India by the Bay returns from the 25 February – 1 March with a range of events that look to bring India’s cultural dynamism to Hong Kong. There’s a mix of classical and contemporary including music, theatre, dance, food, film and literature as the festival reflects India’s artistic depth and diversity. According to the organisers the India by the Bay aims to celebrate the common cultural strands shared by Hong Kong and India and their multi-ethnic populace.
India by the Bay – 24 February to 1 March 2016
24 February – Festival Opening
7:15pm, 25 February – Film – Sharmila Tagore at Asia Society Hong Kong Center
Indian film actress Sharmila Tagore in conversation with Festival Director Sanjoy Roy.
7:15pm, 26 February – Literature – Shobha De at Asia Society Hong Kong Center
Best- selling author of 18 books and widely-read columnist Shobhaa De in conversation with Sanjoy Roy.
6:45pm, 27 February – Music – Rajasthan Josh at Asia Society Hong Kong Center
World music band which combine the folk traditions of the North Western region of India with vocal styles ranging from mystic Sufi traditions, bhajans to the popular folk songs of Rajasthan.
12:30pm, 27 February – Lunch – Karen Anand at Ovolo Southside Hotel
6:45pm, 28 February – Dance – Nityagram at Asia Society Hong Kong Center
The Nrityagram Dance Ensemble are one of the foremost dance companies in India. Although steeped in and dedicated to ancient techniques, the Nrityagram dancers also look to carry Indian dance into the twenty-first century.
7:15pm, 29 February – Theatre – C Sharp C Blunt at Asia Society Hong Kong Center
C Sharp C Blunt is based on the concept of the loop. An electronic musician, live on stage creates and layers loops from live sound. The loop in its nature reflects the training of the singer through endless repetition and also the process of cultural and social programming. This cultural programming also defines the specific way girls and women are supposed to behave.
The play looks at traditional gender roles as engrained by culture versus the woman as the globalised consumer living in a new market that caters to her wants and needs. We look at the performer as a site of battle between purity and consumption, between servitude and ego, between being-looked-at-ness and self-determination.
7pm, 1 March – Buddhist Day – Shantum Seth at Ovolo Southside Hotel
Tickets for all events are available at www.indiabythebay.com