India Habitat Centre

Calendar of Events : June 2015

1^st Mon
2^nd Tues
3^rd Wed	7:00pm\|BOOK LAUNCH\|Flood Of Fire by Amitav Ghosh The thrilling climax to the Ibis trilogy that began with the phenomenal Booker-shortlisted Sea of Poppies. It is 1839 and tension has been rapidly mounting between China and British India following the crackdown on opium smuggling by Beijing. With no resolution in sight, the colonial government declares war. One of the vessels requisitioned for the attack, the Hind, travels eastwards from Bengal to China, sailing into the midst of the First Opium War. The turbulent voyage brings together a diverse group of travellers, each with their own agenda to pursue. Among them is Kesri Singh, a sepoy in the East India Company who leads a company of Indian sepoys; Zachary Reid, an impoverished young sailor searching for his lost love, and Shireen Modi, a determined widow en route to China to reclaim her opium-trader husband’s wealth and reputation. Flood of Fire follows a varied cast of characters from India to China, through the outbreak of the First Opium War and China’s devastating defeat, to Britain’s seizure of Hong Kong. Collab: Penguin Books India
4^th Thurs	7:00pm\|MUSIC\|Parampara Sangeet Mahotsav- Flute recital by Pt.Rajendra Prasanna Followed by a duet performance by Pt.Subhendra Rao (Sitar) and Saskia Rao (Cello) Collab: Parampara, Ek Abhivyakti
5^th Fri	7:00pm\|DANCE\|Ojaswini Bharatanatyam recital by Dr.Sandhya Purecha Followed by Kathak recital by Nalini-Kamalini Dance choreography & music by Guru Jitendra Maharaj. Collab: Rajasthani Academy7:00pm\|MUSIC\|Hindustani Classical Vocal recital by Sangita Misra, disciple of Binapani Nayak, Ravi Rishi Raj & Pt.Sarathi Chatterjee. Accompanist: Pt.Mithilesh Kumar Jha (Tabla) 7:00pm\|FILM\|Court(English/Marathi/Hindi/Gujarati/2014/116mins) Dir.Chaitanya Tamhane An Indian courtroom drama film examining the Indian legal system through the trial of an aging folk singer in a lower court in Mumbai. Winner of the Best Feature Film award at the 62nd National Film Awards and multiple awards at film festivals, including honours at the Mumbai, Vienna, Antalya, and Singapore film festivals. Screening followed by discussion with Shubhra Gupta, film critic. Limited passes available at the Programmes Desk for Film Club members only Collab: The Indian Express Group
6^th Sat	7:00pm\|TALK\|Heritage Series. Historic Poets Of Delhi by Yaseen Anwer, Founder, Poet’s Corner & Delhi Poetry Festival Collab: Youth for Heritage Foundation7:00pm\|FILM CLUB SCREENING\|A Cube Of Sugar (2011/116mins) Dir.Reza Mirkarimi The story of a big family that comes together for the upcoming wedding of their youngest daughter, Pasandide. Collab: Iran Culture House
7^th Sun	7:00pm\|FILM\|NTLive- A Broadcast. Bernard Shaw’s Man And Superman (Eng/180mins) Dir. Simon Godwin. Cast: Tim McMullan, Indira Varma, Ralph Fiennes, Nicholas le Prevost, Ferdinand Kigsley & others. A romantic comedy, an epic fairytale, a fiery philosophical debate, Man and Superman asks fundamental questions about how we live. Jack Tanner, celebrated radical thinker and rich bachelor, seems an unlikely choice as guardian to the alluring heiress, Ann. But she takes it in her assured stride and, despite the love of a poet, decides to marry and tame this dazzling revolutionary. Tanner, appalled by the whiff of domesticity, is tipped off by his chauffeur and flees to Spain, where he is captured by bandits and meets The Devil. An extraordinary dream-debate, heaven versus hell, ensues. Tickets at Rs.500, Rs.350 & Rs.250 available at the Programmes Desk. An Old World Culture presentation
8^th Mon	7:00pm\|FILM\|Culinary Journeys– A cookery travelogue. Screening of an episode featuring Chef Gaggan Anand of Bangkok’s Gaggan, voted Asia’s top restaurant in ‘Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards, 2015’. Anand takes viewers on a Culinary Journey to his home town, Kolkata in India, where he recreates one of West Bengal’s most traditional dishes: the Daab Chingri. Collab: CNN
9^th Tue	7:00pm\|MUSIC\|Violin-Sitar duet by Darshan Singh Sur, disciple of Joi Srivastava & Sharat Chandra Srivastava and Sidartha Siliceo, disciple of Pt.Ravi Shankar. Followed by Sarod recital by Abhik Kumar Sarkar, disciple of Hafiz Ali Khan & Amajd Ali Khan. Accompanists: Mani Bhardwaj & Pradip Kumar Sarkar (Tabla) Collab: Tarana Art & Music
10^th Wed	7:00pm\|MUSIC & DANCE\|Sabras Hindustani Vocal recitals by Arshad Ali Khan and Amjad Ali Khan Accompanists: Arshad Ali Khan Tirakhwa (Tabla) & Paromita Mukherjee (Harmonium). Followed by solo Tabla recital by Akram Khan Accompanists: Zargham Khan (Tabla), Samir Ahmed Alvi (Sarangi) & Zaki Khan (Harmonium). Concludes with Hindustani Vocal recital by Kumud Diwan. Collab: Kirana Gharana Music Academy7:00pm\|FILM CLUB SCREENING\|Forty Years (88mins) Dir.Alireza Raeisian About a woman caught in a new love affair on the threshold of her forties in order to cheer up her boring life. Collab: Iran Culture House
11^th Thurs	7:00pm\|MUSIC\|Remembering Mukesh Compositions of the legendary singer rendered by Arun Goela 7:00pm\|DOC FILM\|Dara Shikoh: An Aphorism For Truth (English/2015/90mins) Dir.Surendra Verma Marking the 400^th birth centenary of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan’s eldest son Dara Shikoh. A poet philosopher, calligrapher, patron of aesthetics, a mystic, and a spiritual seeker, Dara Shikoh was the central figure of a great religious and literary movement for the adaptation of Islam to the spiritual traditions of India. He stood unique among the modern thinkers of India as regards moral courage, integrity, and sincerity of conviction. The film focuses on Dara Shikoh’s life and his road-map for the doctrine of humanity as well as his exploration of interfaith harmony.
12^th Fri	7:00pm\|DANCE\|Chitrangada- A Wishful Desire Inspired by Tagore’s dance drama, Mahabharata and Rituporno Ghosh’s film, a fusion composition conceptualized, choreographed & presented by Shukla Banerjee. Followed by Gittimallya- philosophy that influenced Tagore. Selection of songs and poems from Tagore’s collection.7:00pm\|DOC FILM\|Yoga: Aligning To The Source (English/2013/26mins) Dir.Raja Choudhury The documentary introduces global audiences to the vast subject of Yoga that is India’s greatest gift to the world. Today, millions of people practice Yoga around the World and it is one of the most popular wellness practices. Yoga can be a comprehensive set of tools for living well and realigning one’s mind and body into a state of balance and harmony. This film provides a visually stunning beginners guide to what Yoga really is, its myths and origins, the journey of Yoga around the World and the scientific effects on the body and mind. The film features BKS Iyengar, Devdutt Pattanaik, Dr. Karan Singh, Yoga performances by teachers from the Abhyas Trust, scientists from NIMHANS and music by Layne Redmond. Collab: PSBT
13^th Sat	7:00pm\|THEATRE\|Children’s production from the IHC Summer Workshop for Kids- Drama, Music And Movement conducted by Sarita Vohra, Living Room Theatre & Nayana Sagar, Actor – Director, Dramatech7:00pm\|TALK\|NASHIST featuring Gauhar Raza, Urdu poet, social activist and documentary film maker, reciting his poetry followed by an interactive session. Collab: Impresario Asia
14^th Sun	7:00pm\|FILM CLUB SCREENING\|A Light In The Fog (2008/76mins) Dir.Panahbarkhoda Rezaee An hypnotically beautiful portrait of a widow and her ailing father, who live alone on a misty hillside and scrape a living by mending oil lamps and making charcoal. The film’s elegant compositions and quietly powerful performances slowly envelop one in the widow’s simple, poignant world. Collab: Iran Culture House
15^th Mon
16^th Tues	7:00pm\|MUSIC & DANCE\|Tabla recital by Ustad Hashmat Ali Khan and disciples. Followed by Kathak recital by Harish Gangani and disciples7:00pm\|TALK\|10th Navlekhan award presentation followed by poetry recital by Babusha Kohli & Dilip Shakya Followed by a discussion on Contemporary Modern Poetry And Fiction Writing by writers Upasana & Jitendra Biseria. Chair: Shamim Hanfi, Urdu poet and Asgar Wazahat, author Collab: Bharatiya Jnanpith
17^th Wed	7:00pm\|PANEL DISCUSSION\|Yoga For Health- How Modern Medicine Looks At It? Panelists: Dr. SC Manchanda, Senior Consultant Cardiologist, Gangaram Hospital & Former HOD-Cardiology, AIIMS; Dr.Naresh Gupta, Director-Professor, Maulana Azad Medical College & Associated Hospitals and Chairman, Advisory Group, Consumers India & Dr.Jayashree Gupta, President, Consumers India Collab: Consumers India7:00pm\|DANCE\|Bharathanatyam recital by Vaishnavi Vishwanath, disciple of Guru Kanaka Sudhakar
18^th Thurs	7:00pm\|DANCE\|Entrapment Contemporary dance recital by Shubhro Ghosh. Followed by Avaya performed by Neelam Sharma, Zahid Khan, Meenakshi Chopra Swaymi, Avinash Kumar & Shubhro Ghosh. Collab: Indra Dance Company7:00pm\|DOC FILM\|Citizenfour (Eng/2014/114mins) Dir.Laura Poitras A documentary film about the Edward Snowden and the National Security Agency (NSA) spying scandal in the United States. The film chronicles filmmaker Laura Poitras and journalist Glenn Greenwald’s encounters with Edward Snowden in Hong Kong, as he hands over classified documents providing evidence of illegal invasion of privacy by the NSA. Laura Poitras had already been working on a film about surveillance for two years when Edward Snowden contacted her, using the name “Citizenfour” in January 2013. The filming mostly takes place in a room with Poitras, Greenwald, and Snowden as they attempt to manage the media storm raging outside, forced to make quick decisions that will impact their lives and all of those around them. The film explores the relationship between state surveillance, individual privacy and citizenship. Also an investigation into how the government of the United States and private Corporations work together, resulting in an Orwellian State, unknown to its citizens. The documentary explores the relationship between state surveillance, individual privacy and citizenship. The film is also an investigation into how the government of the United States and private Corporations work together, resulting in an Orwellian State, unknown to its citizens. Awarded an Oscar for the Best Documentary Feature in 2015. Collab: FD Zone Delhi
19^th Fri	7:00pm\|MUSIC & FILM\|Opera At Habitat Series. Verdi’s La Traviata or The Fallen Woman (Italian with English subtitles/135mins) A Royal Opera House, Covent Garden production. Dir.Richard Eyre. Conductor: Sir Georg Solti, starring Angela Gheorghiu. Sunit Tandon introduces one of Verdi’s most popular operas, containing some of his best loved music. The beautiful courtesan, Violetta, meets the well-born Alfredo Germont, and for love of him abandons her feverish life of pleasure. Alfredo’s father intrudes on their idyllic existence in the country and demands that Violetta renounce Alfredo for the sake of the family’s honour. Violetta determines to make the sacrifice and departs, leaving only a note for Alfredo. Violetta becomes ill. Alfredo at last returns. His father has told him of Violetta’s noble renunciation, and urged him to seek her forgiveness. Overjoyed at the sight of him, Violetta attempts to rise from her sickbed. But it is too late…7:00pm\|TALK\|NIUA-ADB-IHC Urban Dialogues. Reshaping The Indian City- Convergence In The New Urban Agenda by Prof. KT Ravindran, Dean Emeritus, RICS School of Built Environment, Amity University 7:00pm\|MUSIC\|Baansuri recital by Atul Shankar, disciple of Lt. Pt. Bhola Nath Prasanna & Lt. Pt. Raam Khelawan. Accompanist: Amul Kumar Jha (Tabla). Followed by Baansuri recital by Akshat Mehrotra, disciple of Kailash Sharma
20^th Sat	6:00pm\|IHC MEMBERS’ MEET\|7:00pm\|THEATRE\|Paighamber- The Musical Play (Hindi/90mins) Dir.Vikas Dwivedi Cast: Tom Alter & Amit Behl Inspired by Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet. The play depicts the various moments in the life of a young boy- Anant. It traces the numerous emotions he undergoes, how he meets the five Paighambers – the five elements of earth, water, fire, air and ether – at every phase of his life and how they guide and enlighten him towards becoming a better human being. In the mean time, it is divulged that this grown up, bright, quick witted protagonist is none other than Khalil Gibran. The play infuses the rich folk music of Chattisgarh and Haryana as well as the famous “Karma” dance form of Chattisgarh along with Live music and singing. Tickets at Rs.500, Rs.350 & Rs.150 available at the Programmes Desk June.3 onwards for IHC members only. Open to all June.6 onwards. An Old World Culture presentation 7:00pm\|FILM CLUB SCREENING\|Baran (2001/94mins) Dir. Majid Majidi In a building site in present-day Tehran, Lateef, a 17-year-old Turkish worker is irresistibly drawn to Rahmat, a young Afghan worker. The revelation of Rahmat’s secret changes both their lives. Collab: Iran Culture House
21^st Sun	7:00pm\|THEATRE\|Standup Comedy- Traveling Pants 2.0 (English/90mins) Join Comedian Sorabh Pant as he once again travels across the world, India and in his own pants. Enjoy some of his most popular jokes and waste your money on hearing his new experiences in Gujarat, Japan and also performing in China and not getting arrested! Tickets at Rs.350, Rs.250 & Rs.150 available at the Programmes Desk June.3 onwards for IHC members only. Open to all June.6 onwards. An Old World Culture presentation7:00pm\|MUSIC\|An Evening of Banglar Gaan- Vidyapati To Salil Choudhury Songs by Susmita Goswami, Sangeet Sudhakar in Rabindra Sangeet Narration: Shamita Chatterjee Collab: Impresario India 7:00pm\|TALK\|Delhi’s Edible Rooftops: Finding Roots In Concrete Spaces by Kapil Mandawewala, CEO, Sajeev Fresh. A number of people have begun getting their hands dirty and growing food on terraces, balconies and what used to be lawns. From supplementing the salad bowl to cutting vegetable costs by half, homegrown produce is making its way onto people’s dinner plates. This talk will discuss the methods used in urban farming and the successes and failures of people who’ve taken their first steps towards connecting with their food.
22^nd Mon	7:00pm\|MUSIC\|Pt.Gopal Nayak Sangeet Samaroh 2015. Sarod recital by Ustad Danish Aslam Khan Accompanist: Akbar Latif Khan (Tabla). Followed by Sitar recital by Pt.Prateek Chaudhuri Accompanist: Ustad Rafiuddin Sabri (Tabla). Collab: Darpan
23^rd Tues	7:00pm\|FILM CLUB SCREENING\|As Simple As That (2008/90mins) Dir.Reza Mirkarimi The film depicts a day in the life of Tahereh who is a devoted housewife, a helpful neighbor and an attentive person. Tahereh feels that she is unnoticed by everybody especially by her own family. A film about the inner emotions of a simple Iranian woman. Collab: Iran Culture House
24^th Wed	7:00pm\|DANCE\|A Tribute to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore- Choreographed in Bharatanatyam by Santanu Chakraborty & disciples7:00pm\|FILM CLUB SCREENING\|The Wind Carpet (2003/111mins) Dir.Kamal Tabrizi Ten-year-old Sakura travels with her father Makoto from Japan, to Isfahan, Iran, to pick up a Persian carpet designed by her late mother. Although warmly greeted by Makoto’s friend Akbar, it soon becomes clear that the carpet – needed in 20 days’ time for a Japanese street-festival – has not even been started. Collab: Iran Culture House
25^th Thurs	7:00pm\|MUSIC & DANCE\|Mystic Notes & Dancing Toes Concert by Sufi singer Rashmi Agarwal and Kathak dancer Vidha Lal, celebrating the mystic poetry of the Sufi and Bhakti poets of medieval and modern times. Collab: National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH)7:00pm\|FILM CLUB SCREENING\|The Sun Shines On All Equally (2006/90mins) Dir.Abbas Rafei Negar and Janet are close friends. Reza, Negar’s husband and Janet’s former lover, is a chemically-injured war victim, with his recovery a total disappointment to his doctors. Deceiving the hospital manager, a friend of Negar’s influential father, they succeed in getting Reza out of the hospital and taking him to a shrine in another city, hoping for a miracle. But, in driving the long, beautiful roadway, they find miracles all around, leading them at the end to a greater miracle for the Muslim couple and unexpected enlightenment for Janet, a Christian. Collab: Iran Culture House
26^th Fri	7:00pm\|THEATRE\|Caferati @Habitat- The Open Mike Series continues. Perform your own work, in any of the languages of the National Capital Region. Poetry, fiction, diatribes, songs, it’s all good. You get two minutes, and the microphone; the rest is up to you. Moderator: Danish Husain7:00pm\|TALK\|Vimhans continues with its monthly series on issues concerning the elderly. This month- interactive session on Dealing With Loneliness As We Age 7:00pm\|DANCE & MUSIC\|HCL Concert Series- Impulse : An Indian Classical Fusion Ensemble by Arunangshu & Friends– Saubhagya Gandharv (Flute), Dipankar Roy (Slide Guitar), Hemant Saikia (Keyboard), Vibhas Kaushik (Vocal), Archana Singh (Dance) & Arunangshu (Multi-Percussion)
27^th Sat	7:30pm\|THEATRE\|Kujh Afsaney (Hindustani/70mins) Dir.Kuljeet Singh. Prod.: Atelier Repertory Company Cast: Vivek Sharma, Manisha Batra, Deepa Kumar, Satnam Gill, Saheb Kaur, Harwinder Singh, Karan Chibber, Kuljeet Singh, Bhupi Paul, Saurabh Pal & Prabhjot Singh. The play playfully argues the politics of censorship in the creative arts. Tickets at Rs.350, Rs.250 & Rs.150 available at the Programmes Desk June.10 onwards for IHC members only. Open to all June.13 onwards. An Old World Culture presentation
28^th Sun	7:30pm\|THEATRE\|Khusar Phusar (Hindi/80mins) Dir. Kuljeet Singh. Prod.: Atelier Repertory Company Cast: Satnam Gill, Vibhuti Tomar, Tushar Dhaundhiyal, Vidushi Chadha, Vivek Sharma, Ridhima Bahl, Feroze Khan, Karan Chibber, Nirab Jyoti Bora, Faisal Shah & Saranpal Ohri. An Adaptation of Neil Simon’s Rumors. At its start, several affluent couples gather in the posh suburban residence of a couple for a dinner party celebrating their hosts’ first anniversary. When they arrive, they discover there are no servants, the hostess is missing, and the host – resident from the posh colony of South Delhi – has shot himself through the earlobe. Comic complications arise when, given everyone’s upper class status, they decide they need to do everything possible to conceal the evening’s events from the local police and the media. Tickets at Rs.350, Rs.250 & Rs.150 available at the Programmes Desk June.10 onwards for IHC members only. Open to all June.13 onwards. An Old World Culture presentation7:00pm\|MUSIC\|Musical Journey Hindustani Vocal recital by Sania Patankar, disciple of Ashwini Bhide. Accompanist: Abhishek Mishra (Tabla) & Shyama Bharti (Harmonium) Collab: Sangeetam 7:00pm\|ILLUSTRATED TALK\|The Glorious Night Sky of the Himalaya Ajay Talwar, astronomer and photographer, will share his collection of photographs he has collected from the night sky that have been aligned into sequences of mesmerizing short movies. Collab: The Himalayan Club
29^th Mon
30^th Tue	7:00pm\|THEATRE\|Workshop production from the IHC Summer Workshop for Kids- Young Actors Club by Barry John Acting Studio7:00pm\|THEATRE\|Workshop production from the IHC Summer Workshop for Kids- Young Magicians facilitated by Prof.Kamesh