hall : Horizon Series : Odissi dance recital : Meera Das
* 22nd June : Kamani : Music and Dance Group "Shadhona" from Bangladesh: ballet "Chandalika"
* 26th June : Tagore Hall : Horizon Series : Qawwali recital : Ghulam Hussain Niyazi and party
Events in Other Cities
"Shadhona" group from Bangladesh : in : Lucknow (24th & 25th) & Calcutta (27th)
* Buenos Aires, Argentina : Exhibition of Indian contemporary paintings : in collaboration with the National Gallery of Modern Art ( New Delhi ) and the National Museum of Oriental Art ( Buenos Aires ) : inauguration on 24th June at the Centro Cultural Borges*
* The travelling exhibition of Indian graphics continued in Bucharest, Romania*
* Participation in the Singapore Festival: Drums of Kerala : Thymbka Percussion *
* Kathak recitals by Ram Mohan Mishra & Neelima Azeem in Brunei*
* Special Recitals in Bangladesh : Kathak by Kum Kum Dhar ; Mohan Veena by Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and Hindustani vocal by Malini Rajurkar*
* Folk dances from Rajasthan: Ustad Nizamuddin Langa: Boise River Festival, the USA*
* Bharatanatyam: Malvika Sarrukai: (finished her tour) in Singapore*
* Sitar recitals: Pt. Debu Chaudhuri: (continued) in Morocco, Hungary, Bosnia-Herzegovina & France*
+ICCR travel assistance was provided to :
> Hindustani vocal : Gangubai Hangal : Belgium & France
> Puppet Theatre: Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandal: France
> Theatre : National School of Drama : Nepal
> Theatre : Mahatma vs Gandhi : U.K.
> Carnatic vocal : O.S. Arun : Singapore festival
> Kathakali (fusion project): Kerala Kala Mandalam: France
> Kuchipudi : Vempati Chinna Satyam : USA
> Kathak : Kadamb : Brazil+++
Distinguished Visitors
*The Council's guests during June included a delegation of six students from the UK who won prizes in a literary contest on India*
*Distinguished artists and scholars assisted by the Council to travel abroad included : Prof M L Sondhi (lecture tour in the USA), Shrimati & Shri Satish Gujral (exhibitions in Australia), Shri SKN Nair (NCAER; to participate in an international seminar in Switzerland), Prof R R Krishnan (School of International Studies, JNU; Symposium on India in the ROKorea), Shri Sunil Gangopadhyay (writer; to participate in the programme "Meet the Author" in the U.K.), Prof SP Ganguly (School of Languages, JNU; lecture tour of Argentina), Shri Ramakant Rath (poet; to participate in an international festival in Colombia), Shri Neeraj Goswami (artist; exhibition in France) Prof Partha Nath Mukherjee (Director, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai: celebrations of Beijing University) and Prof SR Kidwai (to deliver lectures on Ghalib at Heidelberg University, Germany)*
