ARCHIVED MEDIA RELEASE
PA/03/07 13 January 2007
Australian cultural celebration in Jaipur
Australia is proud to bring to the Jaipur Heritage International Festival 2007 a wide range of cultural events, including dance, music, theatre, exhibitions and literature as focus country.
Presented as a part of AusArts India: film, arts, literature, a two-year cultural promotion program initiated by the Australian Government, Australia’s participation at the festival will provide an opportunity to the audiences to take a closer look at the diversity of Australian culture and society.
“Australia's participation in the Jaipur Festival and the presence of prominent Australian performers and artists presents an opportunity to highlight the rich cultural diversity of our country ", said Mr John McCarthy, Australian High Commissioner to India.
"Jaipur is a hub of cultural activities in India and represents a wide range of Indian art forms. To present Australian arts and literature in this city is a wonderful opportunity for us to highlight our talent. We also hope that this will further strengthen cultural links between the two countries,” said Mr McCarthy.
The performances being brought to Jaipur include:
Heartland is a program devised & directed by Australian singer Sarah Mandie, and featuring Rukma Devi, songstress of Barmer, Rajasthan. Sarah Mandie shares the heart of Australian and Rajasthani song as she meets with the unique and passionate manginyar singer, Rukma Devi, her teacher. The sounds of desert instruments morchung, didgeridoo, harmonium and tabla combined with voices in an unforgettable performance.
*15 January 6.30 pm Ravindra Manch, Jawahar Kala Kendra
*16 January 6.30 pm Suburban venue
*17 January 9.00 pm late stage at Diggi Palace
Hatch, by Barking Spider is the tale of a puppet character called Little Legs. After a joyful birth he encounters pain followed by disillusion and loss of sense of self. He journeys through different worlds seeking understanding and the story ends in his triumph at rediscovering lost joy and a restored sense of faith in the world.
*20 January, 2.30 & 4.30pm: Performance of Hatch at Ravindra Manch, Jawahar Kala Kendra (two performances)
Dislocate is an Australian theatre company and was born out of a desire to combine the exciting form of circus with the intricacies of language and the humanity of theatre. In Jaipur they will perform an outdoor comedy circus spectacular called 3 SPEED CRUNCH BOX. It is a fast-paced, highly humorous, frantic, ground based street theatre act about a ridiculous family of absurd stunt people.
*20-21 January, 6.00 pm at the Jawahar Kala Kendra, an amphitheatre
Reconnecting the Gondwana The art of the Australian Aboriginal people is the oldest living art tradition in the world. Cave painting and archaeological evidence once put the time span at 40,000 years. Now it is assumed to be much older. The works displayed in Reconnecting Gondwana are drawn from the extensive private collection of Anthony Ellis and Sonya Boylan. Most paintings come from Fitzroy Crossing in the State of Western Australia and an interesting comparison is made with works by Gond artists from Madhya Pradesh, truly connecting work by indigenous artists from the great southern super continent of prehistoric times.
*Friday 19 January, 12.30 pm, Anthony Ellis, the owner-curator, will speak in the
exhibition space at Jawahar Kala Kendra.
The Literature Festival – Aims to foster a "love-for-literature" movement by providing an interactive space for writers and readers, to keep the oral and scripted traditions of India alive, through book readings, discussions, book launches, the festival aims at creating a bond between the writer and the reader by establishing a direct, warm and informal dialogue.
John Zubrzycki, is a Sydney-based journalist who has travelled and worked in India over the past 30 years. He is the author of The Last Nizam: An Indian Prince in the Australian Outback. Gracing this session as Moderator will be HH Maharaja Gajsinghji Jodhpur. This session is sponsored by the Australian Government through the Australian International Cultural Council.
*Sunday 21 January, 12 noon – 1 pm at Diggi Palace
Christopher Kremmer started his writing career in fiction with several award-winning short stories, though he is perhaps best known as the former Australian Broadcasting Commission correspondent in Hanoi and Delhi. He still found time to write several books including The Carpet Wars and Bamboo Palace. Inhaling the Mahatma, which discusses his years in India, is his most recent book. Mr. Kremmer will be in conversation with Mark Tully, the legendary veteran of the BBC in India.
*Friday 19 January, 11.00 am- 12 noon at Diggi Palace
Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) – The Department of Education Science and Training, an arm of the Australian Government will be providing information on opportunities in higher studies in Australia.
*19-21 January at Diggi Palace
Business Forum by Austrade in conjunction with CII - The objective is to generate visibility of Australia as a business partner country in Rajasthan, and Austrade as the nodal agency to initiate business relations between Australian companies and entrepreneurs and business houses in Rajasthan.
The key sectors identified are, food processing & dairy, agri machinery, equine health & animal husbandry, rough stones (gemstones), mining (gemstones and other resources),wool and investing in Australia.
*18 January, 5.00 – 7.00 pm at SMS Convention Centre, Rambagh Palace
AusArts: film, arts, literature is supported by the Australian Government through the Australia International Cultural Council an initiative of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in partnership with Australian Film Commission and the Australia-India Council.
For further information, please contact Mr Anthony Ellis on (0)98180 99496.
* Please check final schedules