BALLET
Igor Stravinsky: The Firebird & The Rite of Spring
(85 min; 2008; dvd)
From the Mariinsky Theatre

The Firebird with Ekatarina Kondaurova (The Firebird); Ilya Kuznetsov (Ivan Tsarevich); Marianna Pavlova (The Princess); Vladimir Ponomarev (Kashchei)

The Rite of Spring with Alexandra Iosifidi (The Chosen One); Elena Bazhenova (300-Year-Old Woman); Vladimir Ponomarev (The Wise Elder)

Mariinsky Orchestra and Ballet
Conductor: Valery Gergiev

The Firebird (1910), Stravinsky’s breakthrough masterpiece, was inspired by a Russian legend telling of the capture by Prince Ivan Tsarevich of a marvellous bird from a tree of golden apples in the enchanted garden of the evil and immortal Kashchei. The Firebird, in exchange for its freedom, gives Ivan one of its flaming feathers, telling him that one day it would be useful..

The Rite of Spring (1913) completed the break with the old style of music and choreography and caused a scandal at its premiere. It tells of a great pagan ritual in which wise elders are seated in a circle and are observing the dance before death of the girl whom they are offering as a sacrifice to the god of Spring.

The design and choreography of both ballets are rare re-constructions of the original productions by Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes

Curated by Samaresh Chatterji. Introduced by Sunit Tandon
 

Workshop conducted by Smt Bijoylaxmi Hota, noted Yoga expert, therapist, and author of Yoga for Busy People

Smt Hota will demonstrate and teach the correct way of practicing yogic chants 

Mantras are not ordinary sounds, but are power packed formulas for a fuller life. Research on the Maha mantra conducted in the Henry Ford Hospital Detroit, have shown that the effects of this mantra on the human system are the same as that of the medication for anxiety and schizophrenia. Dr. Howard Steingeril, an American scientist who collected, Mantras, Hymns and invocations from all over the world and tested their strength in his Physiology Laboratory, found that the Gayatri mantra produced 110000 positive sound waves per second – the maximum any sound can produce. These waves are said to fill up every cell in our body, energising them and making them healthier

Organised as part of the programmes to mark World Yoga Day 2024
 

‘The Comfort of Noise’ – The journey of a rock musician from the 1990’s, navigating the 2020’s amidst the din of technology 
An illustrated presentation by Chintan Kalra

Technology has transformed music production and consumption, while pushing our understanding of its intricacies. This presentation will explore the evolution of live music, the advancement of production tools, AI's influence in music, the immersive experience of spatial audio, and the impact of streaming platforms on music curation and discovery
 
Chintan Kalra is an eclectic artist whose musical endeavours, ranging from the experimental sounds of Kuru Circus & Orchestra to the meditative strums of the ukulele, are complemented by his ventures in multimedia technology and creative collaborations across various platforms.
 

To be conducted by Prof. Alka Tyagi, exponent of the Bihar School of Yoga, Munger 

With the rise in stress and reduced attention span due to modern-lifestyle, there is a rise in irritability, anger, impatience and other mental ailments. The practice of meditation, even if brief in duration, helps in maintaining positivity, focus, concentration and mental well-being.

Organised as part of the programmes to mark World Yoga Day 2024
 

Speaker: Dr. Lobsang Sangay, Lecturer on Law, Harvard Law School and Senior Visiting Fellow, East Asian Legal Studies Program, Harvard Law School. Dr. Sangay was Kalon Tripa of the Tibetan Administration in India from 2011 to 2012, and Sikyong (President) of the Central Tibetan Administration where he served two terms 

Chair: Prof. Swati Chawla, Associate Professor, Jindal School of Liberal Arts & Humanities, O.P. Jindal University
 

CONCERT
Lang Lang Live at Carnegie Hall
(103 min; 2003; dvd)

The star Chinese pianist Lang Lang, featuring in his first DVD, a live recording of his sensational Carnegie Hall debut recital on November 7, 2003, featuring music by Schumann, Haydn, Schubert, Tan Dun, Chopin and Liszt.

Curated & Introduced by Sunit Tandon
  

Contemporary China: Tradition and Modernity
By Poonam Surie (KW Publishers Pvt Ltd: 2024)

Discussants: Amb.Ashok Kantha, Former Ambassador to China & Distinguished Fellow, Vivekananda International Foundation; Dr. C. Raja Mohan, Non-Resident Distinguished Fellow, Asia Society Policy Institute and Visiting Research Professor; Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), National University of Singapore; and Smt Poonam Surie, Adjunct Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, educator and Independent Researcher and author of the book
 

Chair: Amb. Shyam Saran, President IIC

(51 min; 2023; English)
Directed by Nisha Mahajan who will introduce the film

Screening will be followed by a discussion with the Director

The film showcases a dance production designed to create awareness about the role of Yoga in helping one achieve excellence in physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. 

Organised as part of the programmes to mark World Yoga Day 2024
 

A group exhibition of ink wash paintings by Huzaifa Ghaffar Khan; Md. Farukh; Nishat Naaz; Ridhima Roy; and Subi Khan

Preview on Friday 14 June at 18:30 by Ms Shohini Ghosh, Director of Jamia Millia Islamia's Premchand Archives and Literary Centre
 

Speaker: Sumathi Ramaswamy, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of History, Duke University who has published on language politics, gender studies, spatial studies and the history of cartography, visual studies and the modern history of art, and more recently, digital humanities and the history of philanthropy. Her recent writings on Gandhi include Gandhi in the Gallery: The Art of Disobedience (New Delhi: Roli Books, 2022) and the digital project B is for Bapu: Gandhi in the Art of the Child in Modern India (https://sites.duke.edu/bisforbapu/)

Using a material culture approach, the lecture reflects on the overwhelming penchant for the creation of statues of Gandhi, the most among India’s political leaders to be so “honoured” both at home and overseas, where many a statue has been installed as the official government gift. It is worth reflecting on this phenomenon at a time when across the world, because of varying projects for critically reckoning with difficult inherited pasts, statues of (big) men are being defaced. How might Gandhi respond to such acts, especially since his statue is increasingly vulnerable as well. 

(Collaboration:  American Institute of Indian Studies)