July 1998

• In a focussed intensification of activity worldwide, leading up to the closing ceremonies of the year-long 50th Anniversary of Independence celebrations, the Council sponsored top artistes to international expositions & festivals, including those in Portugal (EXPO 98) and the annual Palestine International Festival. The ICCR itself organised a festival of South Asian Folk Dances and Music at Kamani Auditorium in New Delhi -- with the active collaboration of the Sangeet Natak Akademi.

• Bilateral cultural interactions, with as many as thirty-seven countries during the month, included performances in India by artistes from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Mauritius, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka & the USA . Exhibitions sponsored by the Council were held in Austria, Australia and Argentina. A special series of multiple-"Retrospectives" presentations featured a wide variety of art forms-- mainly in the folk genre, with the venue shifting from Tagore Hall to Kamani Auditorium & Sri Ram Centre. The Horizon platform for young artistes featured Rabindra Sangeet and Traditional Folk Music of Bengal.

• The Council continued to facilitate 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 in July include Australia, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Mauritius, Kenya, the UK & the USA. Some Indian Diplomatic Missions, including HCI Nairobi, organised seminars with the assistance of the Council.
  

  Events in New Delhi

  • * 2nd July : Kamani :Retrospectives Series : Folk Dances from Rajasthan, Gujarat & Manipur
    
  • * 3rd July : Kamani :Retrospectives Series : Sarod recital by Buddhadev Das Gupta; Contemporary dance recitals by Ranjabati Sircar and the Dancers' Guild of Calcutta
    
  • * 14th July : Kamani :Retrospectives Series : Bhajans by Vani Jairam and Sufi singing by the Wadali brothers
    
  • * 17th July : Tagore Hall : Horizon Series : Rabindra Sangeet & traditional folk music from Bengal
    
  • * 21st July : Sri Ram Centre :Retrospectives Series : Leela Samson in a Bharatanatyam recital
    
  • * 23rd July : Kamani : performance by hearing impaired children : Young Performers from the USA : choreographed by Astad Deboo
    
  • * 28th July : Kamani :Inauguration of the South Asian Folk Dance & Music festival : in collaboration with the Sangeet Natak Akademi : Participating groups from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal & Sri Lanka
    
  • * 29th July : Kamani : South Asian Folk Dance & Music Festival
    
  • * 30th July : Kamani : South Asian Folk Dance & Music Festival
    
  • * 31st July : Kamani : South Asian Folk Dance & Music Festival
    
    
    
  

  Events in Other Cities

  • The Young Performers from the USA & the Folk Dance/ Music group from Mauritius will be giving presentations in other cities during the month*
    
    
  • * 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: inauguration on 2nd July*
  • * Sydney, Australia : Works of Artist Satish Gujral : inauguration on 1st July
    
    
  • * Participation in the EXPO-98 in Portugal : Sarod recitals by Buddhadev Das Gupta, Folk dances from Gujarat & Manipur, Contemporary Dance -- Dancers' Guild of Calcutta*
  • * Special performances for the Orient Foundation in various cities in Portugal : Sarod recitals by Buddhadev Das Gupta, contemporary dances by the Dancers' Guild of Calcutta*
  • * Folk Dances from Gujarat: Rang Bahar group: Hungary & Germany*
  • * Folk Dances from Manipur : Pung & Dhol Cholam group of L Joychandra Singh : Hungary, Denmark & Italy*
  • * Contemporary dances by the Dancers' Guild of Calcutta: in Denmark*
  • * Bharatanatyam: Leela Samson in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia & Thailand*
  • * Qawwali group of Jafar Hussain : in Sudan, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania*
  • * Bhangra & giddha group of Harvinder Singh Bajwa : South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Tanzania & Mozambique*
  • * Creative dances by Narendra Sharma's Bhoomika group : in Palestine (Gaza)*
  • * Special Performances in Bangladesh (continued) : Theatre : Usha Ganguli's group*
  • * Vani Jairam : Popular Music : Nepal
  • * Kuchipudi by Vyjayanthi Kashi & Hindustani violin by Johar Ali : in Ethiopia & Djibouti *
    
    
  • +ICCR travel assistance is being provided to :
    
    > Kathakali : Arya Vaidya Sala Kottakal Mapapuram to Switzerland
    > Theatre: Nandikar Group, Calcutta to the USA & the UK
    
    

    Distinguished Visitors

  • *Distinguished scholars and artists assisted by the Council to travel abroad during the month included : Shri A N Ram and Shri Amit Mitra : to participate in a special seminar Vision 2000 on bilateral relations organised by the High Commission of India in Kenya; Shri Sunil Kothari to the USA to attend the Dance Critics' Association Conference; Dr NS Prabhu : to attend the Annual Conference of the South African Association of Applied Linguistics; Shri Syed Abdul Zafar to participate in the Id-ul Milad celebrations in Mauritius; Prof K Sudha Rao : to participate in the Conference "Winds of Change: Women & the Culture of Universities" in Australia; Shri Manglesh Dabral & Ms Gagan Gill : to attend the Hindi Sammelan in Mauritius; Dr A Karunakaran & Dr DP Pattanayak : to attend the 19th South Asian Language Conference in the UK*
    
    

  Spur of the Month:

  The world is full of willing people -- some willing to work -- and the others willing to let them

  

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