"Strengthening cultural relations & mutual understanding with other countries"
November 1998
The Council's Founder's Day falls on 11th November : Independent India's First Education Minister and the ICCR's First President Maulana Abulkalam Azad's Birth Anniversary. The Council's Cultural Centres and Indian Diplomatic Missions abroad, various Indian Universities hosting foreign scholars and the ICCR Regional Offices in India will mark the occasion with several solemn and cultural functions. In the National Capital, the day's activities will culminate with a grand cultural concert by the international student community at the Hamsadhwani Theatre in Pragati Maidan.
The month of November promises to be a different & exciting one for the ICCR and its friends in Mumbai and New Delhi. The Council is diversifying & deepening the range of its activities by actively facilitating interactions between Indian theatre artists and visiting theatre groups. The Council is doing this by co-sponsoring the major effort of Mumbai based Prithvi Theatre, on the occasion of its twentieth anniversary, to host a Theatre of Europe" in these two cities. The Festival will present seven productions from six countries : France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, the U.K. and Italy. In this venture, the Council is collaborating with a number of co-sponsors : apart from Prithvi Theatre and the Diplomatic Missions/ Cultural Centres of the participating theatre companies, others collaborating include Air India, British Airways and other corporate sponsors.
During the month, the ICCR is co-operating with other agencies to organise an Indo-Sri Lankan Writers' Colloquium (in Colombo) and seminars on Indo-Hungarian Relations (in New Delhi and Budapest).
ICCR and the India International Centre will jointly organise an international seminar (20-22) on Culture, Society & Politics in Central Asia. Scholars from Iran, Kazakhastan, Kyrghyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Pakistan and India will participate.
The Council's other bilateral cultural interactions include : continuation of two prestigious exhibitions in India : in New Delhi of the Indo-Austrian exhibition of Contemporary Art ( "The Search Within" at the National Gallery of Modern Art) and in Calcutta of the "Treasures of Indian Art: Germany's Tribute" (at the NGMA); exchanges of visits by distinguished artists & scholars; presentations in various cities abroad by the Council's empanelled artistes; cultural presentations in India by visiting artistes from the Czech Republic, Nigeria and the six European countries participating in the Theatre Festival.
The Council is also collaborating with other agencies to celebrate Children's Day ( Siri Fort, New Delhi; 14th ) and the Kartik Festival ( Ballabhgarh, Faridabad ; 15th-21th ).
The Horizon platform for young artistes features a Bharatanatyam performance, a Hindustani vocal music recital and an Odissi presentation during the month at the ICCR's Tagore Hall.
* 3rd November : Teen Murti Auditorium : Violin & Piano recital by artistes from the Czech Republic
* 7th to 25th November : India Habitat Centre : Theatre of Europe
* 11th November : Various venues : Founder's Day functions
* 13th November : Tagore Hall : Horizon Series: Bharatanatyam performance by Urmila Satyanarayanan (from Chennai)
* 14th November : Siri Fort : Children's Day : Presentations by violin maestro Dr L Subramanium & the visiting Nigerian Cultural troupe (in collaboration with the National Creche Fund)
* 19th November : Ballabhgarh, Faridabad : Kartik Festival : including a performance by the Nigerian Cultural Troupe ( in collaboration with the Festival authorities)
* 27th November : Tagore Hall : Horizon Series: Hindustani vocal music recital by Hemant Pendse (from Pune) and an Odissi presentation by Piyali De (from New Delhi)
Events in other cities
Calcutta : "Treasures of Indian Art : Germany's Tribute" : NGMA, Calcutta
Nigeria's Cultural Troupe : in : Chandigarh, Haridwar, Faridabad
Events Abroad
Indo-Sri Lankan Writers' Colloquim : Colombo, Sri Lanka
Seminar on Indo-Hungarian Relations : Budapest, Hungary
Ms Jyoti Srivastava: Odissi :Sri Lanka*
Ustad Imrat Hussein Khan : Sitar : performances at UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Prize : France*
Concluding their tours abroad are
> Astad Deboo: : Contemporary dance : in Cuba
> Yakshagana group (of Late Shri Shiva Ram Karanth) : in Germany, the UK
ICCR travel assistance is being provided to :
> Kathak : Ms Geetanjali Lal : to France, the Netherlands
> Choral singing : Parajoti Academy : to the Philippines
Distinguished Visitors
The ICCR is facilitating the travel of Indian scholars and artists to several countries for lecture tours and interaction with their counterparts during colloquia, seminars, conferences, exhibitions and international festivals. Destinations include :
Sri Lanka: Indo-Sri Lankan Writers' Colloquium: Shri S A Kandasamy, Shri Ashokamitran, & Prof Rukmani Bhaya Nair
Hungary: Seminar on Indo- Hungarian relations: Shri A P Venkateswaran, Prof Rajendra K Jain & Prof V A Pai Panandikar
Greece: International Congress of Comparative Literature: Prof Amiya Kumar Dev
U.K.: Book Release at the Nehru Centre and lectures in London : Smt Shobha De
U.K.: Artisans' "Megha Mela" in Birmingham : Craftspersons Smt Bani Biswas ( from Shantiniketan) and Smt Sarala Chelvaraj ( from Bangalore )
Spur of the Month:
Use the talents you possess --- the forest would be a very silent place if no birds sang except the best
