A spontaneous flash-mob performance at a Costco in Santa Cruz, CA recently
You may also check out listings of Indian Dance and Music academies across North America
Tag: music
Bappi Lahiri Honored by The World BOOK OF RECORDS, UK, as the Originator of Disco beat in Indian cinema, ‘JIMMY JIMMY’ is World’s most popular song
After winning four Lifetime Achievement Awards this month, veteran singer-composer Bappi Lahiri has now been honoured by The World Book of Records, UK as Originator of Disco Beat in Indian Cinema, Jimmy Jimmy is World’s Most Popular song.
The World Book of Records – London, one of the mammoth organisations that catalogues and verifies a huge number of world records across the world with authentic certification, has acknowledged the contribution of Bappi Lahiri to global music with his immortal song ‘Jimmy Jimmy Aaja Aaja’, which is an anthem in Russia and has been translated in Russian and Chinese, has been part of the original score of Adam Sandler’s Don’t Mess With The Zohan and Top of The Chart number, rendered by Mia. Besides the above, ‘Jimmy Jimmy Aaja Aaja’ is also sung by various singers the world over. Such is its popularity.
Bappi Lahiri is also acknowledged by the global organisation for being the Originator of Disco Beat in Indian Cinema. World Book of Records – London is a paramount international organisation inspiring people to showcase their talent. Under the gracious patronage of Virendra Sharma (Member of Parliament, England) , Dr. Diwakar Sukul (London – England), Karin Heschl (Vienna – Austria), Dr. Ulrich Berk (Wurttemberg – Germany), M. Vasconcelos da Silva (Sao Paulo – Brazil), Abel J Hernandez (Bogota – Colombia), Anil Audit (Port Louis – Mauritius) and Santosh Shukla, Supreme Court , Advocate (India) , it encourages people to break or set new records at national or international level.
Says Santosh Shukla, President – World Book of Records, “We all are born with a specific purpose to contribute something exclusive to the world through our exclusivity, through our hidden and extreme potential. It is a platform for all humans in this world to showcase their unique and remarkable talent and inspire the world to go one step further and progress from strength to strength.”
Adds Bappi Lahiri, “It has been one long journey with innumerable accolades over nearly five decades and over 600 films. But there is something special about ‘Jimmy Jimmy’. It always has followers in every part of the globe. Such adulation brings tears to my eyes. It is the love of my fans that keeps me going.”
About Mr. Lahiri: Bappi Lahiri Bappi Lahiri 2016.jpg Lahiri in 2017 Background information Birth name Alokesh Lahiri Born Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, India Origin Kolkata, India Occupation(s) Music composer, music director, actor and record producer Instruments Tabla, piano, drums, guitar, saxophone, bongos, dholak, singing Years active 1972–present Labels BL Sound, Saregama, Venus Records & Tapes, T-Series, Tips Industries, Universal Music Group, Abbey Road Studios, Planet LA Records Website bappilahiri.com Alokesh “Bappi” Lahiri is an Indian music composer, music director, singer, actor and record producer. He popularized the use of synthesized disco music in Indian cinema and sang some of his own compositions. He was popular in the 1980s and 1990s with filmi soundtracks such as Wardat, Disco Dancer, Namak Halaal, Dance Dance, Commando, Gang Leader, Sailaab and Sharaabi. (Wikipedia).
I want to explain arranged marriage to white people
A recent article in BBC.com features Pakistani designer Nashra Balagamwala and her views on arranged marriage.
When Pakistani designer Nashra Balagamwala produced a board game about arranged marriage, most news reports about her wrongly assumed she was dead against it. Actually her position is far more nuanced. And one goal is to explain to people in the UK and elsewhere how it works.
Balagamwala’s kickstarter campaign generated a lot of buzz and raised thousands of dollars more than what she was seeking.
Balagamwala was at the Rhode Island School of Design in the US when she came up with the idea.
“I was about to head home to Pakistan at the end of the year, and I had some proposals waiting for me, so I started stalking the Facebook accounts of those guys to find something about them that my parents wouldn’t approve of, so I could get out of meeting them. And then I thought to myself, ‘Why not get rid of the problem once and for all?’ So I created a list of every ridiculous thing I’ve done to get out of an arranged marriage and turned it into this light-hearted board game.”
She tested her game out on her friends, a mixture of South Asians and white Americans.
An American male friend was in fits of laughter while playing. He admitted to Balagamwala that he’d been worried the game would trivialise the subject, but said that he now had a better understanding of it.
![art-nashra[1]](https://bloggaramchaicom.files.wordpress.com/2018/03/art-nashra1.png?w=840)
Link to an article in scroll.in
Article: The Days of Desi
An article in Deccan Herald “The Days of Desi” makes for an interesting read for Desis in Pardes.
The author, Surekha Kadapa-bose explains “the end of 2017 is witnessing a sudden cacophony, a sudden urgency, and a new-found love for everything desi. This, of course, is a delightful U-turn from the previous passionate adoption of everything foreign. But, just as we went to extremes to adapt the Western lifestyle from the 1970s to the new millennium, we now seem to be doing the same with desi. There seems to be a bit too much stress on desi food, fashion, culture, religion, rituals, films, music, education etc.”
There is a general misconception that fashion, as shown in the big fat wedding scenes of Bollywood films, is ‘the’ desi attire – men dressed in long silky sherwanis, bandhgalas, with a angavastra wound round their necks, and women, of course, have to be dressed in voluminous ghagras with miniscule cholis, blingy saris etc…
After desi attire comes food. The craze for desi has made inroads here too. The best examples are the popular junk foods – pizzas and burgers – which are originally adopted from Italy and America. Now they are getting Indianised and are being served with a desi touch. You get pizzas with toppings like tandoori paneer, chicken tikka, paneer vegorama, and burgers with stuffings like veg aloo tikki, masala dosa, paneer and so on.
My take on this variation: if one is so much in love with desi khaana, then why not say “no” to pizzas and burgers, and have Mom-made dosas, parathas and samosas instead?
GaramChai.com has long prided itself in being the single stop source for “Desi in Pardes” with extensive listings of Desi Restaurants, boutiques, places of worship and culture
Samundar by Babbu Maan has generated over 1.7 million views on Youtube!
Babbu Maan’s new music video on Youtube that has generated over 1.7 million views!
Link to Babbu Maan’s new music video on Youtube that has generated over 1.7 million views!
“Music has a distinct place in my life. In this world of music, ghazals are something that touches my soul the most. The verses and subtle nuances open floodgates to the deepest emotions in me. There is nothing more beautiful than a ghazal composition” says the leading light of the Punjabi & Indian Music Fraternity, Babbu Maan who will mesmerize the audience with his silken voice in his forth coming light ghazal “Samundar ” to be released under the prestigious banner of Swag music.
“Samundar” seeks to transport listeners as it works its way to ecstatic peaks with driving rhythms, concise refrains and the spiraling improvisations at which Babbu Maan is unsurpassed. His voice has a raw, impassioned tone and an acrobatic agility. Whether he repeats a refrain with ever-increasing intensity, streaking through elaborate zigzagging lines, letting loose a percussive fusillade or sustaining a climactic note, he has made “Samundar” that united virtuosity and fervor.
Babbu Maan says “The song is a blend of melody, romance & depth. The music of the song assails your senses, calming the mind in one magnificent sweep of transcendental sound. Looking forward to the response from the audiences”
Babbu Maan is one of those singers & composers who require little analysis. Every aspect of his oeuvre has already been examined and written about. This quest for elegance in sound and avoiding excess in every aspect has also prompted this master musician to introduce new genres and songs to the audience. Driven compulsively to discover new sounds and meanings, he seems invincible. Babbu Maan competes only with himself, constantly resetting the rules of his own game.
Name of the song- Samundar; Released under the banner of Swag music; Music, Lyrics, Composition, Singer- Babbu Maan; Produced by- Munish Sharma; Video Director- Sukh Sanghera.
Phoenix Temple Of Self-Realization Fellowship Opens New Community Hall
Brother Vishwananda, a member of the Board of Directors of Self-Realization Fellowship, which is headquartered in Los Angeles, takes part in the dedication ceremonies for the SRF Phoenix Temple’s new community hall. Photo credit: Allen Patrou
PHOENIX, AZ – On Sunday September 10, hundreds of Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) members and friends of the SRF Phoenix Temple gathered to celebrate the opening of a new two-story community hall and outdoor plaza, adjoining the temple at 6111 North Central Avenue.
The SRF Phoenix Temple, dedicated in 1973, is one of eight temples established by Self-Realization Fellowship, the international nonprofit organization founded in 1920 by Paramahansa Yogananda (author of the spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi), with worldwide headquarters located in Los Angeles, CA. The SRF Phoenix Temple is an outgrowth of the Self-Realization Fellowship Center established in Phoenix by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1948.
During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Brother Balananda, minister-in-charge of the SRF Phoenix Temple, addressed the celebrants, remarking on yoga meditation’s increasing popularity, including in the Phoenix area: “Since the arrival of our founder, Paramahansa Yogananda, to the U.S. in 1920, the interest in yoga and meditation has increased exponentially, just as he had predicted would happen. Today we are experiencing that growth as we welcome more and more truth seekers to the Phoenix Temple of SRF. The new community hall has been developed to accommodate our ever expanding spiritual family here in Phoenix.”
He explained that the SRF Phoenix Temple’s expansion project takes into consideration not only the needs of current members but also those of “spiritual seekers who are expected to find their way to this peaceful haven for the practice of Kriya Yoga in the coming years.”
Brother Balananda quoted the words of SRF founder Paramahansa Yogananda: “I have sowed the seeds of my prayers into the ether of Phoenix, and some day devotees will water them with the water of devotion and divine seeking, and they will sprout into the creation of a divine center.”
Kriya Yoga is the specific yoga meditation science that Yogananda introduced to Westerners beginning in 1920 when he came to the U.S. as the Indian delegate to an International Congress of Religious Liberals convening in Boston. Widely regarded as the father of Yoga in the West, Yogananda established his society to disseminate his yoga meditation teachings and to promote the underlying harmony of all the world’s true religions.
The vitally needed expansion for the SRF Phoenix Temple, which took approximately eight months to build, will be used for Sunday School classes, special events and meetings, and includes a commercial kitchen, bookroom, parent-infant room and lending library. Five Sunday School rooms provide a centralized meeting space for SRF’s growing youth program. Paul Ladensack of CCBG Architects led the design project, and the general contractor was Concord Construction.
The SRF Phoenix Temple offers public lecture services Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and Thursdays from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Meditation services are conducted weekly. All are welcome. For more information about the Phoenix Temple of Self-Realization Fellowship, please visit http://www.phoenixtemple.org. For more information about Self-Realization Fellowship and the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, visithttp://www.yogananda-srf.org.
History of the Phoenix Temple of Self-Realization Fellowship
In 1948, Paramahansa Yogananda dedicated the first SRF Center in Phoenix, located two blocks from the State Capitol. The Center moved to 7th Street during the mid-1960s, and again in 1969 to 6111 North Central to accommodate the growing congregation. Shortly thereafter plans were developed for the construction of an SRF Temple in Phoenix, marking the first SRF Temple outside of California as well as the first SRF temple built from the ground up. It was officially opened on February 11, 1973 and included an ashram center with two resident monks to lead weekly services as well as provide spiritual guidance to local members. Sri Daya Mata, the third president of SRF/YSS, broke ground for the temple in 1972. In order to provide facilities for the church’s expanding membership, the Phoenix Temple has just opened a new two-story community hall to host fellowship events, provide adequate space for Sunday school children and increased parking, among other needs.
You may also be interested in the listing of Hindu Temples in North AmericaHindu Temples in North America
Announcing Indian cultural events
9/23/17, 5:00 pm: Natya Dance Theatre presents Mallika Sarabhai’s Out of Bounds + Finding My Voice (double bill)
Location: Oswego East High School, 1525 Harvey Road, Oswego, IL, 60543
The lyrics for Bharata Natyam were written many hundred years ago, when humanity’s primary concern was the longing to find God or be united with the eternal One. The lyrics were primarily in Tamil and Telugu with later dancers bringing in the voices of Kabir, Meera and other medieval poets.
Today some of us wish to speak of other, more current issues and thoughts, still using the sophistry of the dance style of Bharata Natyam. Finding My Voice brings to audiences thoughts on global warming, live in relationships, an atheists relationship with the Goddess, sexual preferences and the growing intolerance in the world, all in the strictest and most complex Pandanallur Bharata Natyam vocabulary.
In Out of Bounds, Revanta Sarabhai and Pooja Purohit pose the question: what happens when you dissect Bharata Natyam to its core? The two dancers look for a new narrative, while their bodies still carry traces of the past. We see, in three chapters, a man and a woman transform the pure form of their dance to a story about relationships.
Choreography: Mallika and Revanta Sarabhai
“Sarabhai breaks open the language of classical dance” – De Volkskraant, 2015
10/7/17, 4:00 pm: Natya Dance Theatre and Nrithyanjali School of Dance present Leela Samson’s NADI
Location: Pfeiffer Hall at North Central College, 310 East Benton Avenue, Naperville, IL, 60540
Co-presented by Natya Dance Theatre and Nrithyanjali School of Dance, Leela Samson’s Spanda Dance Company brings NADI to the Chicago area. Spanda Dance is a group founded in 1995 that presents works conceived and choreographed by Leela Samson, explores group dynamics in Bharata Natyam. Spanda seeks to establish a relevant dialogue between dance, music and stage craft.
From Sufi fakirs in the North to Baul singers in Bengal to Sangam poetry and classical composers in the South, an ocean of poetry has been penned inspired by the river. NADI explores the love and longing, the physical changes and the deep philosophy that the river inspired through the centuries-old voices of India’s poets. NADI includes eclectic selection of poems in different languages and musical genres from the thumris of Varanasi, to Tagore’s melodies and the Baul renderings of Bengal, to Sangam poetry, the previous centuries Dikshitar, and to modern-day Girish Karnad of the South. These pieces are tied together by Rajkumar Bharathi, who has used some traditional tunes and has re-composed others to create dialogue between music genres and between languages of the vast nation of India. NADI is a common link with elements like the river teaching man the usefulness and beauty of nature and our link to it.
You may also be interested in extensive listings of Indian Dance and Music Academies in the US from GaramChai.com
Yoga for Kids in America
Yoga is being promoted for holistic, well being. People in India are taking to Yoga in a big way for a number of reasons: to beat the stress of daily life and grind.
The concept of Yoga is also being promoted for holistic healing in the West. You may be interested in checking out GaramChai.com Yoga section. Here is a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) of interest:
Why should kids do yoga?
Yoga is a technology and technology is for everyone & anyone. Scientific research & evidence is rising daily for what many have long said: that a practice like meditation and yoga can help us address many issues that our society is facing. It’s a technology whose benefits are innumerable when applied and learnt from an authentic source.
A few of several benefits for kids to do yoga:
- Concentration: Kids learn to focus on their breath during meditation. They learn to
tune into what’s happening on the inside rather than focusing on what’s happening
on the outside. This tremendously helps them in reading, taking tests, completing
homework, and gets them ready for tasks that are required both at school and at
home. And enables them to tap into their creativity. - It’s FUN: A kid’s body is more open and receptive. Children who are introduced to
yoga at an earlier age have access to some distinct advantages as they grow up and
move through life. Yoga helps them to become more joyful. They learn that
everyone falls and everyone gets up. There is no competition. - Enhances flexibility: Yoga promotes physical strength as kids learn to use their
muscles in new ways. It helps the kids to become more aware of their body and
helps them build a deeper understanding of knowing how it functions. - Self-acceptance: Kids will learn to cherish and accept themselves as they are. We all live in a society which is becoming extremely competitive, so it has become very
common to send messages of inadequacy, yoga teaches kids to stay with stable
foundation and have the clarity and energy to be competitive & yet not stress over
its outcome.
All this understanding & more, automatically comes to them from their own experience while doing the practice. If given an opportunity for them to learn the scientifically proven ancient yogic practices & meditation – kids will naturally have the tools to fight the increasing feelings of self-doubt, inadequacy that come during the years and beyond.
Reading:
- Suicides under age 13: One every 5 days
- 133% leap in children admitted to ER for marijuana, study finds
You may also be interested in YOGA NEBULA
Upcoming Children Program
Start: August 19 @ 9:00 am || End: August 20 @ 12:30 pm || Cost: $200
Contact: Samir Lal / contact@yoganebula.com / 201-696-7597
“Our classes at Yoga Nebula are taught with great care and precision to create a conducive atmosphere for learning the subtle science of Hatha Yoga in New York City/New Jersey. Taught in an intimate group setting, classes are designed to gradually introduce students to yoga practices through verbal instruction and demonstrations. We also feature informative videos that provide intellectual insight into the processes taking place. Unlike many modern yoga studios, we avoid playing music, using mirrors or props, talking while demonstrating, or physically touching participants during the classes. Many students comment on the depth of their experience as a direct result of this inward oriented teaching format.”
Hatha Yoga stems from a deep understanding of the mechanics of the body, and uses
yogic postures, or yogasanas, to enable the system to sustain higher dimensions of
energy. By practicing this profound science, one can change and enhance the way they
think, feel, and experience life. Hatha Yoga is about creating a body that is not a hurdle
in your life. The body becomes a stepping-stone in the progress towards blossoming
into your ultimate possibility. Developed by globally-renowned yogi, humanitarian and enlightened master, Sadhguru, the Isha™ Hatha School of Yoga has been established to revive the ancient science of Hatha Yoga, with programs taught to millions worldwide.
“Hatha Yoga is about creating a body which is not a hurdle in one’s life. The
body becomes a stepping stone … in one’s progress of blossoming into his
ultimate possibility.” – Sadhguru
Drive East 2017 — Indian Classical Dance & Music Festival in NYC — Aug 21-27
A gathering of Indian storytellers share perspectives through diverse forms of Indian Classical Dance and Music: 50+ artists from all over the world come together to New York City for Drive East 2017
August 8, 2017: New York, NY: This August will see its fifth Drive East festival in Manhattan, from August 21 – 27, 2017. Promising to have an even more impactful and immersive experience this year, Navatman sets off its week long Indian performing arts festival at Dixon Place on the Lower East Side. While usually at LaMama, the intimacy of Dixon Place serves to accentuate a sense of inclusiveness and immersiveness as soon as you enter the space, making it an ideal venue for the to view and experience all the nuances of Indian classical dance and music. From widely acclaimed stalwarts to lesser known gems, Navatman bring NYC 20+ concerts in Indian classical dance and music.
“This year, Drive East’s curation has been a little more nuanced. For instance, our four bharatanatyam performers each come from vastly different styles, allowing the patron to understand some of the more delicate nuances of the form. On the other hand, every kathak performance features guest and collaborative artists – such as Jin Won working with Korean Drums, and Rachna Nivas and Rina Mehta of Leela Dance collective working with tap. Some nights are intended to give you a more traditional feel, like the solos on Tuesday evening, and others are intended on showing the more unique aspects of Indian dance and music such as Saturday night’s artists Rajasthani Caravan, Devdutta Sengupta, and Battery Dance Company. – Sahasra Sambamoorthi, founder and co-curator of Drive East and Navatman
In addition to the 20+ concerts, there are a slew of smaller events: rangoli designs that are planned to adorn the festival steps, official artist meet and greets post each performance, free storytelling sessions on Hindu mythology for families, and advanced intensives for adults in the mornings. Each day brings more than just the concert, but an immersive experience that takes you through every performance.
“We are excited to move to a space that really allows a lot of intimacy between the performer and the viewer. Every year, we’d get feedback that people really loved seeing the shows where the performers were no more than an arm’s length away, so we took that to heart when we decided to move to Dixon Place this year.” – Sridhar Shanmugam, founder and co-curator of Drive East and Navatman
Some of the exciting dance events this year include: the beautiful and brilliant Odissi danseuse Sujata Mohapatra who will be performing on opening night; co-founders Sridhar Shanmugam & Sahasra Sambamoorthi will be performing on stage together, Renjith & Vijna form a husband and wife duet team from Chennai, and Prince of Dance – a power-packed evening of full length concerts by male dancers that includes Christopher Gurusamy (Bharatanatyam) & Avijit Das (Kuchipudi).
This year brings an interesting mix of collaborating Indian styles with other traditional forms. We have 3 Kathak performances but each performance highlights a different aspect and commonality with another style. We have Kathak being set to Korean drums (Jin Won and Sue Yeon Park), and Kathak being juxtaposed with tap dance (Leela Dance Collective). In addition, we have rarer art forms like Manipuri (Devdutta Sengupta) gracing the stage this year.
Music brings us the eminent sarod player Aashish Khan, who will be opening the festival, and the melodious and lyrical music of sitarist Kinnar Seen. Carnatic music can be rarer to find in Manhattan, but Drive East has two soloists Shankar Ramani and Ananya Ashok, not to mention the firebrand Navatman Music Collective, one of the only carnatic choirs in the world. The brilliant Rajasthani Caravan troupe joins us from India, bringing with them unique the sights and sounds of folk music and dance.
A new addition to the festival, Navatman will also host Saturday Youth Day concerts. Youth concerts allow exceptional up and coming students trained by stalwart gurus a place in the festival as well, such as Guitar Prasanna’s students who perform Carnatic music on electric guitars.
About Navatman:
Navatman, Inc was founded with an eye on creating a sustainable home for the South Asian arts in New York City and its surrounding neighborhoods, particularly emphasizing Indian classical music and dance. We are a game-changing organization dedicated to creating ground-breaking work in the South Asian classical performing arts in the areas of education, performance, and production. We are best known for our Manhattan-based classes, critically acclaimed productions, dynamic dance company, and stellar carnatic choir, all of which have received reviews in mainstream press including the New York Times, India Abroad, The Hindu, the Financial Times, and The Star-Ledger, to name a few. Navatman continues to see success in their goal to preserve Indian classical music and dance through democratizing these art forms by increasing their accessibility, and innovating on pre-existing business and organizational models to stay relevant, fresh and exciting.
Concert Line Up:
Monday, August 21st:
- 7:15PM – 8:15PM Aashish Khan – Sarode Recital
- 8:30PM – 10PM Sujata Mohapatra – Odissi Recital
Tuesday, August 22nd:
- 6PM – 7PM Indrani Khare: Hindustani Vocal Recital
- 7:15PM – 8:15PM Kinnar Seen – Sitar Recital
- 8:30 – 10PM Janaki Rangarajan – Bharatanatyam Recital
Wednesday, August 23rd:
- 6PM – 7PM Jin Won and Sue Yeon Park – Kathak Meets Korean Arts
- 7:15PM – 8:15PM Navatman Dance, Feat. Sridhar Shanmugam – Bharatanatyam Recital
- 8:30 – 10PM Shankar Ramani – Carnatic Vocal Recital
Thursday, August 24th:
- 6PM – 7PM Pranamya Suri – Kuchipudi Recital
- 7:15PM – 8:15PM Apoorva Jayaraman – Bharatanatyam Recital
- 8:30PM – 10PM Ananya Ashok – Carnatic Vocal Recital
Friday, August 25th:
- 6PM – 7PM Prince of Dance: Christopher Gurusamy – Bharatanatyam Recital
- 7:15PM – 8:15PM Prince of Dance: Avijit Das – Kuchipudi Recital
Saturday, August 26th:
- 2:30PM – 3:30PM Youth Concert Day: Shankhadip Chakraborty – Hindustani Vocal Recital
- 3:45PM – 4:45PM Youth Concert Day: Carnatic Power – Carnatic Guitar Recital
- 6PM – 7PM Rare Arts of India: Devdutta Sengupta Ghosh – Manipuri Recital
- 7:15PM – 8:15PM Battery Dance Company – The Durga Project featuring Unnath Hassan Rathnaraju, sponsored by State bank of India
- 8:30PM – 10PM Rajasthani Caravan – Rajasthani Folk Music & Dance Recital
Sunday, August 27th:
- 2:00PM – 3:30PM Navatman Music Collective – Carnatic Choir Recital
- 3:45PM – 4:45PM Rachna Nivas and Rina Mehta of the Leela Dance Collective with guest artist Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards – Kathak Recital
- 4PM – 5PM Renjith & Vijna – Bharatanatyam Duet Recital
Educational Events:
- August 21 – August 25: 5PM – 5:30PM – Free storytelling sessions on Indian mythology for children
- August 26: 12:30PM – 2:30PM – Saturday Youth Day
You may also be interested in checking out Garamchai.com ‘s Art and Culture section with extensive listings of Indian Dance and Music academies around North America
2017 UK-India Year of Culture
Prime Minister announces 2017 UK-India Year of Culture
- year-long programme of events to celebrate UK’s cultural ties with India
- iconic texts – Shakespeare’s First Folio and Magna Carta – to tour India and British Library South Asian archives to be digitised
- popular Bollywood waxworks to feature in new Madame Tussauds in New Delhi
A year long-programme to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Indian independence and UK cultural ties has been announced by the Prime Minister.
The Year of Culture 2017 will see an exciting festival of events celebrating the vibrant cultural history of the 2 countries.
Top UK institutions will partner with their Indian counterparts to strengthen cultural and economic ties between the 2 nations, and showcase British creativity on the global stage.
Prime Minister David Cameron said:
The great partnership between India and the UK extends beyond economic ties to the boards of The Bard and the beaches of Bollywood. We have some of the best cultural exports in the world – and it’s about time we celebrated this, together.
To mark the start of this cultural pairing, the British Library will be digitising 200,000 pages of their South Asian archives. Two centuries of Indian print will be part of a major programme to make the wealth of Indian printed books held by the British Library dating from 1714 to 1914 accessible to anyone around the globe.
Madame Tussauds – whose Bollywood figures are some of the most popular in London – has also announced its first Indian venture in New Delhi, scheduled to open in 2017.
Parent group Merlin is set to invest £50 million in India over 10 years, rolling out other UK favourites – such as Sea Life aquariums and Legoland Discovery Centres – across Indian cities.
Two of the most iconic British texts will tour India as part of the programme. The British Library will showcase Shakespeare’s First Folio – the first collected edition of the Bard’s plays – and the 1225 edition of the Magna Carta.
One of India’s premier museums – the CSMVS Mumbai – will tell the story of Indian civilisation in the context of world history using some items on loan from the British Museum.
The UK is already a big hit with Indian tourists. Last year saw a record breaking 400,000 visits to the UK from India and in the first half of 2015 Indian tourists spent £199 million during their stays.
Culture Secretary John Whittingdale said:
The UK has an incredibly special relationship with India – not just economically and through our historic ties – but culturally, through our music, our theatre, our design and much more.
An India-UK Year of Culture is a great opportunity for both our nations – strengthening this dynamic cultural partnership and driving even more innovative ways to work together to make great art.
The 2017 India-UK Year of Culture will include:
A Festival of India in the UK
A dynamic festival of arts and culture led by India’s cultural organisations in the UK.
Magna Carta tour
The British Library’s Magna Carta 1225 edition will be travelling to India. Accompanying the exhibition will be a series of public events that will include talks, debates and performances.
India and the World
An exhibition at the CSMVS Mumbai that brings together a collection, some on loan from the British Museum, and others from private and museum collections in India. It will tell the story of Indian history and civilisation in the wider context of simultaneous events in world history.
Shakespeare’s First Folio tour to India by the British Library
The First Folio is the first collected edition of William Shakespeare’s plays, collated and published 7 years after his death. It is estimated around 750 First Folios were printed, of which 233 are currently known to survive worldwide. The British Library currently owns 5.
India exhibition and India Gallery at Manchester Museum
An India exhibition is being planned at the Manchester Museum before the opening of their India gallery.
The Prime Minister is currently hosting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the UK (12-13 November). They will both attend a celebration of Indian and UK creative arts at a Wembley stadium event, where tens of thousands are expected to attend.
Notes to editors
- The India-UK Year of Culture will be a curated programme that gives audiences in India and the UK access to inspirational, engaging and diverse art, music, theatre, design, performing arts, film and literature.
- The India programme in the UK will be led by the Ministry of Culture in India, the Nehru Centre and other Indian cultural organisations in the UK, working with the British Council as partner.
- The British Library holds the finest collection of South Asian literature in the world. The project will include the digitisation of more than 7 million pages from Asian-language books as well as significant selections of manuscripts and other items from the Library’s collections, including archives, visual and sound material.
- British Indians represent the largest ethnic group in Britain (1.5 million people) and 3 of the top 6 languages spoken are Indian: Punjabi, Bengali and Gujarati.
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