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Mumbai
Films
Francophonie week: As part of week-long celebrations by Francophone countries, which share French as a common language, watch screenings of Swiss, Belgian and French-Canadian cinema. The films include Switzerland’s ‘Recycling Lily’ and ‘Tableau Noir’, ‘Tango Libre’ and ‘Les Barons’ from Belgium, ‘Qu’est ce qu’on fait ici?’ from Canada and France’s Sur le chemin de l'école.
Where: Alliance Francaise auditorium, New Marine Lines, Mumbai
When: March 23-27 and 30, 6.30 pm
Where: Godrej Dance Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point, Mumbai
When: March 25-26, 6.30 pm
Dance
Have feet, will dance Indo-contemporary: In ‘Selcouth’, the Shiamak Davar Dance Company will present the choreographer’s vision of “things we do not see, places we fear to visit and situations that make us wary” through contemporary dance movement. His style combines Indo-contemporary and modern dance with elements of ballet and performance-based visuals. The show will be performed by the Shiamak Davar Dance Company and graduates from his one-year dance certification programme.
Where: NCPA, Nariman Point, Mumbai
When: March 22, 8 pm
Art
World photography since the 1970s: ‘Time Present: Photography from the Deutsche Bank Collection’ will include a set of around 70 works by international artists offering a global view of photography as an art form. The exhibition comes to the city after its Singapore opening, following which it will travel to Tokyo and Sydney. It aims to offer insights into how photography has changed since the 1970s until today.
Where: National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Fort, Mumbai
When: March 21-May 10
True’s Blues: Whiplash is a monthly series to be organised by students of The True School of Music, showcasing young talent from the school. In the first edition, they will perform with ‘Kanchan Daniel and the Beards.’ The Mumbai-based blues band draws inspiration from genres including R&B, funk, soul and psychedelic rock.
Where: The True School of Music, Sun Mills Compound, Lower Parel, Mumbai
When: March 27, 7-9:30 pm
Films
On the road: Goethe Institut presents a night of open air film screenings, showcasing selected German cinema on the theme of Destination:Unknown. The films on show include “Knocking on Heaven’s Door”, “Türkisch für Anfänger”, “Beste Chance” and “Hannas Reise”. The four films narrate the stories of four journeys and the ways in which they inevitably transform their protagonists. Two dying men embark on a road trip to see the ocean, a group of teenagers are stranded on an island after a plane crash, a student searches for her best friend in India and a girl is confronted with Germany’s past in Israel. While the protagonists could not be more different they all have one thing in common — their stories are fascinating accounts of the power of travelling.
Where: Goethe-Institut, Connaught Place, New Delhi
When: March 21, 5:30 pm
Back in time: Lok Kala Manch presents “Taj Mahal ka Tender”, a comic play directed by Salim Arif. “Taj Mahal Ka Tender” explores what it would be like if Shah Jahan was alive today and wanted to build his monument of love. The government sector is filled with corrupt individuals, right from the clerk to the manager. With uncooperative officials and rampant corruption, the play seeks to find out if the emperor’s dream project can see the light of day. The play stars Asif Shaikh, Bharat Kapoor, Rakesh Bedi and Avtar Gill.
Where: Lok Kala Manch, Lodhi Road, New Delhi
When: March 21. 6:30 pm
Through the lens: Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre presents “Moments”, a group exhibition showcasing the works of international photographers living in Delhi. The exhibition focuses on the magical moments captured through the eyes of the five artists during their wanderings in the Indian subcontinent. The participating artists include Kata Gerhardt, Melinda Ruck, Jagtar Singh, Andreina Gonzalez and Joelle Van Winghem.
Where: Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre, Connaught Place, New Delhi
When: Till March 29, 10 am-4 pm
Art
Exploring global culture: Apeejay Arts presents “Outpost”, an exhibition showcasing the works of artist Samar Singh Jodha. His latest enterprise is a visual disquisition on a global culture where individual aesthetic notions are framed by commercial interests, and homogenised to such a degree by mass media that spontaneous individual expressions often emerge as accidental bi-products of non-aesthetic pursuits. He highlights this unusual state of affairs via a pictorial trope of discarded containers fashioned into habitat by miners in India's pristine north east.
Where: Apeejay Media Gallery, Mathura Road, New Delhi
When: Till March 28
Forces of nature: Talwar Gallery presents “Layers of Wind, Lines of Time”, a solo exhibition by Alwar Balasubramaniam. In his latest work, Balasubramaniam deepens his exploration of the natural forces around us. The exhibition creates an environment of life-in-formation: forms receding into the depth of the walls, or stalactites seeming to grow spontaneously out of them. Drawing on and collaborating with nature, Balasubramaniam creates works from wood, stone and metal that seem indistinguishable from those formed over millennia in the natural environment.
Where: Talwar Gallery, Basant Lok, New Delhi
When: Till March 28
Bengaluru
Art
Stamp of cricket: Cricket fever has also gripped the state's postal department, which is organising a philatelic exhibition centred on the sport. “Let's celebrate cricket” is being organised by the postal department with the Karnataka Philatelic Society and Rangoli Metro Art Centre.
Where: Belaku Gallery, Rangoli Metro Art Centre, MG Road, Bengaluru
When: March 23 to March 31, 11 am-7.30 pm
Travel
Trip through history: A medieval temple where you can see the world’s largest monolithic Nandi, India’s largest mural painting dating from the 1500s/1600s, and some spectacular architecture and sculpture. This is what heritage tour company Carnelian is offering on its day-trip to Lepakshi, two-and-a-half hours from Bengaluru.
Where: Lepakshi, Anantpur, Bengaluru
When: March 28, 6.30 am-4.30 pm
Info: The trip would cost Rs 2,500 per head. Mail carnelian.blr@gmail.com for details
Theatre
Where the past meets the future: "The Train Driver" by South African playwright Athol Fugard was inspired by the true story of a mother with her three small children who committed suicide on the train tracks outside Cape Town.The play is play about the guilt of the privileged few, the suffering of the many and the existential hopelessness of a country trying to come to terms with a violent past as it negotiates an uncertain future.
Where: Jagriti Theatre, Whitefield, Bengaluru
When: At 8 pm on March 21, at 3.30 pm & 6.30 pm on March 22
Music
Blues and rock: BFlat promises an evening of hard rock and the blues with the Sylvester Trio and White Mug performing back to back. The bands, which have recorded Eps, will be performing original tracks.
Where: BFlat, 100 Feet Road, Indira Nagar, Bengaluru
When: March 21, 9 pm onwards
