The opening of the Colours of India festival, which will run from 11am-4pm each day until Sunday 22 August, will coincide with the 63rd anniversary of Indian independence from British rule.
The festival will include a display of Indian arts and crafts and costumes. It will also include photos of and items belonging to Mahatma Gandhi, which are on loan from University of Canterbury Associate Professor Aditya Malik. The photos were taken by Malik’s grandfather D.R.D Wadia, a renowned photographer in Gandhi’s time.
Live performances of Indian music, dance and art will also be held on Sunday 15 August, Saturday 21 August and Sunday 22 August. These will include classical and Bollywood dancing by some of Christchurch’s diverse Indian community; a documentary on the Nobel Prize winner Rabindra Nath Tagore, and demonstrations and workshops about meditation, classical dance, tabla (Indian drum), sitar (string instrument) and henna painting.
Christchurch Multicultural Council President Surinder Tandon says the festival, which is the first of its kind to be held at the Gallery, is a fantastic opportunity to promote the diversity of the Indian culture in Christchurch. Up to 7000 Indians or people of Indian descent live in the city.
For more information about the festival, see www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz/calendar/detail/colours-of-india
