Indian Council for Cultural Relations

Programmes Newsletter

"Strengthening cultural relations & mutual understanding with other countries"

Archives: December 1998

From the Council to the readers of this Programmes Newsletter :

Best wishes for the Festive Season and for a Merry Christmas !
Organised annually in memory of the ICCR's Founder President, the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Lecture is to be delivered this year (14th December, Vigyan Bhavan) by Justice Ismail Mohamed, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Africa and Namibia.
The Council's two prestigious exhibitions in India move to the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai. The Indo-Austrian exhibition of Contemporary Art, "The Search Within", moves there from New Delhi and the exquisite collection comprising "Treasures of Indian Art: Germany's Tribute" comes there after being on display in New Delhi (National Museum) and Calcutta (NGMA).
December for the Council is a period of taking stock, consolidation and planning for the year ahead. Bilateral cultural interactions this month include exchanges of visits by distinguished artists & scholars; presentations in various countries abroad ( Canada, Croatia, Sri Lanka, Thailand ) by the Council's empanelled artistes and cultural presentations in India by visiting artistes from Bulgaria, the Croatian Republic, Russia and Pakistan.
The Council's popular Retrospectives Series continues with an evening of contemporary dance-theatre : Pt. Narender Sharma's group "Bhoomika" presents "Antim Adhyay" (The Last Chapter) and "Mukhantar" (Face over Face) : 23rd at the Kamani Auditorium.
The Horizon platform for young artistes features a Surbahar & sitar recital, Kathak and Bharatanatyam performances and a special evening of choral music.
Click here for a summary overview of the intense and focussed activities world-wide undertaken by the ICCR in connection with the celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of Independence. Hundreds of reports, comments and plaudits for the outstanding & memorable presentations by our artistes, artisans and visiting scholars, as well as ICCR's role, have been received from abroad-- extracts from a few of which are available for perusal : click here.

Events in New Delhi

* 3rd December : Teen Murti Auditorium : Flute & Piano recital by artistes from Bulgaria

* 4th December : Tagore Hall : Horizon Series: Surbahar & Sitar recital by Jagdeep Singh Bedi and Kathak performance by Ms Monisha Nayak

* 7th December : Tagore Hall : Palestine Day

* 10th December : Teen Murti Auditorium : Music concert: Croatian Duo: Mezzosoprano & Piano

* 11th December : Tagore Hall : Horizon Series: Bharatanatyam performance by Ms Meenakshi Chitharanjan (from Chennai)

* 14th December : Vigyan Bhavan : Maulana Azad Memorial Lecture

* 18th December : Tagore Hall : Horizon Series: An evening of choral music : Gandharava Choir

* 22nd December : Tagore Hall : The New Names from Russia
originally scheduled for the 17th at Teen Murti: re-scheduled :late arrival of group in Delhi due to fog
* 23rd December : Kamani Auditorium : Retrospectives Series: Contemporary Dance-Theatre by "Bhoomika" group of Pt Narender Sharma
* 27th December : Kamani Auditorium : Play in Urdu : "Ek Hazar aur ek thi raten" (adaptation of 1001 Arabian Nights) : Theatre group : from Karachi, Pakistan

Events in other cities

"Treasures of Indian Art : Germany's Tribute" : NGMA, Mumbai: from 4th
"The Search Within" : Indo-Austrian Art : NGMA, Mumbai: from 10th
Bulgarian artistes : in : Bangalore (5th), Pune (7th)
Croatian Music Duo : in : Mussoorie (11th), Dehra Dun (12th)
Play from Pakistan : in : Kalyani (24th), Calcutta (25th)

Events Abroad

Asian Games : Thailand : Folk Dances from Tamil Nadu : Kargam Group*
Ms Rama Vaidyanathan: Bharatanatyam :for lec-dems in Sri Lanka*
Ms Charumathi Ramachandran : Carnatic vocal : for lec-dems in Sri Lanka*
Ms Geetanjali Lal : Kathak : Croatia*

ICCR travel assistance is being provided to :

> Hindustani vocal : Mazhar Ali Khan & Javad Ali Khan : to Canada

Distinguished Visitors

The Council's Distinguished Guests during the month include : Mr Cholponbek Bazerbaev, President of the Union of Friendship Societies of the Kyrghyz Republic; Justice Ismail Mohamed, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Africa and Namibia, Mr Merek Mejor, scholar on Buddhism from Poland and Mr Arjuna Krishnaratne, Ghatam exponent from Sri Lanka

The ICCR is facilitating the travel abroad of Indian scholars and artists for participation & interactions in colloquia, seminars, conferences, exhibitions and international festivals. These include :

International Conference on Decolonisation : Port Louis, Mauritius : Prof Mushirul Hasan

International Al-Quran Reciters Assembly : Malaysia: Hafiz Qari Mohammed Naseeruddin

Indo-Italian seminar : Venice, Italy : 11 eminent speakers from India

Collective exhibition by Indian Artists at the Galerie Grewal : Paris, France : Jogan Chowdhury

Question: what is common between the words "bureaucrat", "chatterati", "corporate", "glitterati" and "technocrat" ?
Spur of the Month:
Learn to laugh at yourself : everyone else is doing it anyway

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Indian Council for Cultural Relations

Programmes Newsletter

Archives: December 1998

Best wishes for the Festive Season and for a Merry Christmas !

Events in New Delhi

Events in other cities

Events Abroad

Distinguished Visitors

Learn to laugh at yourself : everyone else is doing it anyway