Maximum India, a 20-day cultural extravaganza of Indian soft power, kicks off here on March 1 with scores of artistes set to enthrall a capital where India is now looked on more favourably than ever before. Hope this will strengthen Brand India in USA and lots of new tourist will visit India to explore the country.

1. march 1–20, 2011 l the kennedy center, washington, dc

2. Presented in cooperation with
Indian Council for Cultural Relations, New Delhi and Embassy of India, Washington, DC.
Co-ChaIRs
Indra K. Nooyi
David M. Rubenstein
stephen a. schwarzman
Dr. Romesh and Kathleen Wadhwani
PREsENtINg UNDERWRItER
the hRh Foundation
ExECUtIvE CoUNCIl
Major support is provided by David and alice Rubenstein.
additional support is provided by
the trehan Foundation, Dr. Romesh and Kathleen Wadhwani, amway Corporation, and RB Properties Inc.
International Programming at the Kennedy Center is made possible through the generosity of
the Kennedy Center International Committee on the arts.
Tickets available at the Kennedy Center Box Office or charge by phone (202) 467-4600
online at kennedy-center.org/india
Toll-free (800) 444-1324 TTY (202) 416-8524 Groups (202) 416-8400

3. It speaks many languages. It savors many
cuisines. It colors life in more hues than there are
in a rainbow.
India is vast: 1.2 billion people; 24 languages;
1,600 dialects; 28 states; myriad cuisines; 330,000
gods and goddesses; 300 ways to cook a potato;
the Ganges attracting millions to its banks; home
also of Mahatma Gandhi—a moral force; and
one of the richest and most ancient cultures on
the planet.
Every few miles, India presents itself differently;
each region distinct. It’s modern, yet traditional,
where a cow shares space with a rickshaw and
an SUV. It’s contemporary, yet classic, where
skyscrapers jostle shanties for space, where yoga
and hip hop are neighbors. India is diverse in
every aspect, yet united as one country.
India is home to a million art forms, both
traditional and modern. maximum INDIA brings
you perhaps not a million, but many wonderful
and unusual aspects of the country’s diverse
arts and culture, from folkloric to classical and
contemporary. It will surprise and delight you with
dance, music, and theater performed by India’s
most acclaimed artists. Film selections from the
world’s most robust movie industry, featuring both
indie and Bollywood films; prize-winning authors
reading, debating, conversing, and sharing their
insights; exhibitions that astonish and confront;
incredible and unimaginable crafts from exquisite
collections; jewels that dazzle from the princely
era of the Mughals and Maharajas. And, to top it
all, feasts of Indian food for the entire three-week
period of the festival, prepared by 13 world-class,
award-winning Indian chefs, representing all
regions of the country.
India amazes with the majesty and mystery of
its culture. Its brilliance is that it is a country of
extremes—intellect, innovation, survival, and
experimentation. We have traveled, researched,
and scoured the country for the best it can offer,
and India offers the maximum. This festival will
truly be INDIa.

4. dance
the Dancer and the Dance
It is said that Nataraja, god of dance, danced martial art forms like chhau are counterpointed
the world into being, that it was created by the supple strength of bharatanatyam, the
through the vibrations of his drumbeat. So it fluid grace of odissi and kuchipudi, the dazzling
is that classical dance in India captures the footwork of kathak. The highly stylized, masked
power, the mystical element of its origination, dance-drama of Kathakali and the exuberant
endlessly and thrillingly repeating that dance folk dances of Rajasthan are at either end of
of life. Vital, beautiful, popular, the maximum a spectrum of styles and dance aesthetics,
INDIA dance offerings will feature some of the performed by dancers who stretch and mold
most celebrated artists of Indian dance, whose tradition, exploring movement and music, rhythm
choreography ranges from classical to folk and space, in exciting new ways.
and contemporary. The vigor and precision of

5. Madhavi Mudgal the Daksha sheth Priyadarsini govind Ragamala
and alarmel valli Dance Company Dance
Madhavi Mudgal and alarmel valli the Daksha sheth Dance Company
Samanvaya: A Coming Together Sarpagati: The Way of the Serpent
Two dancers and two classical Indian dance A powerful dance-theater work that has
forms fuse to create Samanvaya—Sanskrit for become a landmark in contemporary Indian
“a coming together. The geometrical linear dance, Sarpagati is inspired by and draws upon
structure of bharatanatyam and the sensuous rituals, myth, and symbolism associated with the
ebb and flow of odissi accentuate each other snake. The first Indian woman soloist in chhau,
through contrast when performed by two an ancient dance from east India, Trivandrum’s
renowned Indian dancers and choreographers, Daksha Sheth creates choreography that
Madhavi Mudgal and Alarmel Valli. features warrior-like movements animated with
raw, primal energy combined with the traditional
Mudgal, known for her expressive hand motions kathak style of dance. She was also the first to
and gestures, has become India’s premier introduce aerial technique into Indian dance, as
odissi exponent, garnering awards and acclaim is demonstrated in Sarpagati. A free Explore the
for sustaining and evolving the art form. Valli Arts discussion follows the performance.
is a master of bharatanatyam, one of the
oldest dance forms in India, which features March 8 at 7:30 p.m. | Terrace Theater
quick-paced, nimble footwork, restrained floor Tickets $36
work, and a complex system of head and eye
movements.
Ragamala Dance featuring aparna
March 2 at 8 p.m. | Eisenhower Theater
Tickets $18–$45
Ramaswamy and Dakshina/Daniel
Phoenix singh Dance Company
Acclaimed as one of the Indian diaspora’s
Priyadarsini govind and leading bharatanatyam ensembles, Ragamala
Nrityagram Dance Ensemble Dance seamlessly carries the traditional
Pandanallur style of bharatanatyam into the 21st
Priyadarsini Govind, specializing in abhinaya century. The group’s contemporary approach,
(“the art of expression”), has been performing while deeply rooted in tradition, conveys the
bharatanatyam dance around the world form’s infinite possibilities. Dakshina/Daniel
since age 16. The stunning Nrityagram Dance Phoenix Singh Dance Company is an emerging,
Ensemble, in its ashram-like compound in the DC-based dance company that performs and
Indian countryside, eats, sleeps, and breathes presents Indian and contemporary dance.
classical dance, existing as a unique community
dedicated to the education, preservation, and March 9 at 7:30 p.m. | Family Theater
development of Indian dance. Passion shines Tickets $26
in every exquisitely polished move of these two
dynamic dance forces.
March 6 at 7:30 p.m. | Terrace Theater
Tickets $36

6. Malavika sarukkai Kerala Kalamandalam
Malavika sarukkai and Pina Bausch. She brings her background
in kuchipudi and the skills she has learned from
Sakthi Sakthimaan—Energies these masters to Swayambhu, a program of
Auspicious and Fearsome contrasts, at the same time swift and suspended,
earthly and ethereal, symmetrical and
For three decades, Malavika Sarukkai has asymmetrical.
been a hallmark dancer and choreographer
in the traditional bharatanatyam style. A firm March 12 at 7:30 p.m. | Terrace Theater
believer in the continuity of Indian classical Tickets $36
tradition, Sarukkai preserves key elements of
bharatanatyam while providing a personal
interpretation of the dance’s cultural
significance. A favorite of Indian dance critics,
Free Dance Events
See Calendar of Free Events for details.
she inspired the phrase “innovative-within-
tradition” to describe her stimulating dances.
Natyalakshana
March 7, Eisenhower Theater
March 10 at 7:30 p.m. | Terrace Theater
Tickets $36 gulabo sapera & Party
March 8, Millennium Stage
tanusree shankar Dance Company
Shantala Shivalingappa: March 9, Eisenhower Theater
Swayambhu Bhangra Class with DJ Rekha
March 13, Millennium Stage
Treasured in both India and Europe, Shantala
Shivalingappa is an acclaimed dancer and odissi vision & Movement Centre
choreographer of kuchipudi, a 2,000-year-old March 14, Eisenhower Theater
classical style based on the Natya Shastra,
Ticket to Bollywood
an ancient codification of dance, music,
March 17, Eisenhower Theater
and theater. Born in India and raised in Paris,
Shivalingappa has had the privilege of working Kerala Kalamandalam Kathakali troupe
with some of the greatest artists of our time, March 19, Millennium Stage
including Maurice Béjart, Peter Brook, Bartabas,

7. shantala shivalingappa

8. music
Music alchemy
“Some spice, please” may be the phrase that, encompassing spirit of the music of India. From
above all, expresses an Indian identity—in the two streams of Hindustani and Carnatic
images, theater, fashion, and certainly in sound. music, to their modern interpretations on the
Spices might well characterize the music of India, piano and cello; from ghazal and khayal to jazz
reflecting its richness, diversity, and unmistakable musicians and rock bands who seamlessly fuse
flavor. From classical to contemporary, virtually Indian musical elements and instruments into
every genre of music can be found in India today— their musical language; from the desert music of
each distinct, but in most cases, distinctly Indian— Rajasthan to Indian pop; and a world premiere
and its musical forms have had a profound that brings together Indian and Western musical
influence outside the subcontinent, too. In traditions, maximum INDIA presents a tantalizing
its selection of musicians and performances, sampling of the music that shapes, and has been
maximum INDIA aims to capture that all- shaped by, India.

9. anando Mukerjee, tenor Vatsala Mehra: An Evening of
Ghazals, Sufi, Thumri, and Geet
A lirico-spinto tenor born and raised in India,
Anando Mukerjee has studied with renowned Known as the Ghazal Queen, D.C.-based
Swedish tenor Nicolai Gedda and has sung singer Vatsala Mehra is a master of the Indian
the roles of some of opera’s most well-known ghazal—a poetic form written by the Persian
characters, including Rodolfo, the Duke of mystics that explores the relationship of love
Mantua, Pinkerton, and Nemorino. At the and pain. She was honored by the Indian
Kennedy Center, Anando will present a government for her contributions to India’s
recital comprised of repertoire inspired by his musical tradition and has performed around
homeland. the globe to great acclaim. In addition to her
mastery of ghazal, Vatsala frequently sings songs
March 2 at 7:30 p.m. | Family Theater of the Sufi tradition, showcasing her remarkable
Tickets $18 range and the emotionality of her voice.
March 8 at 8 p.m. | Eisenhower Theater
National symphony orchestra Tickets $20–$45
with Zakir hussain
Indian composer and tabla player Zakir Hussain National symphony orchestra
has earned worldwide acclaim, collaborating Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie
with artists as diverse as Yo-Yo Ma, George
Harrison, and Béla Fleck. NSO Music Director Composer Olivier Messiaen chose Turangalîla—a
Christoph Eschenbach conducts the Orchestra, fusing of the Sanskrit words for the movement of
Zakir Hussain on tabla, mezzo-soprano Kelley time and the songs of love—to title his symphonic
o’Connor, and vocalists shankar Mahadevan exploration of romantic love and death, which
and hariharan in the world premiere of Hussain’s the composer described as “superhuman,
newest work, an NSO commission written in honor overflowing, dazzling, and abandoned.”
of the Kennedy Center’s celebration of India. Christoph Eschenbach conducts the NSO in this
Combining elements of Hindu ragas and talas, astonishing 20th century classic featuring pianist
Sufi kalam and Christian church music, Hussain Cédric Tiberghien and ondes martenot player
describes the piece as a “concerto for four Tristan Murail. A free AfterWords discussion follows
soloists.” Also on the program is O’Connor singing the March 11 performance.
excerpts from Roussel’s opera Padmâvatî,
drawn from the culminating expression of the March 10 at 7 p.m., March 11 & 12 at 8 p.m.
composer’s fascination with the legends of India. Concert hall
Tickets $20–$85
March 3 at 7 p.m., March 4 & 5 at 8 p.m.
Concert hall Learn more about Messiaen’s Turangalîla-
Tickets $20–$85 Symphonie in the Explore the Arts lecture “What
to listen for in Music,” March 5 at 2 p.m. in the
Theater Lab. Tickets $15.
Zakir hussain Christoph Eschenbach

10. The Manganiyar Seduction

11. shubhendra Rao, sitar and National symphony orchestra
saskia Rao-de haas, cello Zemlinsky’s Lyric Symphony
New Delhi’s husband-and-wife team of sitarist Alexander von Zemlinsky’s Lyric Symphony,
Shubhendra Rao and cellist Saskia Rao-de with text taken from the writings of India’s
Haas weaves together the seemingly diverse Rabindranath Tagore, winner of the 1913 Nobel
traditions of European and Indian music. In order Prize for Literature, receives its first performances
to comply with Indian classical music’s stringent by the NSO. Baritone Matthias Goerne and
requirements, Rao-de Haas adapted her cello, soprano Twyla Robinson sing the elegant and
adding one additional playing string and ten spiritual poetry of Tagore in German translation.
sympathetic strings, creating the Indian Cello, Also on the program is Beethoven’s Piano
the only such instrument in existence. The duo Concerto No. 1, played by Christoph Eschenbach
plays both classical Indian music and original and conducted from the piano. A free AfterWords
compositions that are at once traditional and discussion follows the March 17 performance.
avant garde.
March 17 at 7 p.m., March 19 at 8 p.m., &
March 11 at 7:30 p.m. | Family Theater March 20 at 1:30 p.m. | Concert Hall
Tickets $18 Tickets $20–$85
Utsav lal, piano The Manganiyar Seduction
Born in New Delhi, 18-year-old piano prodigy Acclaimed Indian director Roysten Abel brings
Utsav Lal has used original interpretations of together Muslim musicians from the deserts of
Indian ragas and his mastery of Western classical Rajasthan for a full-throttle musical production
music and jazz to command international that fuses the Manganiyars’s highly energetic
attention. Dubbed “the Raga Pianist,” Lal seeks sound and the visual seduction of Amsterdam’s
to meld the best of Eastern and Western music red light district. Featuring 43 musicians spanning
through his compositions without detracting from three generations, seated in 36 red curtained
either one. cubicles stacked 4 high and 9 across, The
Manganiyar Seduction is as much a treat for the
March 13 at 7:30 p.m. | Terrace Theater eyes as it is for the ears. A free Explore the Arts
Tickets $25 discussion follows the performance on March 19.
March 19 at 8 p.m. & March 20 at 2:30 p.m.
Eisenhower theater
Tickets $25–$45
Utsav lal l. subramaniam and
ambi subramaniam

12. Emergence
Soulmate THE MONSOON CLUB AT THE TERRACE GALLERY
Some of India’s freshest musical talents will perform in The Monsoon Club, a space designed
by Chris Lee and Kapil Gupta. Founding Principals of the international firm Serie Architects,
Lee and Gupta have designed some of the most talked about clubs and restaurants in
Mumbai.
The monsoon is a quintessential Indian moment which has inspired great emotion in music,
dance, and other creative arts. The installation in the Terrace Gallery is imagined as an instant
in a downpour, a three-dimensional carpet of 500,000 raindrops frozen in space. The pattern
and colors of the suspended threads are borrowed from traditional dhurrie carpets, forming
an unraveling loom cascading from one end of the room to the other.
Emergence and versatile protégé of the great tabla
masters Ustad Alla Rakha and Ustad Zakir
Get back to the elemental energy of Hussain, lets her training in classical piano
Suphala
music with Tamil Nadu-based Emergence. and improvisational performance style pour
Inspired by lead singer and guitarist out through this remarkable instrument. At
Krishna’s travels around India exploring The Monsoon Club, Suphala will be joined
Indian philosophy and a life closer to by clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, trumpeter Amir
nature, Emergence fuses harmonic textures Elsaffar, and percussionists Matt Kilmer and
of guitar and powerful lyrics with sublime John Hadfield.
Carnatic melodies played on violin,
backed by the expressive grooves of rock, March 10 at 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. | Tickets $15
funk, and ethnic rhythms and an explosive
Rudresh Mahanthappa
style of fretless and six-string bass.
Rudresh Mahanthappa’s
March 3 at 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. | Tickets $15 Indo-Pak Coalition
Led by Indian American saxophonist
Soulmate Rudresh Mahanthappa, the Indo-Pak
Coalition takes jazz, blends in astutely
Based in Shillong in northeastern India, improvised musical elements of South
DJ Rekha Soulmate had the honor of being the only Asia, and elevates the whole thing to new
Indian band to perform at the International heights. This trio with Pakistani American
Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN in 2007, guitarist Rez Abbasi and rising tabla star
reaching the semi-finals. Rudy Wallang and Dan Weiss is turning heads internationally in
Tipriti “Tips” Kharbangar have taken their both the jazz and world music scenes.
classic blues sound all over India and now
they’re ready for the world. March 11 at 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. | Tickets $26
March 4 at 7:30 & 9:30 | Tickets $15
Sunny Jain DJ Rekha Bhangra Dance Party
Suphala & Special Guests London-born musician, DJ, curator,
producer, and activist Rekha has been
Tabla, the traditional Indian set of two paving the way for bhangra music in
hand drums, appears so simple. But the North America through her monthly
sounds it makes can be as nuanced and Basement Bhangra event, running in New
expressive as the hands and mind that York for more than a decade. Regarded
touch it. New York’s Suphala, a young as a pioneer in the South Asian music
Panjabi MC

13. Emergence
Soulmate THE MONSOON CLUB AT THE TERRACE GALLERY
Some of India’s freshest musical talents will perform in The Monsoon Club, a space designed
by Chris Lee and Kapil Gupta. Founding Principals of the international firm Serie Architects,
Lee and Gupta have designed some of the most talked about clubs and restaurants in
Mumbai.
The monsoon is a quintessential Indian moment which has inspired great emotion in music,
dance, and other creative arts. The installation in the Terrace Gallery is imagined as an instant
in a downpour, a three-dimensional carpet of 500,000 raindrops frozen in space. The pattern
and colors of the suspended threads are borrowed from traditional dhurrie carpets, forming
an unraveling loom cascading from one end of the room to the other.
Emergence and versatile protégé of the great tabla
masters Ustad Alla Rakha and Ustad Zakir
Get back to the elemental energy of Hussain, lets her training in classical piano
Suphala
music with Tamil Nadu-based Emergence. and improvisational performance style pour
Inspired by lead singer and guitarist out through this remarkable instrument. At
Krishna’s travels around India exploring The Monsoon Club, Suphala will be joined
Indian philosophy and a life closer to by clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, trumpeter Amir
nature, Emergence fuses harmonic textures Elsaffar, and percussionists Matt Kilmer and
of guitar and powerful lyrics with sublime John Hadfield.
Carnatic melodies played on violin,
backed by the expressive grooves of rock, March 10 at 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. | Tickets $15
funk, and ethnic rhythms and an explosive
Rudresh Mahanthappa
style of fretless and six-string bass.
Rudresh Mahanthappa’s
March 3 at 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. | Tickets $15 Indo-Pak Coalition
Led by Indian American saxophonist
Soulmate Rudresh Mahanthappa, the Indo-Pak
Coalition takes jazz, blends in astutely
Based in Shillong in northeastern India, improvised musical elements of South
DJ Rekha Soulmate had the honor of being the only Asia, and elevates the whole thing to new
Indian band to perform at the International heights. This trio with Pakistani American
Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN in 2007, guitarist Rez Abbasi and rising tabla star
reaching the semi-finals. Rudy Wallang and Dan Weiss is turning heads internationally in
Tipriti “Tips” Kharbangar have taken their both the jazz and world music scenes.
classic blues sound all over India and now
they’re ready for the world. March 11 at 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. | Tickets $26
March 4 at 7:30 & 9:30 | Tickets $15
Sunny Jain DJ Rekha Bhangra Dance Party
Suphala & Special Guests London-born musician, DJ, curator,
producer, and activist Rekha has been
Tabla, the traditional Indian set of two paving the way for bhangra music in
hand drums, appears so simple. But the North America through her monthly
sounds it makes can be as nuanced and Basement Bhangra event, running in New
expressive as the hands and mind that York for more than a decade. Regarded
touch it. New York’s Suphala, a young as a pioneer in the South Asian music
Panjabi MC

14. Emergence
soulmate THE MONSOON CLUB AT THE TERRACE GALLERY
Some of India’s freshest musical talents will perform in The Monsoon Club, a space designed
by architect Kapil Gupta. Principal at the international firm Serie Architects and a director at
the Urban Design Research Institute in Mumbai, Gupta has designed some of the most talked
about clubs and restaurants in Mumbai.
The monsoon is a quintessential Indian moment which has inspired great emotion in music,
dance, and other creative arts. The installation in the Terrace Gallery is imagined as an instant
in a downpour, a three-dimensional carpet of 500,000 raindrops frozen in space. The pattern
and colors of the suspended threads are borrowed from traditional dhurrie carpets, forming
an unraveling loom cascading from one end of the room to the other.
Emergence and versatile protégé of the great tabla
masters Ustad Alla Rakha and Ustad Zakir
Get back to the elemental energy of Hussain, lets her training in classical piano
suphala
music with Tamil Nadu-based Emergence. and improvisational performance style pour
Inspired by lead singer and guitarist out through this remarkable instrument. At
Krishna’s travels around India exploring The Monsoon Club, Suphala will be joined
Indian philosophy and a life closer to by clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, trumpeter Amir
nature, Emergence fuses harmonic textures Elsaffar, and percussionists Matt Kilmer and
of guitar and powerful lyrics with sublime John Hadfield.
Carnatic melodies played on violin,
backed by the expressive grooves of rock, March 10 at 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. | Tickets $15
funk, and ethnic rhythms and an explosive
Rudresh Mahanthappa
style of fretless and six-string bass.
Rudresh Mahanthappa’s
March 3 at 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. | Tickets $15 Indo-Pak Coalition
Led by Indian American saxophonist
soulmate Rudresh Mahanthappa, the Indo-Pak
Coalition takes jazz, blends in astutely
Based in Shillong in northeastern India, improvised musical elements of South
DJ Rekha Soulmate had the honor of being the only Asia, and elevates the whole thing to new
Indian band to perform at the International heights. This trio with Pakistani American
Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN in 2007, guitarist Rez Abbasi and rising tabla star
reaching the semi-finals. Rudy Wallang and Dan Weiss is turning heads internationally in
Tipriti “Tips” Kharbangar have taken their both the jazz and world music scenes.
classic blues sound all over India and now
they’re ready for the world. March 11 at 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. | Tickets $26
March 4 at 7:30 & 9:30 | Tickets $15
sunny Jain DJ Rekha Bhangra Dance Party
suphala & special guests London-born musician, DJ, curator,
producer, and activist Rekha has been
Tabla, the traditional Indian set of two paving the way for bhangra music in
hand drums, appears so simple. But the North America through her monthly
sounds it makes can be as nuanced and Basement Bhangra event, running in New
expressive as the hands and mind that York for more than a decade. Regarded
touch it. New York’s Suphala, a young as a pioneer in the South Asian music
Panjabi MC

15. community, Rekha is also an adjunct faculty Free Music Events
member at New York University, where she has See Calendar of Free Events for details.
taught courses in South Asian pop culture. DJ
Rekha will also lead a free bhangra class on U. shrinivas
March 13 (see Calendar of Free Events for details). March 1, Millennium Stage
March 12 at 9:30 p.m. | Tickets $12 Rhythm of Rajasthan
March 2, Millennium Stage
Raghu Dixit
sunny Jain and Red Baraat March 4, Millennium Stage
Kailash Kher’s Kailasa
Highly respected drummer, composer, and
March 5, Millennium Stage
educator Sunny Jain leads Red Baraat, a
one-of-kind dhol and brass band melding the l. subramaniam
infectious North Indian bhangra rhythm with March 6, Eisenhower Theater
funk, soca, and improvisatory conducting. In
asima
addition to being a two-time recipient of the Arts
March 10, Millennium Stage
International Award, Sunny was designated a
Jazz Ambassador in 2002 by the U.S. Department Parikrama
of State and the Kennedy Center. March 11, Millennium Stage
Rajan and sajan Misra
March 18 at 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. | Tickets $26
March 13, Eisenhower Theater
Taal India: Percussion Ensemble
Panjabi MC at The Monsoon Club March 18, Millennium Stage
Panjabi MC
Party with one of the hottest DJs on the March 20, Millennium Stage
international club scene. The shooting star
producer from the UK has brought bhangra
to hip hop with unparalleled success. His Kailash Kher
2002 hit Mundian To Bach Ke, re-released as
Beware of the Boys, featuring Jay-Z, earned
him international fame. Having performed and
earned accolades the world over, Panjabi MC
has been a pioneer in bringing the sound of
bhangra into the mainstream.
March 19 at 9:30 p.m. | Tickets $12
OTHER EVENTS IN THE MONSOON CLUB
susmita Mohanty
3011: Spaceship Utopias
See Calendar of Free Events for details.
March 6 at 2 p.m. | Free
Nandita Das
Bollywood and Beyond
See Film listings for details.
March 14 at 7 p.m. | Tickets $10
The Last Mughal
Reading by William Dalrymple
See Literature listings for details.
March 17 at 7:30 p.m. | Free

16. theater
India onstage
India is one of the few countries in the world that The maximum INDIA theater series offers wide-
can claim an indigenous drama, unaffected by ranging productions by the best of India’s leading
foreign influence. Folk theater and dramatics playwrights, actors, directors, and producers,
can be traced to the second millennium BC; the both originally Indian as well as plays adapted
Ramayana and Mahabharata may be from world literature in a completely new idiom.
considered the earliest recognized epic plays Plays will be performed in Hindi, Manipuri, and
that were the inspiration not only for ancient Hindustani with English surtitles, as well as in English.
Indian dramatists, as they are today, but also for The enchantment of puppetry will, of course, be
playwrights, librettists, directors, and composers presented by string and hand puppets but will
around the world. Indian storytelling through go far beyond them to life-size sculptural ones
dramatic theater and puppetry has evolved inhabited by the puppeteers. This extraordinary
over millennia, making for some of the most variety of forms and dramatic traditions will bring
exciting plays and productions of our times. you a theatrical experience unlike any other.

17. theatre & television associates around to recognize. In this adaptation, scenes
from the original play have been picked up and
Nati Binodini interpolated, without distorting the original idea
and using unaltered dialogues from the original
Born into prostitution and a caste system that
text. Performed in Manipuri with English surtitles.
held down even the most ambitious, Nati
A free Explore the Arts discussion follows the
Binodini (1863–1941) defied all odds to become
performance on March 4.
a leading figure on the Bengali stage. Based on
the title character’s autobiography, this work
March 4 & 5 at 7:30 p.m. | Eisenhower Theater
from Theatre & Television Associates of New
Tickets $18–$45
Delhi, created and directed by Amal Allana,
shows how strength of character can carry one
woman far beyond the circumstances of her
birth. Performed in Hindi with English surtitles. Motley theatre group
Ismat Apa Ke Naam
March 2 & 3 at 7:30 p.m. | Terrace Theater starring Naseeruddin shah
Tickets $36
Indian film superstar Naseeruddin Shah (Monsoon
Wedding and The League of Extraordinary
Chorus Repertory theatre Gentlemen) and his Motley Theatre Group
When We Dead Awaken from Mumbai stage a collection of three works
by short-story writer Ismat Khanum Chughtai.
Selected for its universal human themes of Together the works celebrate Chughtai as one
death and resurrection, writer, director, and of India’s best-loved writers. “Gharwali,” “Mughal
actor Ratan Thiyam puts an Eastern twist on Bachcha,” and “Chhui Muee” are stories that
Henrik Ibsen’s final play of the same name. challenge India’s gender biases, caste system,
Manipur’s Chorus Repertory Theatre’s When and notions on the worth of rural women.
We Dead Awaken revolves around the buried Performed in Hindustani with English surtitles.
symbolism in names and occupations. A sculptor A free Explore the Arts discussion follows the
who has grown cold to his wife is led to climb performance on March 5.
a great mountain by an intriguing woman. But
the monolith proves to be too much for the March 5 at 7:30 and March 6 at 1:30 & 7:30 p.m.
sculptor in this enigmatic play that hints that Family theater
when we wake up to our reality, there is little Tickets $26
Nati Binodini

18. Naseeruddin shah in Ismat Apa Ke Naam

19. The Tagore-Gandhi Letters The Last Mughal
Panel: Ashis Nandy & Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak A reading by William Dalrymple
Moderator: Ritu Birla Accompanied by classical singer Vidya Shah
Not only did Mohandas Gandhi and Discover a bygone era of matchless splendor—
Rabindranath Tagore influence India for all time, the period of the last Mughals. This evocative
they influenced each other. Between 1915, evening celebrates the sweet, poignant poetry
the year Gandhi landed in India from South and ghazals of the Mughal court, brought to life
Africa, and 1941, the year of Tagore’s death, by celebrated author William Dalrymple reading
the Mahatma and the poet exchanged letters, from his award-winning book The Last Mughal:
debated, and discussed issues in person, as well The Fall of a Dynasty, Delhi, 1857. Experience a
as in the pages of the two journals they edited: forgotten world of emperors, poets, courtesans,
Young India (Gandhi) and Modern Review politics, bayonets, intrigue, and love.
(Tagore). Ashis Nandy and Gayatri Chakravorty
Spivak, scholars and authors of early 20th century March 17 at 7:30 p.m. | The Monsoon Club | Free
Indian history, recapture the conversation
between these two powerful figures.
Politics and Literature
March 12 at 1:30 p.m. | Family Theater | Free
Panel: Salman Rushdie & Nayantara Sahgal
Moderator: Ahdaf Soueif
The Majority on the Margins Beginning with writers’ first published words, their
views bear influence on others. What role do
Panel: Faustina Bama, Ganesh N. Devy, & Javed history and politics play in a writer’s imagination?
Akhtar Is religion important? Gender, class, caste?
Moderator: Ritu Menon Should literature preoccupy itself with any of
No matter how you cut it, the vast majority of these? Are writers by their nature obsessed with
Indian literature is inaccessible to English readers. all of these? Salman Rushdie is a world-famous
Is it the case that most Indian writing that is author of landmark novels such as Midnight’s
translated to English is automatically westernized? Children, The Moor’s Last Sigh, Haroun and the
Or that writing in other Indian languages is Sea of Stories, and most recently, Luka and the
provincial, non-metropolitan, grounded in a Fire of Life. Nayantara Sahgal is an acclaimed
home-grown reality? Is the one more “authentic” political commentator and author of nine novels
than the other? And can any Indian language and nine works of non-fiction.
ever be accurately labeled “marginal” when
its readers number in the millions? Writers from March 18 at 8 p.m. | Concert Hall | Free
across India’s literary spectrum address these
burning questions and others.
Celluloid Lives
March 12 at 4 p.m. | Family Theater | Free
Panel: Girish Karnad, Sharmila Tagore, &
Sadanand Menon
Imagining the City Moderator: Lalitha Gopalan
Since the 1950s, cinema has evolved to dominate
Panel: Suketu Mehta, Maya K. Rao, & Sunetra India’s imagination. This panel explores film
Gupta biography and autobiography as a personalized
Moderator: Hirsh Sawhney account of this evolution as experienced by
Imagining the City will offer a lively panel those most intimately involved. Girish Karnad
discussion about cities in India—their histories is a multiple award-winning playwright, actor,
and their futures. Suketu Mehta is the author and director. Sharmila Tagore is an icon of the
of the classic study of Bombay, Maximum City: silver screen and was the young heroine of early
Bombay Lost and Found. Maya K. Rao stands at Satyajit Ray films. Sadanand Menon is a notable
the forefront of contemporary Indian theater. film critic, journalist, chronicler of Tamil cinema,
Sunetra Gupta is the highly regarded author of and cultural commentator.
Memories of Rain, A Sin of Colour, and her most
recent novel, So Good in Black, a paean to her March 19 at 4:30 p.m. | Terrace Theater | Free
native city, Kolkata.
March 13 at 4 p.m. | Family Theater | Free

20. Broken Images shabana azmi in
starring shabana azmi Broken Images
One of the most respected names in Indian
cinema, award-winning actress Shabana Azmi
stars in Girish Karnad’s psychological thriller
about a relatively unknown Hindi short story writer
who suddenly becomes wealthy and famous by
writing a best-seller in English. Has she betrayed
her language and identity? This one-woman play
is directed by Alyque Padamsee. Performed in
English.
March 16 at 8 p.m. | Eisenhower Theater
Tickets $35–$100
the Ishara Puppet theatre trust
Simple Dreams
Combining the essences of puppetry and
imagination, Simple Dreams is an interplay
of music, dance, and performers animating
simple objects such as sticks and umbrellas to
create vivid images of birds, fish, animals. This
Free theater Events
See Calendar of Free Events for details.
visual poem on nature and the cycle of life
comes from the imagination of leading Indian
Dan Nainan, comedian
puppeteer Dadi Pudumjee, founder of The Ishara
March 3, Millennium Stage
Puppet Theatre Trust. For age 5 and up.
the Ishara Puppet theatre trust
March 19 & 20 at 1:30 & 4 p.m. | Family Theater Images of Truth
Tickets $18 March 12, Eisenhower Theater
When We Dead Awaken

21. literature
the Power of the Word
Literary activity in India has been exceptionally output is staggering, its range impressive.
rich in the 21st century, in all genres, in all The literature segment of the maximum INDIA
languages. Fiction and non-fiction; plays and festival focuses on the many aspects of creative
poetry; autobiography and biography. Fiction writing in India as it poses the questions: How
into film, film into memoir; voices heard, or have writers responded to the paradoxical
when unheard, found in translation. The spoken nature of Indian reality? How have they
word, the word performed. In India or outside, challenged, appropriated, wrestled with,
diasporic or otherwise, writers have forged an delighted in or despaired of its bewildering,
idiom that is striking for its freshness and confident changeable character? Have they dealt with it
in its expression. Their writing has received critical imaginatively? Experimentally? Politically? It is a
and literary acclaim, won awards, been quoted veritable, moveable literary feast!
and emulated, taught and analyzed. Its sheer

22. The Tagore-Gandhi Letters The Last Mughal
Panel: Ashis Nandy & Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak a reading by William Dalrymple
Moderator: Ritu Birla accompanied by classical singer vidya shah
Not only did Mohandas Gandhi and Discover a bygone era of matchless splendor—
Rabindranath Tagore influence India for all time, the period of the last Mughals. This evocative
they influenced each other. Between 1915, evening celebrates the sweet, poignant poetry
the year Gandhi landed in India from South and ghazals of the Mughal court, brought to life
Africa, and 1941, the year of Tagore’s death, by celebrated author William Dalrymple reading
the Mahatma and the poet exchanged letters, from his award-winning book The Last Mughal:
debated, and discussed issues in person, as well The Fall of a Dynasty, Delhi, 1857. Experience a
as in the pages of the two journals they edited: forgotten world of emperors, poets, courtesans,
Young India (Gandhi) and Modern Review politics, bayonets, intrigue, and love.
(Tagore). Ashis Nandy and Gayatri Chakravorty
Spivak, scholars and authors of early 20th century March 17 at 7:30 p.m. | The Monsoon Club | Free
Indian history, recapture the conversation
between these two powerful figures.
Politics and Literature
March 12 at 1:30 p.m. | Family Theater | Free
Panel: Salman Rushdie, Nayantara Sahgal, &
William Dalrymple
The Majority on the Margins Moderator: Ahdaf Soueif
Beginning with writers’ first published words, their
Panel: Faustina Bama, Ganesh N. Devy, & Javed views bear influence on others. What role do
akhtar history and politics play in a writer’s imagination?
Moderator: Ritu Menon Is religion important? Gender, class, caste?
No matter how you cut it, the vast majority of Should literature preoccupy itself with any of
Indian literature is inaccessible to English readers. these? Are writers by their nature obsessed with
Is it the case that most Indian writing that is all of these? Salman Rushdie is a world-famous
translated to English is automatically westernized? author of landmark novels such as Midnight’s
Or that writing in other Indian languages is Children, The Moor’s Last Sigh, Haroun and the
provincial, non-metropolitan, grounded in a Sea of Stories, and most recently, Luka and the
home-grown reality? Is the one more “authentic” Fire of Life. Nayantara Sahgal is an acclaimed
than the other? And can any Indian language political commentator and author of nine novels
ever be accurately labeled “marginal” when and nine works of non-fiction. Author William
its readers number in the millions? Writers from Dalrymple moved to Delhi at 22 to research the
across India’s literary spectrum address these award-winning City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi, and
burning questions and others. since has written about all corners of the world.
March 12 at 4 p.m. | Family Theater | Free March 18 at 8 p.m. | Concert Hall | Free
Imagining the City Celluloid Lives
Panel: Suketu Mehta, Maya K. Rao, & Sunetra Panel: Girish Karnad, Sharmila Tagore, &
gupta sadanand Menon
Moderator: Hirsh Sawhney Moderator: Lalitha Gopalan
Imagining the City will offer a lively panel Since the 1950s, cinema has evolved to dominate
discussion about cities in India—their histories India’s imagination. This panel explores film
and their futures. Suketu Mehta is the author biography and autobiography as a personalized
of the classic study of Bombay, Maximum City: account of this evolution as experienced by
Bombay Lost and Found. Maya K. Rao stands at those most intimately involved. Girish Karnad
the forefront of contemporary Indian theater. is a multiple award-winning playwright, actor,
Sunetra Gupta is the highly regarded author of and director. Sharmila Tagore is an icon of the
Memories of Rain, A Sin of Colour, and her most silver screen and was the young heroine of early
recent novel, So Good in Black, a paean to her Satyajit Ray films. Sadanand Menon is a notable
native city, Kolkata. film critic, journalist, chronicler of Tamil cinema,
and cultural commentator.
March 13 at 4 p.m. | Family Theater | Free
March 19 at 4:30 p.m. | Terrace Theater | Free

23. DISCUSSIONS Adoor Gopalakrishnan is one of India’s most
acclaimed contemporary film-makers whose
Nandita Das award-winning films include Kodiyettam/Ascent
and Kathapurushan/Man of the Story. Shyam
Bollywood and Beyond Benegal has been considered one of India’s
leading film-makers since his first feature film,
Nandita Das, an award-winning actress and
Ankur. Ketan Mehta is a film director and part of
director known for her critically acclaimed
the international film circuit, whose films include
performances in films like Fire, Earth, and many
Bhavni Bhavai and Mangal Pandey: The
others, leads a discussion of the Indian film
Rising. Dilip Basu is Founding Director of the Satyajit
industry. Bollywood, the Hindi-language films
Ray Film & Study Center and helped create the
churned out by big-banner studios in Bombay,
South Asia Studies Center at UC Santa Cruz.
seems to have become synonymous with Indian
cinema yet some of India’s most outstanding
March 15 at 7:30 p.m. | Terrace Theater
directors—Satyajit Ray, Aravindan, Mrinal Sen,
Tickets $10
Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Shaji Karun, Girish
Kasaravalli, and others—have made compelling
films in their native languages outside the system.
FILM SCREENINGS
These “regional” films have featured significantly
in the international arena and have much to
share with the world that is beyond Bollywood. Dhobi Ghat (Mumbai Diaries) (2010)
March 14 at 7:30 p.m. | The Monsoon Club With an introduction and post-screening Q&A
Tickets $10 with director and screenwriter Kiran Rao
One of India’s most sought-after leading men,
Aamir Khan stars in wife Kiran Rao’s feature film
directorial debut, the story of four people from
Panel Discussion: Portrayal of very different backgrounds, whose worlds
Indian Women in Film intersect and leave them forever altered. As they
find themselves drawn into compelling
Panel: Shabana Azmi, Sharmila Tagore, Adoor relationships, the city finds its way into the crevices
Gopalakrishnan, Ketan Mehta, & Dilip Basu of their lives, separating them even as it brings
Moderator: Nandita Das them closer. Fragments of their experience—
Some of the biggest names in Indian cinema seen through a naive video diary, black and
discuss the portrayal of Indian women in film white photographic images, and painting—form
through the lens of the screenings chosen for a portrait of Mumbai and its people bound
maximum INDIA. Shabana Azmi has starred in together as they journey through loneliness, loss,
some of the greatest Indian films such as Ankur, and love. In Hindi with English subtitles.
Mandi, and Tehzeeb. Sharmila Tagore is an icon
of the silver screen, who was the young heroine March 19 at 8 p.m. | Terrace Theater | Tickets $12
of early Satyajit Ray films before she moved to
mainstream Hindi cinema with Kashmir ki Kali.
Aamir Khan in Dhobi Ghat

24. film
Freeze Frame
An India without films is simply unimaginable. The films selected for maximum INDIA are an
Filmmaking there seems to be almost as eclectic but wholly satisfying collection of
spontaneous as breathing! If it isn’t by now the movies and documentaries that highlight major
largest film-producing country in the world, it’s landmarks in Indian filmmaking over the last 50
certainly the most diverse. Films are watched by years, with a special focus on films that feature
millions of viewers, made in several languages women—as symbols, as rebels, as survivors, or
and in every part of the country, each in a simply as themselves, in all their contradictory
distinctive idiom and a particular regional flavor. and wonderful complexity. These films have
Slickly flamboyant Bombay films, political films been made by some of the most outstanding
from the South, sophisticated Bengali films, directors in the industry and the roles portrayed
Bollywood song-and-dance, the nuanced by actresses of remarkable range, beauty, and
realism of the new wave, and a whole new crop accomplishment. Many of them will introduce
of features, documentaries, and docudramas their films and engage in discussions with
that are confidently hybrid and experimental the audience and among themselves, in a
represent a film culture that is inventive, buoyant scintillating debate on the presence of women in
and irrepressible. Indian films.

25. DISCUSSIONS mainstream Hindi cinema with Kashmir ki Kali.
Adoor Gopalakrishnan is one of India’s most
Nandita Das acclaimed contemporary film-makers whose
award-winning films include Kodiyettam/Ascent
Bollywood and Beyond and Kathapurushan/Man of the Story. Shyam
Benegal has been considered one of India’s
Nandita Das, an award-winning actress and
leading film-makers since his first feature film,
director known for her critically acclaimed
Ankur. Ketan Mehta is a film director and part of
performances in films like Fire, Earth, and many
the international film circuit, whose films include
others, leads a discussion of the Indian film
Bhavni Bhavai and Mangal Pandey: The
industry. Bollywood, the Hindi-language films
Rising. Dilip Basu is Founding Director of the Satyajit
churned out by big-banner studios in Bombay,
Ray Film & Study Center and helped create the
seems to have become synonymous with Indian
South Asia Studies Center at UC Santa Cruz.
cinema yet some of India’s most outstanding
directors—Satyajit Ray, Aravindan, Mrinal Sen,
March 15 at 7:30 p.m. | Terrace Theater
Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Shaji Karun, Girish
Tickets $10
Kasaravalli, and others—have made compelling
films in their native languages outside the system.
These “regional” films have featured significantly
FILM SCREENINGS
in the international arena and have much to
share with the world that is beyond Bollywood.
Dhobi Ghat (Mumbai Diaries) (2010)
March 14 at 7:30 p.m. | The Monsoon Club
Tickets $10 With an introduction and post-screening Q&a
with director and screenwriter Kiran Rao
One of India’s most sought-after leading men,
Aamir Khan stars in wife Kiran Rao’s feature film
Panel Discussion: Portrayal of directorial debut, the story of four people from
Indian Women in Film very different backgrounds, whose worlds
intersect and leave them forever altered. As they
Panel: Shabana Azmi, Sharmila Tagore, Adoor find themselves drawn into compelling
gopalakrishnan, shyam Benegal, Ketan Mehta, relationships, the city finds its way into the crevices
& Dilip Basu of their lives, separating them even as it brings
Moderator: Nandita Das them closer. Fragments of their experience—
Some of the biggest names in Indian cinema seen through a naive video diary, black and
discuss the portrayal of Indian women in film white photographic images, and painting—form
through the lens of the screenings chosen for a portrait of Mumbai and its people bound
maximum INDIA. Shabana Azmi has starred in together as they journey through loneliness, loss,
some of the greatest Indian films such as Ankur, and love. In Hindi with English subtitles.
Mandi, and Tehzeeb. Sharmila Tagore is an icon
of the silver screen, who was the young heroine March 19 at 8 p.m. | Terrace Theater | Tickets $12
of early Satyajit Ray films before she moved to
aamir Khan in Dhobi Ghat

26. Mandi
Nandita Das and shabana azmi in Fire

27. PORTRAYAL OF INDIAN WOMEN IN FILM SERIES Fire (1996)
Four Women (2007) With an introduction and post-screening Q&A
with actress Nandita Das
With an introduction and post-screening Q&A Director Deepa Mehta’s groundbreaking Fire
with director and screenwriter Adoor was the first Indian film to explicitly portray
Gopalakrishnan and actress Nandita Das homosexual relations. Setting off a flurry of public
A searing and thought-provoking drama dialogue with its Indian release, the film continues
revolving around four elemental female to invite conversations on homosexuality and
characters in the south Indian state of Kerala: freedom of speech. Set in the joint household of
The Prostitute, The Virgin, The Housewife, and The a contemporary Delhi family, two daughters-in-
Spinster. In each tale, the women must submit to law trapped in unhappy marriages turn to each
a role society decides for them, and each role other for solace and eventually love. In English.
offers a paradox of freedom and bondage in
equal measure. In Malayalam with English March 20 at 1:30 p.m. | Terrace Theater
subtitles. Tickets $12
March 16 at 7:30 p.m. | Terrace Theater
Tickets $12 Mirch Masala (1985)
With an introduction and post-screening Q&A
Mandi (1983) with director Ketan Mehta
In colonial India, subedars (tax collectors) went
With an introduction by actress Shabana Azmi from village to village with soldiers, often
A satirical comedy on politics and prostitution, demanding more than taxes. A subedar
which stars Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, commands Sonbai, a beautiful and confidant
and Smita Patil, Mandi is based on a classic Urdu woman whose husband is away in the city, to
short story, Aanandi, by the Pakistani writer sleep with him. She refuses and flees for safety to
Ghulam Abbas. The film tells the story of a brothel a spice factory. The aged factory guard, Abu
situated in the heart of a city, an area that some Mian, locks the door behind her, refusing to open
politicians covet for its prime location. In Hindi it to the soldiers, the cowardly village men led by
with English subtitles. the mayor, or the subedar himself. The town’s
teacher and a few women, including the
March 17 at 7:30 p.m. | Terrace Theater mayor’s wife, protest ineffectually against this
Tickets $12 village-approved rape. In Hindi with English
subtitles.
Devi (1960) March 20 at 5 p.m. | Terrace Theater
Tickets $12
With an introduction and post-screening Q&A
with actress Sharmila Tagore and Satyajit Ray
scholar Dilip Basu Free Film Events
A young woman is deemed a goddess when her
father-in-law, a rich feudal landlord, envisions her Film Screenings: The Story of Gitanjali and
as the Goddess Kali. The woman herself starts Pather Panchali: A Living Resonance
believing that she is an avatar, and that belief See Calendar of Free Events for details.
soon turns to tragedy. One of Satyajit Ray’s March 15, Millennium Stage
classics, the film is an interesting take on how
women were simultaneously oppressed and Film Screenings: Does Gandhi Matter? and
deified by society. In Bengali with English Ismat & Annie
subtitles. See Calendar of Free Events for details.
March 16, Millennium Stage
March 19 at 11 a.m. | Terrace Theater Panel Discussion: Celluloid Lives
Tickets $12
See Literature listings for details.
March 19, Terrace Theater

28. PORTRAYAL OF INDIAN WOMEN IN FILM SERIES Fire (1996)
Four Women (2007) With an introduction and post-screening Q&a
with actress Nandita Das
With an introduction and post-screening Q&a Director Deepa Mehta’s groundbreaking Fire
with director and screenwriter adoor was the first Indian film to explicitly portray
gopalakrishnan and actress Nandita Das homosexual relations. Setting off a flurry of public
A searing and thought-provoking drama dialogue with its Indian release, the film continues
revolving around four elemental female to invite conversations on homosexuality and
characters in the south Indian state of Kerala: freedom of speech. Set in the joint household of
The Prostitute, The Virgin, The Housewife, and The a contemporary Delhi family, two daughters-in-
Spinster. In each tale, the women must submit to law trapped in unhappy marriages turn to each
a role society decides for them, and each role other for solace and eventually love. In English.
offers a paradox of freedom and bondage in
equal measure. In Malayalam with English March 20 at 1:30 p.m. | Terrace Theater
subtitles. Tickets $12
March 16 at 7:30 p.m. | Terrace Theater
Tickets $12 Mirch Masala (1985)
With an introduction and post-screening Q&a
Mandi (1983) with director Ketan Mehta
In colonial India, subedars (tax collectors) went
With an introduction by director shyam Benegal from village to village with soldiers, often
and actress shabana azmi demanding more than taxes. A subedar
A satirical comedy on politics and prostitution, commands Sonbai, a beautiful and confidant
which stars Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, woman whose husband is away in the city, to
and Smita Patil, Mandi is based on a classic Urdu sleep with him. She refuses and flees for safety to
short story, Aanandi, by the Pakistani writer a spice factory. The aged factory guard, Abu
Ghulam Abbas. The film tells the story of a brothel Mian, locks the door behind her, refusing to open
situated in the heart of a city, an area that some it to the soldiers, the cowardly village men led by
politicians covet for its prime location. In Hindi the mayor, or the subedar himself. The town’s
with English subtitles. teacher and a few women, including the
mayor’s wife, protest ineffectually against this
March 17 at 7:30 p.m. | Terrace Theater village-approved rape. In Hindi with English
Tickets $12 subtitles.
March 20 at 5 p.m. | Terrace Theater
Devi (1960) Tickets $12
With an introduction and post-screening Q&a
with actress sharmila tagore and satyajit Ray Free Film Events
scholar Dilip Basu
A young woman is deemed a goddess when her Film Screenings: The Story of Gitanjali and
father-in-law, a rich feudal landlord, envisions her Pather Panchali: A Living Resonance
as the Goddess Kali. The woman herself starts See Calendar of Free Events for details.
believing that she is an avatar, and that belief March 15, Millennium Stage
soon turns to tragedy. One of Satyajit Ray’s
classics, the film is an interesting take on how Film Screenings: Does Gandhi Matter? and
women were simultaneously oppressed and Ismat & Annie
deified by society. In Bengali with English See Calendar of Free Events for details.
subtitles. March 16, Millennium Stage
Panel Discussion: Celluloid Lives
March 19 at 11 a.m. | Terrace Theater
See Literature listings for details.
Tickets $12
March 19, Terrace Theater

29. exhibitions
…in the Eye of the Beholder
For maximum INDIA, the grand halls of the On the international art scene today, Indian
Kennedy Center will be filled with images and contemporary art, painting, sculpture, and
objects that reflect the arts and aesthetics site-specific work is a major presence and
of India through the lens and imagination commands the attention of major museums,
of its artists and craftspeople. From fans and galleries, and collectors all over the world. For
saris—hand-crafted objects for everyday use maximum INDIA, visual art exhibitions will feature
that for 6,000 years have been the hallmark the work of the current generation of artists living
of Indian culture, heritage, and identity—to and working in India, connected to every corner
exquisite jewelry made from designs and with of the global village, creating a bold new art.
craftsmanship handed down since the time of The work of these artists looks back as it looks
the Maharajas and the Mughals, the festival’s forward, forging new Indian identities that draw
exhibitions will inspire wonder. strength from the past.

30. Bharti Kher Reena saini Kallat
I’ve Got Eyes at the Back of My Head Falling Fables
Art targets all the senses, not solely one’s eyes Greatness fades, but into what and why? Reena
or ears, but all parts of perception. According Saini Kallat’s Falling Fables is part of a series of
to traditional Indian beliefs, the roots of works whose title references architectural ruins
perception can be accessed most directly that are disintegrating and in a state of collapse.
via the “third eye.” One of India’s best-known The surface of the pillars consists of numerous
contemporary artists, Bharti Kher’s works often rubberstamps bearing addresses of missing
incorporate bindis—the traditional forehead monuments listed as protected sites under the
decoration worn to indicate the marking of the Archeological Survey of India, dispersed amidst
third eye for women and men in Indian culture. others that carry fragments of poems and
Commissioned for maximum INDIA, her new phrases on architecture and loss. Her paintings
work, I’ve Got Eyes at the Back of My Head reference parts of the city of Delhi, where ruins
is comprised of 5,000 vinyl bindis grouped to from the past rub shoulders with present-day
form targets on the surface of four windows in structures. As an artist and citizen of an ancient
the Kennedy Center’s Grand Foyer. Each bindi but ever-evolving society, Kallat has long
can be understood as a person or a group, been interested in official records of loss and
multilayered or specific, their arrangement en disappearance.
masse mapping demographic movements,
the migrations and intermarriages of teeming March 1–20, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. | North Atrium Foyer
populaces, and then simultaneously pinpointing Free
place.
March 1–20, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. | Grand Foyer Kaleidoscope: Mapping India’s
Free
Crafts
It’s almost a truism to say that the crafts of India
Jitish Kallat are among the world’s most varied, beautiful,
Public Notice 2 and refined, created by artisans whose skills and
traditions have been perfected within families
Public Notice 2 recalls the historic speech and passed on from one generation to the
delivered by Mahatma Gandhi on the eve of next. This exhibition displays a range of artifacts
the epic Salt March to Dandi in early 1930 as created by these craftsmen, providing a lens
a protest against the salt tax instituted by the through which we experience kaleidoscopic
British. Through this speech he laid down the India, complex and colorful with perpetually
codes of conduct for his fellow revolutionaries, changing patterns and scenes.
calling for complete civil disobedience, the only
A caravan of bicycles stacked with boxes and
fierce restriction being that of maintaining “total
crafts, panoramic projections of filmic images of
peace” and “absolute non-violence.” Kallat,
people and places, and a giant map studded
whose works explore a myriad of topics ranging
with hand-crafted objects offer a dynamic and
from family life and ancestry to meditations on
unexpected view of the vitality of craft creativity
the passage of time, represents Gandhi’s ardent
in India. A selection of extraordinary objects
speech through some 4,500 bone-shaped letters.
(on loan from the Crafts Museum, New Delhi, as
Each letter of this alphabet, like a misplaced
well as from private collections) is drawn from
relic, holds up the image of violence even as its
different parts of the country—rural or tribal,
collective chorus makes a plea for peace to a
primitive or highly developed—to complete the
world plagued with aggression.
picture of a culture where arts and crafts go
hand-in-hand.
March 1–20, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. | Hall of Nations
Free
March 1–20, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. | Atrium | Free
Join scholars for an Explore the Arts guided tour
through Kaleidoscope: Mapping India’s Crafts
and Treasures of the Gem Palace, March 4 at
10:30 a.m. Tickets $5.

31. Treasures of the Gem Palace To Stir the Still Air—Pankha
From the Collection of Jatin Das
Arguably India’s most renowned producers of
handmade jewelry, the Gem Palace, established In the heat of India, the pankha (hand fan)
by the Kasliwal family of Jaipur, has been taking has been a fixture for centuries. Its shape
precious stones from the earth to their final and prominence makes it a prime canvas for
ornate settings since 1852. Jewelers for more craftsmen to display their skill. Jatin Das, an
than eight generations, the Kasliwals were even eminent contemporary artist, has spent decades
court jewelers to Mughal emperors. Involved seeking traditional crafted hand fans from
in jewelry manufacturing from the mining of provinces across India. Forty favorites picked
stones to finished fine jewelry, the Gem Palace’s from his collection display the variety of shapes,
collection boasts antiques from the coffers of sizes, techniques, and materials used to craft this
Maharajas as well as contemporary designs practical day-to-day item.
studded with precious gemstones.
March 1–20, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. | States Gallery | Free
March 1–20, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. | South Atrium Foyer
Free
gem Palace Boutique
After viewing examples of some of the Gem
Palace’s finest work, patrons may visit the
accompanying boutique in the Nations Gallery
to shop for additions to their own collection.
vishnu Vahara avatar from Makara head Minakari (enamel on gold) bangle
the collection of the Crafts bracelets, set with rose cut diamonds and rubies,
Museum, New Delhi Treasures of the Gem Palace

32. Embroidered pankha (fan), Gujarat
SARI in appeal—the Karadi Tales bring timeless
stories from Indian folklore to life through vivid
The sari is the most representative apparel of animation, music, and narration. Collaborating
India, a visual identity that has intrigued men on a wide variety of media, including graphics,
and tempted women all over the world. The video, music, interior design, product design, and
unstitched cloth is a truly Indian phenomenon. painting, New Delhi-based artists Jiten Thukral
It is when you travel in India that you begin to and Sumir Tagra’s vivid, colorful work reflects their
understand the sari is a hugely variable garment. fascination with consumerism, presenting the
The lady from the fishing community wears it world from a uniquely Indian perspective.
differently from the rice planting agriculturist. An
urban woman from Gujarat wears it differently March 1–20, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. | Nations Gallery
from the women of Tamil Nadu. Woven, Free
embroidered, brocaded, hand-printed, tied-
and-dyed, even painted, in shimmering silk, finely
spun khadi, or cottons as light as the breeze, Craft Demonstrations
many unique examples of this extraordinary
garment will be on display. Observe some of the world’s most gifted artisans
as they create their crafts. J. Niranjan produces
March 1–20, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. | Hall of States | Free painstaking Kalamkari paintings, using natural
dyes applied color by color to produce images
of dance and ceremony that are full of life’s true
thukral and tagra details. Husband-and-wife team satya Narayan
lal Karn and Moti Karn create Mithila Kala, a
Hi! I am India painting form from the Madhubani district of
Bihar, with a cotton-tipped broomstraw dipped
Hi! I am India is an interactive playspace for
in color pastes obtained from leaves, grass, and
children that presents interesting facts about life
flowers.
in modern India and dispels common stereotypes J. Niranjan, Satya Narayan Lal Karn, and Moti Karn are all part of Paramparik
through a sticker activity station. Hi! I am India Karigar, an association dedicated to preserving and promoting the traditional arts
and crafts of India.
also features books and videos from Karadi
March 1–20, Times vary | Hall of States | Free
Tales. Rooted in Indian culture—yet universal

33. cuisine
Connoisseurs of Cuisines
Indians are foodies by nature, you could say, but everything from skewered and barbecued to
also by inclination! Indian cuisines defy definition steamed or soaked. Made to make mouths
because they are almost infinite in variety, taste, water and delight discerning palates, maximum
and styles of preparation. Each community, INDIA serves up maximum eating pleasure at the
each region, each season, each festival, KC Café and the Roof Terrace Restaurant by
each ritual occasion has its own delicious and inviting 12 master chefs from the four corners of
gastronomically distinct foods, and prescribed the country to provide diners with a gastronomic
codes for feasting and fasting. Hundreds of journey through Indian cuisine seldom found
fish, meat, and chicken delicacies in a country in restaurants. Lectures, demonstrations, and
thought to be vegetarian. Literally thousands tastings accompany this delectable opportunity
of ways to cook vegetables and lentils, fruits to sample food from Kashmir to Kerala, from the
and even flowers, ripe or raw. Aromatic or City of Joy (Kolkata) to the City that Never Sleeps
therapeutic, decorated with beaten silver or (Mumbai), from street fare to food from royal
saffron, crushed almonds or pistachios, there’s kitchens. In short, the best of India on a platter!

34. cuisine
Connoisseurs of Cuisines
Indians are foodies by nature, you could say, but everything from skewered and barbecued to
also by inclination! Indian cuisines defy definition steamed or soaked. Made to make mouths
because they are almost infinite in variety, taste, water and delight discerning palates, maximum
and styles of preparation. Each community, INDIA serves up maximum eating pleasure at the
each region, each season, each festival, KC Café and the Roof Terrace Restaurant by
each ritual occasion has its own delicious and inviting 13 master chefs from the four corners of
gastronomically distinct foods, and prescribed the country to provide diners with a gastronomic
codes for feasting and fasting. Hundreds of journey through Indian cuisine seldom found
fish, meat, and chicken delicacies in a country in restaurants. Lectures, demonstrations, and
thought to be vegetarian. Literally thousands tastings accompany this delectable opportunity
of ways to cook vegetables and lentils, fruits to sample food from Kashmir to Kerala, from the
and even flowers, ripe or raw. Aromatic or City of Joy (Kolkata) to the City that Never Sleeps
therapeutic, decorated with beaten silver or (Mumbai), from street fare to food from royal
saffron, crushed almonds or pistachios, there’s kitchens. In short, the best of India on a platter!

35. Chef hemant oberoi, Executive Grand Chef of Explore the Arts: Taste of India—
the Taj Mahal Palace & Towers in Mumbai, is one
of India’s foremost chefs. In a career spanning
session I
four decades, he has cooked for kings, queens
Take a multi-sensory journey through the North
and other heads of state as well as Hollywood
and South regions of India with Hemant Oberoi,
and Bollywood royalty. He was the first Indian
one of India’s top chefs. Your exploration begins
chef nominated to the World Gourmet Club.
with a compelling lecture about the evolution of
For maximum INDIA, Chef Oberoi will lead a
India’s various food cultures. Next, Chef Oberoi
team of twelve chefs from around the country,
introduces you to the tastes of each featured
to introduce festival patrons to the exciting and
region with a specially prepared tasting menu.
varied cuisines from all over India.
March 5 at 11 a.m. | Roof Terrace Restaurant
Chef ananda solomon is the Executive Chef of
Tickets $100
the Taj President and is well-known throughout
India and the world as a culinary trailblazer.
Though his background is in French cuisine,
Solomon is perhaps best known for his restaurants Explore the Arts: Taste of India—
serving his native Konkan cuisine, born from a session II
desire to introduce Indians accustomed to North
Indian tandoori food to South Indian fare. He was Learn about India’s East and West with a
the only Indian chef selected to participate in compelling lecture about the evolution of India’s
the famous Slow Food event, Salone Del Gusto, various food cultures by Chef Hemant Oberoi,
in Italy in 2002 and the first Indian winner at the one of India’s top chefs, followed by a specially
World Gourmet Summit. prepared tasting menu.
March 12 at 11 a.m. | Roof Terrace Restaurant
Visit kennedy-center.org/visitor/restaurants for Tickets $100
complete menus and details.
Chef hemant oberoi

36. Indian Council for Cultural
Relations (ICCR)
The ICCR was founded in 1950 as an organization
that would foster and strengthen cultural relations
and mutual understanding between India and other
nations and peoples. For maximum INDIA, the ICCR,
Dr. Karan Singh, President; and the Embassy of India
in Washington, DC, led by Her Excellency Meera
Shankar, Ambassador of India to the United States,
present a vibrant cross-section of the performing
arts of India. The performers include some of the
most respected names in Indian classical music, L.
Subramaniam and Rajan & Sajan Misra; rock band
Parikrama; classical and contemporary dance the John F. Kennedy Center
presentations from the Kerala Kalamandalam
Kathakali Troupe, Tanusree Shankar Dance Company, for the Performing arts
Natyalakshana, Odissi Vision & Movement Center, David M. Rubenstein, Chairman
and Gulabo Sapera & Party; and a glimpse into Michael M. Kaiser, President
Bollywood’s quintessential song-and-dance routines in
Ticket to Bollywood. Festival Credits
Vice President, International Programming
Festival Curator
about the festival logo Alicia Adams
CREATIVE AND PRODUCTION TEAM FOR ExHIBITIONS
“India is an amalgamation of many, it is a singular
address for the plural—from clothes, to cultures, to Exhibition curators
cuisines. One of the most apt personifications of India’s Alicia Adams
diversity is in its language. It is a country that has more Gilda Almeida
than 1,600 dialects spoken throughout its length and Vice President, Production
breadth. Diverse in every way—from their roots to their Mickey Berra
scripts—the only unifying factor of the languages is
Exhibitions Design
that they are all Indian. The maximum INDIA logo is a Studio Adrien Gardère
coming together of all the languages that make India
the diverse land that it is. It combines the many scripts Logo Design
India has; it showcases its oneness in its diversity. Fusing Grandmother India Design Pvt. Ltd.
the scripts with a contemporary type style, the logo is Film curator
traditional yet contemporary; just like India.” Nandita Das for Portrayal of Indian Women in Film
—Grandmother India Design
Literary curator
Ritu Menon
Exhibition consultant
gifts, Mementos, and More Dr. Ruchira Ghose, Director, Crafts Museum, Delhi
Martand Singh for SARI
Upstairs in the Nations
Gallery, browse beautiful Advisors
hand-crafted jewelry from Asia Society
Gem Palace of Jaipur in Vishakha N. Desai, President
the stylish lounge. In the Rachel Cooper, Director of Cultural Programs and
Performing Arts
Level A Gift Shop, you’ll
find a marketplace of Program consultants
exquisite Indian arts and Sanjoy K. Roy, Managing Director, Teamwork Productions
crafts, from purses made Vijay Padaki, Honorary President, Academy of
from recycled vintage saris Theatre Arts, Bangalore Little Theatre Foundation
to paper goods from fair Susmita Mohanty, CEO, Earth2Orbit
trade cooperatives, plus
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMING STAFF
jewelry, textiles, chimes,
leather goods, and more. International Programming Director/Festivals Manager
Gilda Almeida
Festival Assistants
tickets available at the Kennedy Center Annette Dumas
xerxes Unvala
Box Office or charge by phone (202) 467-4600 Kathi Reynolds
Toll-free (800) 444-1324
Special thanks to all Kennedy Center staff involved in
online at kennedy-center.org/india the realization of this festival
TTY (202) 416-8423 Groups (202) 416-8400