Born to Perform is a four-year old and ongoing photography project shot in India and overseas. It features portraits of some of the world’s finest and most inspiring performing artists who happened to be physically challenged. When it comes to the issue of empowering the disabled, issues of education and livelihood rightfully occupy center stage. However, true inclusion can only happen when the differently abled also enjoy equal access to all cultural resources. This means not only being able to witness and enjoy artistic and cultural activities but also the opportunity to participate in the making of art and culture.

This photo project highlights this aspect by focusing on some of the world’s leading performing artists. Featured artists include Aliènette Coldfire (finalist, France Has Got Talent), India’s classical dance troupe We Are One, Australian crooner Tony Dee – the voice of We're The Superhumans campaign for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, and Drake Music Scotland’s Digital Orchestra ¬– the world's first disabled youth orchestra. The artists covered by this photo project so far are from Australia, Cambodia, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Micronesia, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Thailand, U.K. and Malaysia. 
 
Vijay S. Jodha

Vijay is a writer, filmmaker and a self-taught photographer based in Gurgaon, India. He has produced five books and his projects have been showcased in galleries, museums and festivals worldwide. His projects have received over 70 honours in 24 countries including 17 best film/director awards. His films have been shown on 75 broadcast channels worldwide including on BBC, CNN and Discovery. He has worked extensively on disability issues in India and abroad. In 2018 he was invited to present one of his projects and address delegates from 195 countries at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on International Day of Persons with Disabilities. He can be reached at www.jodha.net and vijayjodha@gmail.com

Screening of NHK documentary films on Japan’s history, literature, art, culture and heritage. Organised with the support of NHK World and Embassy of Japan, New Delhi 

Tsuruko’s Tea Journey in Germany | (50 minutes; 2020; English and with subtitles)
Hanzawa Tsuruko is a master of chaji, a tea ceremony that starts with an exquisitely prepared kaiseki meal and finishes with matcha tea served from the heart. A chaji can last for four hours and is a spiritual process, in which the participants remove themselves from the mundane world, seeking harmony and inner peace.  Tsuruko has been traveling around Japan to encounter new people and share chaji with them. In autumn 2019, at the age of 76, she set off on a tea journey across Germany. The film chronicles her month-long odyssey

Elections in Myanmar
Panelists: Dr. Khin Zaw Win, Director, Tampadipa Institute, Yangon, Myanmar; Amb. Gautam Mukhopadhaya, former Indian Ambassador to Myanmar, Syria and Afghanistan; and Maj. Gen. Ashok K. Mehta

Discussant: Dr. Avinash Paliwal, Senior Lecturer in International Relations  and Deputy Director, SOAS South Asia Institute, School of Oriental and African Studies, UK

Chair: Maj. Gen. Ashok K. Mehta

Myanmar held its third elections on 8th November 2020 under the military-drafted constitution 2008 which is part of the Army’s roadmap to democracy. National League for Democracy under Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has won another landslide victory despite incumbency. These elections were held against the background of the Covid – 19 pandemic, the ongoing Rohingya crisis, nationalistic Buddhist resurgence – all under the watch of the military which runs the country along with the elected civilian government in a unique hybrid system. China is the key player in the country where India too has age-old ties. India wants to make Myanmar the springboard for its Act East policy. The webinar will examine the country’s future, its relations with India-China and prospects for constitutional reforms

Presentation of awards to young crafts persons - Arshad Gutti from Ujjain for Batik craft; Samreen from Agra for Zardozi embroidery; Sumit Sanjay Chitara from Ahmedabad for Mata ni Pachedi painting; Neetu Kumari from Udaipur for appliqué patchwork; Ojum Taba from Arunachal Pradesh for Gale weaving; and Nong Moyong from Arunachal Pradesh for mura making

Chief Guest: Smt Ruby Palchoudhuri, President Emeritus, Crafts Council – West Bengal 

The presentation ceremony will be held online
Zoom Meeting ID: 829 515 1651

(Collaboration: Delhi Crafts Council)
    Awards presentation through Zoom 
    Webinars

Charade | (113 min; 1963; English)
Director: Stanley Donen

With Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter MathauRecipient of the BAFTA Film Award for Best British Actress, BAFTA Awards 1965; Golden Plate Award for Artistic Contribution, David Di Donatello Awards 1964; and Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture, Edgar Allen Poe Awards 1964

Much loved classic film notable for its screenplay, especially the repartee between Grant and Hepburn. Romance and suspense ensue in Paris as a woman is pursued by several men who want the fortune her murdered husband had stolen. Whom can she trust?

In the Forest of My Soul

Concerts, films and talks to mark the 250th birth anniversary of the renowned composer, Ludwig van BeethovenConceptualised by Justin McCarthy, well known dancer, choreographer, Guru and concert pianistBeethoven @250 – Concert III 

Beethoven and Schiller (21 min)
Piano and poetry
A series of miniature piano pieces by Beethoven played by young, non-professional musicians, and accompanied by verses from Friedrich Schiller’s poetryPoets were an integral part of the arts landscape in Beethoven’s day and Schiller was one such well-known poet, whose poetry had a strong influence on the composer

Video recording of short recitals for IIC online programmes
    

A festival of disability films organized in collaboration with We Care FilmFest and Brotherhood. Ten award-winning short documentaries from Burma/Japan, Lebanon, India, Iran, Italy and Trinidad & Tabago will be screened over the next two weeks.

Tiny Step (India) | 1:00 min; English subtitles
 Director: Ganga Bharani
Recipient of the Best Film Award and Special Mention, We Care Film Festival 

Question of Success (Mai Pakpagee Wahang/India) | (5:01 min; English and with subtitles)
Director: L. Amarendra Sharma

The story of Md. Abdul Haque, a national Paralympic gold medalist in swimming

The Attitude (India) | (5:06 min; Oriya & with English subtitles)
Director: Santosh Kumar Panda

A job interview for Bhagwan Patra aka “Rintu”

The Fish and I (Iran; 6:10 min)
Director: Babak Habibifar
Multiple award winner including Young Jurors Prize, International Short Film Festival Ingolstadt, Germany 2015; Best Short Film, 6th Skepto International Film Festival, Italy 2015; Jury Grand Prize & Audience Award, Short Short Story Film Festival, USA 2014; among others. The film recounts the story of a blind man trying to save his fish

Turning a Page (Trinidad and Tobago) | (10:13 min; English & with subtitles)
Director: Miquel Galofre

The film explores how differently abled students relate to the world through creative outlets like a paper recycling project at their school

Elsewhere (Altrove/Italy) | (18:05 min; Italian with English subtitles)
Director: Cesare Cicardini

Recipient of the Award for Best Film, Bluenose Ability Film Festival 2015. A trip beyond boundaries: beyond Italy and beyond stereotypes