• In a fitting finale to its activities during the year long 50th Independence Anniversary Celebrations, the ICCR's bilateral cultural interactions during the month of August alone encompass as many as 48 countries in all the continents of the globe. The Council's efforts include :
  • Presentations by 21 empanelled troupes of the Council in 36 countries : these include special performances at Independence Day functions and participation in international festivals with special focus on India
  • As many as 27 performances by 15 foreign troupes, especially visiting the country for the celebrations, in 13 cities around India
  • The inauguration of a unique exhibition, "Treasures of India Art", on special loan from the Berlin Museum.

• Residents of the National Capital will have the opportunity of witnessing presentations by visiting artistes from Ireland, Slovakia, South Africa, Mauritius & Sri Lanka. On display at the Kamani Auditorium on the days of these performances will be a representative selection of photographs taken during the visits of the more than 60 foreign cultural troupes hosted by the ICCR during the 50th Anniversary celebrations. At the concluding ceremonies on 15th August being organised by the Government of Delhi, four cultural groups from Asia (Singapore, Republic of Korea, Thailand & Sri Lanka) will be participating in a special "Asian Pageant" component, at the invitation of the Council.

• Exhibitions sponsored by the Council continue in Austria and Argentina. During the month of August, the Council's distinguished guests in India include the Director of the Contemporary China Research Centre of the City University of Hong Kong. The ICCR is facilitating the travel of Indian scholars and artists to several countries for lecture tours and interaction with their counterparts during conferences, exhibitions and international festivals. Destinations include Japan, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Switzerland, Surinam, Trinidad & Tobago & the USA
  

• The Horizon platform for young artistes features a Bharatanatyam recital by Radhika Ganju, a disciple of Smt S Kanaka, at the ICCR's Tagore Hall on Friday, 28th August.
  

• 

  Media comment: New Delhi

  The Hindu, 31 July: The ICCR's statistics of cultural exchange programmes for this year of our golden anniversary of Independence make impressive reading. But for shirking all bureaucratic foot dragging and for having the sensitive imagination to pursue and sponsor a programme with determination, one would give plaudits for ICCR's sponsorship of "Road Signs" Indian Tour '98, by the performers of the Gallaudet University, Washington D.C., the only instituion of its kind for the deaf.
  
  The Hindustan Times, 1 August: The week belonged to the ICCR. As did the one before and the one to follow. As the clock ticks towards the closure of the India-50 year, its normally hectic calendar has stepped up to include, in July alone, bilateral cultural programmes with as many as 38 countries and a marathon South Asian Folk Dances and Music Festival at the Kamani, featuring Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Several special invitees under the ICCR baton, such as the Thai Ramayana, will participate in the August 15 show at Vijay Chowk
  
  The Hindu, 07 August: A four-day South Asian Music and dance festival this past week by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations was a superb presentation of a mind-boggling variety of art....It was an all Indian Council for Cultural Relations- hosted week with the South Asian Music and Dance Festival mounted at the Kamani in New Delhi demanding sole attention. Pulsating with the rhythms and textures of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar ..and of course, the host country India, the four day event was almost an embarrassment of variety and art with distinctive identities...
  
  
  
  

Events in New Delhi

• * 1st August : Siri Fort Auditorium :Ballet performance : Chitrasena Dance Company from Sri Lanka
  
• * 3rd August : Kamani :Cultural Group from Mauritius
  
• * 5th August : Kamani :Indo-African fusion in music and dance : Cultural Group from South Africa
  
• * 6th August : Kamani :Gymnik folk dance & music group from Slovakia
  
• * 7th August : Teen Murti Auditorium : Music from Ireland
  
• * 14th August : National Museum : Inauguration of the exhibition " Treasures of Indian Art" : from the Berlin Museum by the President
  
• * 15th August : Vijay Chowk/ Rajpath: Closing ceremony (organised by the Government of Delhi) : "Asian pageant" component from Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka & the Republic of Korea
  
• * 28th August : Tagore Hall : Horizon Series: Bharatanatyam recital by Radhika Ganju, disciple of Smt S Kanaka
  
  
  

Events in Other Cities

• Visiting foreign groups will give presentations in :
  
  
• *Calcutta*: Sri Lanka & the Maldives (2nd); Slovakia (4th); Bhutan (8th) & South Africa (9th)
  
• *Chennai*: USA: Astad Deboo (3rd) & Bhutan (6th)
• *Mumbai*: Slovakia (1st); Ireland (4th); Sri Lankan ballet (6th); USA: Astad Deboo (8th) & South Africa (11th)
  
• *Bangalore*: South Africa (3rd)& Bhutan (4th)
  
• *Chandigarh*: Slovakia (8th)
  
• *Hyderabad*: Myanmar & Nepal (4th)
  
• *Lucknow*: Bhutan (2nd); Thailand(17th)
  
• *Thiruvananthapuram*: Myanmar & Nepal (2nd)
  
• *Goa*: Ireland (5th)
  
• *Haridwar*: Slovakia (10th)
  
• *Pune*: Ireland (3rd)
  
• *Shantiniketan*: Sri Lanka & the Maldives (3rd)
  
  
  

Events Abroad

• * 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 ) : continues at the Centro Cultural Borges*
• * Salzburg, Austria: Indo-Austrian exhibition of contemporary art : The Search Within continues*
• * Paramaribo, Surinam: Installation of a bronze bust of Sant Tulsidas, donated by the ICCR, during the Sant's 500th Birth Anniversary celebrations*
  
  
• * Manipuri: Guru Singhajeet Singh & Charu Mathur : Thailand & Malaysia *
• * Kathak : Uma Sharma: Italy, UK, Germany, Netherlands *
• * Kuchipudi : Swapna Sundari : Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore *
• * Popular music: Usha Uthup : Bhutan
• * Light classical : Nina & Rajinder Mehta : UAE, Qatar *
• * Bihu : Nilakantha Dutta : Seychelles, South Africa, Reunion Islands *
• * Bharatanatyam : ballet Kalidasa : C V Chandrasekhar : Kuwait *
• * Folk Dance & Music : T A R Nadirao : Maldives *
• * Folk Dance & Music : Song & Drama Division : Nepal *
• * Bhangra : "Rangla" group : Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Iraq *
• * Hindustani violin: Kala Ramnath : Denmark, Germany *
• * Kathak: Prerna Shrimali : Jordan, Iraq *
• * Sitar : Deepak Chaudhury : Jordan, Iraq *
• * Sitar : Partho Bose : Madagascar, Reunion Islands *
  
  Concluding their tours abroad are :
• * Bharatanatyam: Leela Samson in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia & Thailand*
• * Qawwali group of Jafar Hussain : in Sudan, Saudi Arabia & UAE *
• * Bhangra & giddha group of Harvinder Singh Bajwa : Zimbabwe, Botswana, Tanzania & Mozambique*
  
  
• +ICCR travel assistance is being provided to :
  
  
• > Bombay Chamber Orchestra : to Sri Lanka
• > Sattriya dance group of Pushpa Bhuyan : to the USA
  
• > Hindustani vocal : Dr Prabha Atre : to the USA
  
• > Percussion Ensemble of T V Gopalakrishnan to Australia
  
  

Distinguished Visitors Programme

• The Council's distinguished guests in India include Prof Joseph Yu-Shek Cheng, Director of the Contemporary China Research Centre of the City University of Hong Kong.
  
  
• The ICCR is facilitating the travel of Indian scholars and artists to several countries for lecture tours and interaction with their counterparts during conferences, exhibitions and international festivals. Destinations include :
  • Japan: International Animation Festival, Hiroshima : Ms Jayanti Sen, Journalist, Calcutta*

  • Sri Lanka: Guest speaker at the Milad-un-Nabi celebrations: (Retd) Justice A Abdul Hadi, Chennai*

  • Kenya: Annual Music Festival in Kenya: Prof Leela Omcherry :as an Adjudicator*

  • Switzerland: World Philosophical Congress: Ms Nirmala Deshpande, MP*

  • Trinidad & Tobago: International Conference on the Ramayana :
  • (i) Prof Lallan Prasad Yadav, Vishwa Sahitya Sanskriti Sansthan
  • (ii) Prof Indira Goswami, Delhi University
  • (iii) Dr Satkari Mukhopadhyaya, IGNCA, New Delhi*

  • Surinam: 500th Birth Anniversary of Sant Tulsidas:
  • (i) Prof Vidya Niwas Mishra, Varanasi
  • (ii) Prof Vishnu Kant Shastri, Calcutta
  • (iii) Dr Yashpal Jain, New Delhi*

  • U.S.A.: International Conference for Vedic Studies, California:
  • (i) Prof Laxminarayan Dubey, Sagar
  • (ii) Dr Madan M Sankhder, New Delhi*

    : World Congress : "Philosophy educating Humanity", Boston:

  • (i) Prof R Balasubramanium, Afro-Asian Philosophical Association, Delhi
  • (ii) Prof Pranab Kumar Sen, Calcutta
  • (iii) Prof Bhuvan Chandel, Centre for Studies in Civilisation, New Delhi
  • (iv) Dr Ramakant Sharma Angiras, D/Sanskrit, Chandigarh*

  • : International Congress on Art Communications, New Orleans
  • (i) Prof Pushpa Khanna, New Delhi*

  • : Workshop on Art Conservation, Harvard University
  • (i) Shri Sanjay Dhar, INTACH, New Delhi*
    
    
  

  Spur of the Month:

  Spend your youth attempting to attain wealth; then

  spend your wealth attempting to attain youth.
  

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