Carrying Roots Around, a five-day art festival at Delhi’s India International Centre, opened this Saturday and is scheduled to close on 11 October. Started in 2004, this festival of arts is 14 years old. The show is curated by Manish Pushkale and features works by well-known artists like Ganesh Haloi, Atul Dodiya, Jaishree Chakraborty, V. Ramesh, Veer Munshi, Akhilesh, Nancy Adajania, Jagannath Panda, Mona Rai, and Manisha Parekh is being featured. The younger generation of artists have come together in Rumbles in the Playpen, curated by Tarini Sethi with Harsh Nambiar (visual artist), Ishan Lamba (ceramist),Ayesha Singh (sculptor), Mehr Chatterjee (animation artist), Aditya Dutta (artist), Jaiveer Singh (solar energy experience), Nanaki Singh (artist), Working Hours Collective(zines), and Tarini Sethi (artist). There will also be several events including, The Un-Recital, classical and contemporary piano by Sahil Vasudeva during the exhibition.
The inaugural classical dance prograame, Where the Streets are Fragrant with Sandal Paste: New Ensemble Works in Bharatanatyam, was choreographed by Justin McCarthy. The other programmes were 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 NandiniBedeker, 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 is being presented on “The Russian State and India–Imperial Encounters to Contemporary Collaboration”. Curated by Dr Hari Vasudevan, the exhibition includes archival photographs, maps, illustrations, copies of paintings, portraits and engravings.
The IIC Quarterly will also be released during the festival. The Autumn issue entails articles on language, literature and the arts, with a special section on the Champaran Satyagraha and a photo essay, Pristine, by Navin Sakhuja.
The film festival this year is focusing 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.
This year, specially curated meals by chefs based in Delhi, such as Anumitra Ghosh-Dostidar of Diva Spice, Puja Sahu of Pot Belly restaurant, Chef Alex Moser of Hyatt Andaazand Chef Vipul Gupta of Annamaya Delhi, GeetikaGoel of My Thai Kitchen,and the IIC’s Chef, Vijay Thukral are being introduced at the festival.