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Kolkata
MAX MUELLER BHAVAN presents "Images of Femininity", an Indo-German dance theatre project on January 24. The production studies the experiences of two women — Draupadi in the "Mahabharata" and Kriemhild in the Norse epic "Nibelungenlied" to examine if their struggles with patriarchal frameworks can be translated into today's world.
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THE annual Dover Lane Music Conference will be flagged off on January 22 for three days. This event originated as a private music soiree over half a century ago, and has grown into an important event on India's classical music calendar featuring all-night performances and showcasing maestros as well as new talent.
This year the big names include Shiv Kumar Sharma, Rashid, Shubha Mudgal and (adding a new note to traditional fare) Shubhendu Roy accompanied by his wife on the cello.
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TWO theatre productions will enthral Kolkattans this week with their experimental remoulding of ancient tales into contemporary contexts.
Sweden's Slava Theatre group presents their powerful production "Cassandra Now" on January 23 and 24 as part of their first tour of India. "Cassandra Now" is a dramatic montage of the remnants of war, a song of feminine strength and a prayer for tomorrow's children. This "total theatre" (where body, voice, dance and drama become one) epic, was performed by Slava at the Edinburgh Festival in 2001. Exploring issues that are ageless and yet have come into even sharper focus in these current troubled times, "Cassandra Now" forcefully reaffirms human dignity and defends freedom's eternal fragility. The event is co-organised by the ICCR and Teamwork
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"LIVING GODS ON EARTH" is the title of a fascinating exhibition of photographs on display at the Indian Museum till January 24. Taken by Cornelia Mallebrein, a German researcher of Indian anthropology, art and culture, the photographs present the results of numerous fieldwork trips to India over the part 20 years. Focusing on Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Orissa and Karnataka, the exhibition draws attention to the rich, manifold, fascinating regional traditions of India and look into the heart of belief. Examining a broad spectrum of cultural practices including rituals and cults, dance forms and religious practice, the display is held together by the common factor of the "living gods of India" who are still so vital in present-day India and who are the unifying theme of the country's diverse religions and cultures.The exhibition is co-organised by the Max Mueller Bhavan and the Indian Museum.
ARUNDHATI RAY
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