By Pallavi Seth, a young-upcoming opera singer who received training in opera and vocal performance at Mannes School of Music, New York

Accompanied by Svetlana Radashkevich on the piano. Svetlana Radashkevich is a highly accomplished concert pianist based in Delhi. Serving as Curriculum leader at the British School, Svetlana is a prominent figure among Russian pianists based in India

Pallavi Seth will present an evening of opera arias and lieder

Film Director and Screenwriter, Sudhir Mishra in conversation with Sujata Prasad and Oroon Das

This is the first in a new series of monthly conversations staged in collaboration with Ahad Anhad—a forum for creative instigations—which manifested its first edition at the Bihar Museum recently, bringing together words, ideas, performances and the liveliest voices in contemporary writing in Hindi, English, Urdu and the regional dialects of Bihar.

FILMS OF THE SPIRIT

Curated by Rajiv Mehrotra

Kundun (Monaco/Morocco/USA)
(134 min; 1997; English)
A film by Martin Scorsese

The boy monk’s story comes alive in this epic biographical film. It traces the extraordinary journey of the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyaltso from his discovery as a reincarnation of the Great 13th, the Buddha of Compassion, to take over the reins of a nation at a young age and his escape to India, following the tragedy of the Chinese invasion of Tibet

(Collaboration: Foundation for His Holiness The Dalai Lama)

Hindustani Vocal Recital

By Khushal Sharma from Delhi, disciple of Guru Madhup Mudgal
 

At 19:00 
Sitar Recital

By Chandrashekhar Phanse from Mumbai, disciple of Pt. V. R. Athawale Dinkar Kaikaini and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan 
 

(110 min/2018/b/w & colour/Bengali/Spanish/English)
Director: Pablo César

With Victor Banerjee, Elenora Wexler, Héctor Bordani

Screening will be followed by a discussion with Suraj Kumar, Producer of the film

Thinking of Him are two stories intertwined over the time. In the present, Felix, a pessimistic and lazy teacher encounters a book that dazzles him, while teaching geography at a detention centre for minors. In the past Rabindranath Tagore, Bengali poet, author of the book that has come to Felix arrives in Argentina and is hosted by Victoria Ocampo, Argentinian writer, critic and public intellectual. Felix becomes more and more obsessed with the story of the poet and writer…

Sitar Recital

By Pt. Shubhendra Rao
Accompanied by Babar Latif on tabla

AT 20:00
Dhrupad Recital
By Ustad F. Wasifuddin Dagar
Accompanied by Pt. Mohan Shyam Sharma on pakhawaj

(Collaboration: Dagar Brothers Memorial Trust)

Culture. Ukraine. Europe

Organised in collaboration with EU National Institute for Culture

This is Who We Are: Writing in Times of Conflict
Haska Shyyan and Nidheesh Tyagi in conversation

Two celebrated poets come together to talk about the role of literature during conflict.  Ukrainian writer, translator and poet Haska Shyyan and editor, poet, and translator Nidheesh Tyagi explore the power of the written word in striving for peace and reconciliation during times of conflict and turmoil.

Haska Shyyan (Гаська Шиян, born 1980) – Ukrainian writer, translator and poet. She studied Classical Philology at the University of Lviv. In 2012 she debuted with the novel Hunt, Doctor, Hunt!, which was partially written on a cell phone while the author was bedridden for a few weeks with a rare complication of meningitis called "Hunt syndrome". Her novel Behind Their Backs written in 2016 - 2017 and published in 2019 won the European Union Prize for Literature and two Ukrainian literary awards. The book was also included in the list of the 100 of the most important Ukrainian novels. Haska lives between Lviv, Kyiv and Brussels.

Nidheesh Tyagi is an editor, poet, writer, digital evangelist, media consultant/ trainer and a translator. Currently he is working as Communication Solutions Consultant with his own Venture Talking Fish Pvt Limited. Providing consulting to digital and legacy media companies, besides helping with communication strategy in social and corporate sectors.

FESTIVAL PROGRAMME

(55 min; 2022; Assamese with English subtitles)
Directed by Utpal Borpujari who will introduce the film
Produced by Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts – North East Regional Centre

Recipient of the award for Best Documentary (Bronze), North East Film Festival, Mumbai 2023

Screening will be followed by a discussion

The numerous satras (Vaishnavaite monasteries) of Majuli, the world’s largest inhabited river island, are not only religious places of great significance but also form the heart of Satriya culture that was created by the 15th century saint, poet, playwright, social reformer and cultural icon Srimanta Sankardev. One of the key elements of Satriya culture is the masks worn by performers during Bhaona – dance dramas based on Hindu mythology. These masks or mukha represent an intricate art form with the artisans creating them in a unique and completely organic way using biodegradable materials. A dying art form, the film documents the last few families that are engaged in keeping this practice alive at the Natun Chamaguri Satra, including award-winning mask maker, Dr. Hem Chandra Goswami
 

Indo-western fusion music with Satish Sharma, well-known guitarist, composer, lyricist and singer.

With Arjun Sen (electric guitar); Ustad Athar Hussain (tabla); Harvinder Singh (percussions); Paras Nath (flute); and supporting vocalists

Satish Sharma presents original compositions in a unique style of playing Indian ragas on nylon string guitar with blues and jazz riffs. The repertoire includes Rangilo Maharo Sanwariyo Sarkar based on Raga Miyan ki Todi 

By Chinmaya Gharekhan, disciple of Pt. Amarnath and Smt Shanti Sharma and presently a disciple of Pt. Vidyadhar Vyas

Accompanists: Pt. Vinay Mishra (harmonium); and Pt. Vinod Lele (tabla)

Introduction: Suhas Borker

Amb. Gharekhan, a long and distinguished career in the Indian Foreign Service, he served as foreign adviser to Prime Ministers, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and was India’s Permanent Representative to the U.N. in New York