Festival of the arts: Five days of culture and food

Beginning October 7, India International Centre, for five days, will come alive with exhibitions, film screenings, performances and cuisine.

What started 14 years ago will again be inaugurated by N.N. Vohra, President, IIC. Scheduled to commence at 6:30 pm, the inaugural programme of the 'The IIC Experience: A festival of the arts' revolves around the theme of 'Where the Streets are Fragrant with Sandal Paste…': New Ensemble Works in Bharatanatyam, choreographed by Justin McCarthy and presented by his troupe. The other programmes include Carnatic Violin Duet by the Mysore Brothers; Mohan se Mahatma, a play to mark the centenary of the Champaran Satyagraha, presented by Pierrot's Troupe and directed by Sayeed Alam; Hindustani Vocal music by Nandini Bedeker, a tribute to Kishori Amonkar by her senior-most shishya; a Concert of Western classical Music by the Cremona Quartet, a well-known string quartet from Italy; and Folk Dances and Music from Cambodia, presented by Cambodian Artist Troupe led by SokSidony.

To mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Russia, an exhibition will be presented on 'The Russian State and India – Imperial Encounters to Contemporary Collaboration'. Curated by Dr Hari Vasudevan, the exhibition includes archival photographs, maps, and illustrations, copies of paintings, portraits and engravings.

Contemporary art is well represented in 'Carrying Roots Around', curated by Manish Pushkale and featuring the works of well-known artists: Ganesh Haloi; Atul Dodiya; Jaishree Chakraborty; V. Ramesh, and many more.

The IIC Quarterly will be released during the festival, by the President, N.N. Vohra. The Autumn issue includes articles on language, literature and the arts, with a special section on the Champaran Satyagraha and a photo essay, Pristine, by NavinSakhuja.

The film festival this year will focus on cities, entitled A Cinematic Journey through Cities, featuring ten award-winning films from Italy covering the period from 1950 to 2014, and presenting some of the great

masters of Italian cinema. Other films include classics from Britain, China, France, Germany and India.

Along with all the art and drama, enjoy specially curated meals by Chefs based in Delhi – Anumitra Ghosh Dostidar of Diva Spice, Puja Sahu of Pot Belly restaurant, Chef Alex Moser of Hyatt Andaaz, Chef Vipul of Annamaya Delhi and many more.