An exhibition on the life cycle and rituals of the Bene Israel Jews of Ahmedabad
Photographs by Bindi Sheth and text by Esther David

This photo-documentation is part of a research grant received from the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute of Brandeis University USA. The photographs have documented about 150 Ahmedabadi Bene Israel Jews in the last three years and captures the multicultural facet of Indian Jews as they try o preserve their Jewish identity in India

Opening on Tuesday, 19th November 2013 at 18:00

Followed by a talk at 18:30 in the Lecture Room II
The Bene Israel Jews of Ahmedabad
Speaker: Smt Esther David

Illustrated lecture by Dr. Bhuvan Vikrama, Archaeological Survey of India

Chair: Shri B.M. Pande

The talk on the story of the settlement at Ahichhatra in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh with all its glory and grandeur. The excavations at the site which began in 1862-63 through 1885, 1888, 1940-44, 1963-65, 2007-8-2012-2013 have unfolded a beautiful story of the evolution of a city from a small rustic village and the gradual evolution of its artistic and architectural style

Inheritance
With Tenzin Khepahk, Producer, Riverbank Studio

An initiative to provide a platform to young Tibetans in exile to present and discuss their ideas and suggestions to stimulate dialogue and improve networks of the vibrant Tibetan diaspora

Film on the activities of the Global Environment Facility or GEF. Hosted by the well-known actor, Harrison Ford, the film shows how rainforests, coral reefs etc are under attack and the rising emission of Green House Gasses destroying forests leading to an imbalance in nature

Fate of the Ocean (23 min; dvd; English)
Earth Report travels to over a dozen locations to report on the state of global fisheries. This first installment delivers stories that should ring alarm bells around the world

Films courtesy: Centre for Science and Environment

To Let the World In - Vol. 1 (93 min; 2013; dvd; English & with subtitles)
Cinematography and direction: Avijit Mukul Kishore who will introduce the film

A two-volume film that looks at a significant period in the history of contemporary Indian art, featuring thirty artists born over six decades. Volume I of the film features two generations of artists born in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. Artists featured in this volume are Arpita Singh, Gulammohammed Sheikh, Vivan Sundaram, Nilima Sheikh, Nalini Malani and Sudhir Patwardhan, along with art critic and curator, Geeta Kapur. The artists talk about their practice and the friendships among the group, in the context of this significant period in Indian art history

At 18:00
To Let the World In - Vol. II (55 min; 2013; dvd; English & with subtitles)
Cinematography and direction: Avijit Mukul Kishore who will introduce the film

Volume II features the next generation of artists, born in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. The senior artists among them started their practices on the cusp of India's economic liberalization and the aggressive assertion of religious fundamentalism in politics, following the demolition of the Babri Masjid and the riots that followed. The artists featured in this volume include Anju Dodiya, Nataraj Sharma, Gigi Scaria, Tushar Joag, Riyas Komu, Shilpa Gupta, Gargi Raina, Sharmila Samant, T.V. Santosh, Jitish Kallat, Sumakshi Singh and Archana Hande

Screening will be followed by a discussion

Presentation of the Mid-Year Review by NCAER

Presentations by Prof. Sudha Mahalingam, former Member, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board; Dr. Lekha Chakravorty, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy; and Dr. Indira Rajaraman, former Member, 13th Finance Commission

Discussants: Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Centre for Policy Research; Dr. Kirit Parikh, former Member, Planning Commission

Chair: Dr. Bimal Jalan

Heritage Music Festival for Schools

Postcards from Home
Concert presented by Kuljit Bhamra (tabla); Jacqueline Shave (violin); and John Parricelli (guitar), prominent British musicians from different background of Indian music

The concert presents pieces composed by the three musicians creating a musical narrative which documents their travels around the world. The result is a captivating instrumental collaboration which blends jazz, folk world and Western and Indian classical music

BRITISH ASIAN FILM AND TELEVISION RETROSPECTIVES

English (16 min; 2010; dvd; English)
Director: Tarun Thind

An independent short film which is a gritty take on a day in the life of two judgement-prone youth from London. The story follows two friends who upon stumbling across a harmonica, embark on a rollercoaster journey

Majdhar (76 min; 1983; dvd; English)
Director: Ahmed Jamal

Unusually for its time, Majdhar highlights not only the British Asian experience but also that of Asian immigrants to the UK. It is as much concerned with Afzal's struggle to live an entirely Western life, while competing with the demands of his  Asian heritage, as it is with Fauzia's unexpected transition from dependent, submissive wife to independent working woman