Current & Upcoming Cultural Events


Börje Almqvist again exhibits his Afghanistan photos in Stockhom

The Swedish journalist Börje Almqvist, working for many years for the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan inside Afghanistan from the 1980s and onwards, again shows his vast collection of photos from Afghanistan at an exhibition in Stockholm during the summer 2013. The exhibition, entitled ”Afghanistan i Vinterviken”, is shown in the Orangerie at Vintervikens Trädgård in Aspudden, in southwestern Stockholm (metro station Aspudden). Opening hours in May-June: 11.00–17.00, July–August: 11.00–21.00. September: 11.00–17.00.
The photos are taken during the period 2002–2012. More photos by Börje are found at http://web.comhem.se/borje.almqvist.photo/


Gitanjali perfomance in Stockholm in honour of Tagore’s Nobel Prize

In commemoration of the centennary jubilee of Rabindranath Tagore’s Nobel Prize award in 1913, the dance troupe Baithak from London (led and directed by Dr. Sangeeta Datta) performs in Stockholm on Tuesday 4th June 2013, at 19.00.
They wlll give a performance entitled ”Gitanjali”, named after the collection of poems whose English translations convinced the Swedish Academy to give the Nobel Prize to Tagore. Sangeeta Datta is versatile-director, singer and an exponent of Tagore songs. Her group Padatik has performed in various parts of Europe. Renowned Indian film actress Sharmila Tagore, the heroine of several Satyajit Ray movies, will also participate as a guest artist. Venue: ABF-Huset, Z-salen, Sveavägen 41, Stockholm. Tickets are sold for SEK 200. See a video on the Gitanjali performance.
More information.


Sheila Gowda art exhibition at Lunds konsthall during summer 2013

Lunds konsthall again goes Indian. During the period 14 June – 25 August 2013, the municipal art gallery at Mårtenstorget presents a solo exhibition by Sheela Gowda from Karnataka. It is entitled 'Open Eye Policy' and gives a comprehensive overview to date of the work of this acclaimed Indian artist, bringing together sculpture, large installations, painting and photography from the past twenty years. A first impression of these works suggests a pre-occupation with abstraction, form and material, but on closer inspection they reveal a constant engagement with politics, environment and society.
The title of the exhibition speaks of the artists’ attentive approach to her contemporary surroundings as she works with materials taken from the everyday following what she calls on ‘an open eye policy’. In the exhibition visitors will find, next short wall texts and title cards,  a number of screens with movies in which Sheela Gowda explains her work.
The exhibition has also been on display at Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The opening ceremony at Lunds konsthall will take place on Friday 14 June , 18-20. More information.


Tagore Nobel Prize Centennary celebrated with choir music and lectures in Lund

On Tuesday 7 May 2013, the Lund based Association for Indo-Swedish Cultural Exchange (AISCE) organised a cultural programme in honour of the Indian/Bengali Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, who was the first non-European writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. Venue for the May 7th concert: Sagohuset, Revingegatan, Lund. The programme featured the Indian Choir of Lund, singing Tagore’s songs, and the Saregama chldren’s choir (photo), both being conducted by Bubu Munshi Eklund.
It also contained a learned academic presentation by Dr. Heinz Werner Wessler, Department of Linguistics and Philology, Uppsala University, on Tagore and his literature, why he was awarded the Nobel Prize, and how he had to wait till 1921 before coming to Sweden for the first time to receive the award.
Indian Ambassador to Sweden, Mrs. Banashri Bose Harrisson, was the guest of honour, and she also held an inspired introductory speech on Tagore and his relevance today. More information.
 


Asian Festival with Dance and Music to be held in Huddinge

Saraswathy Kalakendra Institution of Fine Arts in Huddinge, led by Usha Balasundaram, organizes an Asian Festival 2013 on Saturday 1 June 2013, 11.00–14.00. It will be a glittering showcase of Asian culture and traditions with a focus on Dance and Music. Dancers and artists from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines will perform, and there will also be dance workshops and a fashion show. Venue: Aulan, Gymnasietorget 1, Huddinge (south of Stockholm). More information.


Bangladesh programme with Helena Thorfinn in Stockholm

On Wednesday 15th May 2013, the writer Helena Thorfinn presented her novel ”Innan floden tar oss/Sisters by the River” at a literary evening devoted to Bangladesh at Brokiga Bengalen Butik in Stockholm, the establishment launched by Dr. Christina Nygren, Stockholm University. The book is a fascinating story on life in Bangladesh, including so many true-to-life experiences such as criminally dilapidated textile factories, corruption, etc. It is based on Thorfinn’s work as a journalist and as a social analyst for Save the Children and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) in Bangladesh. More information.
Helena Thorfinn is now working as Communications Manager for the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI) at Lund University. Venue for the Stockholm programme: Brokiga Bengalen, Åsögatan 69. Read more.


SASNET Concert with Mandolin and Vocal Recital by Sugato Bhaduri

SASNET organised a Mandolin & Vocal Recital concert programme with Sugato Bhaduri (photo) from Kolkata at Theatre Sagohuset in Lund on Tuesday 21 May 2013, at 19.00. The concert was co-organised by the Lund based Association for Indo-Swedish Cultural Exchange. See the poster.
Sugato Bhaduri is one of the most sought after Mandolinists in India today, and was initiated into the field of music at a very tender age.
Since 2005, Sugato Bhaduri has toured frequently both in India and Europe, and in 2006 he was recognized to be the best mandolin soloist of the world by the Eurofestival Zupfmusik held in Bamberg, Germany. He performs North Indian Classical Music on Mandolin, an instrument hitherto rarely known in Sweden for rendering the pure & ancient form of Indian classical music that is Dhrupad. Over a period of 17 years he studied music under the active supervision of renowned sarodiya Pt T. N. Majumder. He was also privileged to join workshops conducted by Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, the legendary figure in Indian music. The Lund University concert was Sugato Bhaduri’s first performance in Sweden. He was acompanied by the Indian  Tabla musician Sandip Bhattacharya from the Netherlands. More information about Sugato Bhaduri and his music.


Zac O’Yeah now established writer on the Indian books market

Swedish writer Zac O’Yeah, since several years residing in Bangalore, India, and married to the author Anjum Hasan, is now getting more and more recognition as an established literary person in his adopted homeland India. Zac O’Yeah, who has published twelve books in Swedish language, among them a biography on Mahatma Gandhi (which was short-listed for the August Prize 2008 for best nonfiction book of the year), and a brilliant book on Indian religion, recently published a crimi book for the Indian market entitled ”Mr Majestic – the Tout of Bengaluru”, that already has become a bestseller.
The Indian magazine Outlook in its March 25th, 2013 issue described Zac and his writing as follows:
”Pitted against Scandinavian crime fiction, which is having a long season, Mr Majestic – the Tout of Bengaluru, is Bollywood to European arthouse. And no, not the ‘meaningful’ multiplex cinema of today either, filmed in shades of blue and bleak, but gloriously, unabashedly Technicolor with full-on frontal lighting, over-the-top escapades and sheer joy seeping out of every frame, as summed up in Paul Fernandes’ cheeky cover art. Zac O’Yeah – Swedish by birth, incidentally, and Bangalorean by choice – casts a droll eye on everything familiar to the urban Indian, and a lot that escapes him entirely, and wrings out a novel that’s not quite like anything done before in the English language.”
Read the full book review, written by Sumana Mukherjee.


Prince Claus Fund offers grants to Rethinking of Public Space projects

The Amsterdam based Prince Claus Fund of the Netherlands has issued a Call for proposals on cultural initiatives related to the Rethinking of Public Space. The term "public space" is defined as a social space that is open and accessible to all. A public space can take many different forms. It can be a gathering place defined by its social aspect, a civic space, a community space, a virtual space… The Prince Claus Fund is particularly interested in projects that facilitate freedom of expression, stimulate dialogue and encourage cultural exchange. The Fund has a five year focus on the theme of culture and conflict and encourages project proposals related to this theme. The Prince Claus Fund supports projects with an average grant of 20.000 Euros. This call is open to individuals and organisations based in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Projects in Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal have been awarded grants in the recent past. The deadline for the submission of projects is 15 May 2013. More information.


Out of Print - an online short fiction magazine for writing connected to South Asian

Out of Print Magazine is the name of an online short fiction magazine for writing connected to the South Asian subcontinent. They feature some very interesting contemporary short fiction writers who write in English, or whose work has been translated into English, including U.R. Ananthamoorthy, Salma, Anjum Hasan, Chandrahas Choudhury, and Kuzhali Manickavel. The Out of Print Magazine also provides a platform for new writers and on the accompaniyng blog they are building a database of literary magazines with a connection to the subcontinent. Out of Print Magazine's Founding Editor is Ms. Indira Chandrasekhar. Visit the Out of Print Magazine website. 

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