IIC festival to showcase cinema, cuisine, literature and arts

A five-day festival embracing diverse streams from cinema to cuisine opens in the city next week.
The annual festival of the India International Centre here, which kickstarts on October 7, will include food from Israel, Bharatanatyam from the south, contemporary art of India, archives from Russia and cinema from Italy.
The festival, which concludes on October 11, will open with a new ensemble in Bharatanatyam, titled 'Where the Streets are Fragrant with Sandal Paste', on traditional processions in South India.
"Through this piece, we want to touch upon the idea of critical appraisal of the art form as a method of keeping it alive. We are looking at how patronage affected dance, from divine patronage to temporal patronage -- from gods to kings," said American-born Indian Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer Justin McCarthy.

Another piece showcases the life of Devadasis, while the third part of the dance-drama will focus on the river Yamuna.
"The Yamuna that we see today in the city is tragic. I am trying to draw this contrast between the ideal vision we have of the river and the reality," he said.

To mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Russia, the festival will present an exhibition, 'The Russian State and India-Imperial Encounters to Contemporary Collaboration". Curated by Dr Hari Vasudevan, the show includes archival photographs, maps, illustrations, paintings and engravings.
The work of contemporary arts will be on display, with a show called 'Carrying Roots Around'. Curated by Manish Pushkale and presented by the Raza Foundation, it will feature the works of artists such as Ganesh Haloi, Atul Dodiya, Jaishree Chakraborty and Jagannath Panda, among others.

For history and theatre lovers, a play to mark the centenary of the Champaran Satyagraha -- "Mohan se Mahatama" -- will be staged, encompassing the journey of Mahatama Gandhi from Mohandas Karmachand to the Mahatama.
"Champaran in another way introduced Gandhi to India and India to Independence," director Sayeed Alam said.
The festival will also pay tribute to classical vocalist Kishori Amonkar through her senior-most student Nandini Bedekar. A concert of Western classical Music by the Cermona Quartet, a well-known string quartet from Italy, and folk dances and music from Cambodia will also be presented.
IIC president N N Vohra will release the IIC Quarterly magazine that includes articles on language and literature with a special section on the Champaran Satyagraha.

Cinema enthusiasts will get to watch ten award winning films from Italy covering the period 1950-2014, while "A Cinematic Journey Through cities" will include classics from Britian, China, France, Germany and India.
The food section will include specially curated meals by city-based chefs along with Germany-based culinary master Alex Moser. The Embassy of Israel will offer a taste from their kitchen - 'Ha Mitbach.