|
MAJOR EVENTS OF ICCR ACROSS THE WORLD |
A primary mandate of the Council is to create international understanding through culture. Towards meeting this objective, the Council organises major events in India and across the world. Here is a glimpse of some recent events: |
ICCR’s mandate is to promote cultural interaction between India and the world. It is in keeping with the spirit of this mandate that ICCR is celebrating the 150th Birth Anniversary Year of Rabindranath Tagore, whose message of universality and world harmony is even more relevant today. The year-long celebrations, which began in May 2011, will cover a range of events showcasing Tagore’s life, his work and his genius.
Celebrating Tagore's Life, Work and Genius. |
Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s vision of the contemporary world is the focus of an International Conference organised by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations from 10-12 October 2011 in Delhi, as part of the celebrations of the Nobel Laureate’s 150th birth anniversary.
Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Union Finance Minister, inaugurated the Conference, while the Presidential Address was delivered by Dr. Karan Singh, President ICCR. Shri Suresh K. Goel, the Director General of ICCR made the opening remarks at the Conference.
Programme of the Conference.The H'ble Minister also inaugurated a Photo Exhibition entitled 'Tagore-The Universal Message', a collection of photographs taken between 1932 and 1940 by Raymond Burnier and Alain Danielou, two scholars who lived in Shantiniketan during that period. A Book on Rabindranath Tagore- 'A Timeless Mind' was also released. This book is a collaborative effort between The Tagore Centre, UK and ICCR. Inaugural Speech by Shri Pranab Mukherjee. Presidential Address by Dr. Karan Singh. Opening Remarks by DG, ICCR. |
To celebrate the coming together, once again, of Africa and India under the aegis of the Africa-India Forum Summit II, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, in association with the Embassy of India in Addis Ababa, organised a programme to show the confluence of the cultures of India and the African continent. This event coincided with the visit of the Honorable Prime Minister of India, as well as the Heads of State and Government from a large number of African countries, to Ethiopia to attend the Summit meeting.
Press Release of the Confluence of Cultures.In Addis Ababa, the varied hues of Africa came to flow together and merge with the Indian rainbow of beats and music in the Rhythm of Life, forming a kaleidoscope of culture with the participation of Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, South Africa, Senegal and Tanzania. Click Here for the Photo Gallery of the Programme. |
The Bust of “Gurudeb’ Tagore of India adorns Jongno District in Seoul ----
Even years before Korea was to throw off the yoke of foreign occupation, a literary genius and a champion of human freedom and dignity, Rabindranath Tagore from India, prophesied in his famous poem, ‘The Lamp of the East’, written in 1929, that it would not be long before Korea rose again like a Star among the comity of nations. As India celebrates 2011 as the 150th Birth Anniversary of this great poet, the Republic of Korea partakes in India’s joy by installing his bronze bust in Daehangro, the cultural heart of Seoul. This masterpiece, by the renowned sculptor from India, Gautam Pal, has been gifted to Korea by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, the Government and the People of India. In a serene and impressive ceremony, the Hon’ble Speaker of the Lok Sabha (the Lower House of the Parliament) of India, H.E. Mrs. Meira Kumar, unveiled the beautiful statue on 18 May 2001, jointly with H.E. Mr. Park Hee Tae, the Hon’ble Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea.
Press Release issued by the Embassy of India, Seoul on 18 May 2011.Click Here for the Photo Gallery of the Event. |
The ICCR held the three-day international Delhi Jazz Festival from 8-10 April 2011 at the Nehru Park, New Delhi. Organised in collaboration with SEHER, the Festival featured several bands, and Nehru Park came alive with the strings and notes of music from countries such as Italy, Canada, Sweden, France, Germany and Scotland.
Interview on the Festival with the Director General of ICCR, Shri Suresh K. Goel, by the Economic Times.Photo Gallery of the Delhi Jazz Festival. |
His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, visited the Sri Lanka International Buddhist Academy (SIBA) this morning to inaugurate the International Buddhist Conference organized by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). The Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Buddhasasna and Religious Affairs of Sri Lanka, together with the Sri Lanka International Buddhist Academy and the University of Peredeniya were the Partner Institutes for the Conference, which was organized as part of the joint commemoration by India and Sri Lanka of the 2600th anniversary of the attainment of enlightenment by Lord Buddha. The inauguration of the Conference was also graced by the presence of Hon’ble D.M. Jayaratne, Prime Minister, Prof. G. L. Peiris, Hon’ble Minister of External Affairs of Sri Lanka, Mr. Ashok K. Kantha, High Commissioner of India, and Mr. Suresh K. Goel, Director General, ICCR.
Click here for the Photo Gallery of the International Buddhist Conference. Here for the Speech of the Director General of ICCR, Shri Suresh K. Goel, at the Inaugural. And here for the Press Release of the Inauguration. |
 Maximum India, from March 1-20, 2011 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., was a celebration of Indian arts and culture that included dozens of performances in music, dance, and theatre, as well as exhibitions, cuisine, and more. A festival of this kind must necessarily project the cultural identity of the people of the nation to which they belong. It should reflect not just their visual and ritual traditions, but also give space to their creative thinking, which together would form the soul and the corpus of their cultural ethos. ICCR’s partnership with the Kennedy Center in this festival was inspired by this thought.
Click here for the Inaugural Speech of Shri Suresh K. Goel, Director General of ICCR, at Maximum India.Here for the Photo Gallery of Maximum India. And here for the Trailer of Maximum India. |
Mr. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, launched the Year of India in Canada 2011, on 4 March 2011. “Our country is home to a vibrant, nearly one-million strong, Indo-Canadian community that plays a vital role in Canada’s economic and cultural landscape,” said the Prime Minister. “This Year will provide an excellent opportunity to showcase India’s colourful culture and traditions while strengthening connections between our two countries.”
Click here for the Photo Gallery of The Year of India in Canada, 2011. The Festival aims to highlight India’s culture, traditions and diversity, and celebrate the contribution of the Indian diaspora to Canadian society. It will feature a number of events across the country, including musical and theatrical performances as well as literary gatherings, book fairs, business meetings and children’s events. For more information on the Year of Canada and related events, visit: www.hciottawa.ca. Here for the Video of the Inaugural. Here for the Press Release of the Inauguration. And here for the Video of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations. |
Diversity is an Indian passion: we live it, tolerate it, accommodate it, and relish it. Contestation is thus inherent, but it manifests itself most of the time in an agreed framework. A historian of modern India, Ramachandra Guha, has observed that ‘at no other time or place have social conflicts been so richly diverse, so vigorously articulated, so eloquently manifested in art and literature, or addressed with such directness by the political system or the media.’ Accommodation of diversity is not an Indian preserve. In a world so full of variety, it must necessarily occur all over. Globalisation and its inherent connectivity and mobility have added to it in ample measure. The critical question then is of the manner in which individual societies respond to it.
Speech of Shri M. Hamid Ansari, H'ble Vice-President of India.Speech of Dr. Karan Singh, President of ICCR. Video of the Inauguration of the International Seminar on “Indian Culture in a Globalised World”. |