Repeating Islands

A Festival of India, showcasing Indian art, craft and culture, is being held in Trinidad and Tobago during the month of August, and is drawing large number of visitors to a series of events throughout the two islands. This is the first time such an event has been organized and the expectation is that if it proves to be successful it can become a yearly event. Forty percent of the 1.3 million people in Trinidad and Tobago are of Indian descent.

Indian High Commissioner Malay Mishra said that the event, which started last Saturday and marks India’s 62nd Independence anniversary, will continue for a month. “On Aug 15, India got her Independence and on Aug 31, Trinidad and Tobago got hers. We celebrate this month and in commemoration of that celebration, we are observing `Festival of India’ for the first time in Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.

The festival was inaugurated at the Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Cultural Cooperation at Caroni, Central Trinidad and includes a range of events. A contemporary art exhibition, the first ever in Trinidad, features the work of 14 Indian artists. Called “Kalpana” (Imagination), it includes 29 paintings by M.F. Hussain, Amrita Shergill, Jamini Roy, Krishen Khanna, Bhupen Khakhar and Jogen Choudhury.

Odissi classical dancer Sangeeta Dash will also perform during her first visit to this country. Dash will hold workshops with some of this country’s leading dance groups, which include Nrityanjali Theatre Studio. The workshops are  aimed at bringing in the best Indian dance forms to T&T.

The festival will also showcase Indian craftsmanship. “In India, we have a rich tradition of arts and crafts, hundreds of years. They are all award-winning craft persons and they will be demonstrating hand block painting, Kantha embroidery, miniature paintings, wood carvings and stone carvings,” Mishra said.

Today, August 16^th, the Indian high commission and the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs in collaboration with the University of the West Indies hosted a seminar, “Indian Diaspora in the Caribbean”.

For more on the Festival go to http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200908141040.htm

Photo:From the album Gods and Godesses by Preethi Venkateshan at http://news.bn.gs/article.php?story=20081017113117661