The Council arranged special performances in several cities in Brazil ( Brasilia, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Londrina, & Campinas) during the visit of the President to that country. An exhibition of works by contemporary Indian artists was also on view in Rio de Janeiro
A joint effort with Austria resulted in an exhibition of contemporary Indian and Austrian paintings, " The Search Within", which was inaugurated in Vienna. The exhibition will be on view in India later this year. Other travelling exhibitions sponsored by the Council opened in Zagreb (Croatia) and Pretoria (South Africa)
In addition to Brazil, Indian cultural presentations were held in several cities in Japan, Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, the USA, Barbados, Surinam, Trinidad & Tobago, Greece, Germany, Croatia, Hungary, the UAE, Egypt, Morocco and Sri Lanka
A week-long presentation, " Days of Kyrghyz Culture ", which was to have been inaugurated in New Delhi on the 25th, had to be postponed due to a natural calamity (floods) in parts of Kyrghyzstan. Artistes from Mauritius and Morocco visited India
The Council facilitated the travel of Indian scholars and artists to Sri Lanka, Austria, France, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, and the U.K. for lecture tours and interaction with their counterparts during exhibitions and international festivals
The Retrospectives series featured a Sitar recital by maestro Pt. Debu Chaudhuri on the 19th and a Hindustani vocal recital by Ms Ashwini Bhide on the 28th at Tagore Hall
The Horizon series, providing a platform to young artistes empanelled with the Council, featured Bharatanatyam (8th) and Carnatic vocal music recitals (15th and 29th).
Spur of the Month:
A nice thing about being a celebrity is that when you bore people, they think it's their fault
Events in New Delhi
* 8th May : Tagore Hall : Horizon Series : Bharatanatyam dance recital : Alankrita Chowdhary
*15th May : Tagore Hall : Horizon Series : Carnatic vocal recital: Anuradha Suresh Krishnamurthi
*18th May : Teen Murti Auditorium : Traditional Andolusian music from Morocco
*19th May : Tagore Hall :Retrospectives Series : Pt. Debu Chaudhuri : Sitar recital
*28th May : Tagore Hall :Retrospectives Series : Ms Ashwini Bhide : Hindustani vocal recital
Music troupe from Morocco : in : Goa, Mumbai, Lucknow, Shimla, Chandigarh
Theatre group from Mauritius : (continued) in : Patna, Lucknow, Gorakhpur & Mau
Distinguished Visitors
*The Council's guests included Justice Mohd Habibur Rehman, Fellow of the B'Desh Academy and Asiatic Society from Dhaka and Capt UGA Isani, Chairman, University Grants Commission, Islamabad*
*Distinguished scholars assisted by the Council to travel abroad during the month included artist Prof Mrugank Joshi from Mumbai (to France), Suresh Chabria, Director of the Pune Film & TV Institute (to Portugal), Sculptor Amar Nath Sehgal (to Switzerland), Prof Swapan Mazumdar (Shantiniketan; to Sri Lanka), Artist Biren De (to Sweden) and (Deaf) Magician Bhupatlal Padhi and his group (to the UK to participate in the VIIth Deaf Magicians' Festival)*
Spur of the Month: