Cultural calendar: Know what to expect and what not to miss in some of the upcoming biggest music and art events
Hornbill Festival 2023When: December 1-10Where: Kohima, Nagaland
Conceptualised in the year 2000, the Hornbill Festival is a 10-day annual tourism promotional event organised by the Nagaland government to showcase the state’s rich and traditional cultural heritage in all its ethnicity, diversity and grandeur. Dubbed as the ‘Festival of Festivals’, the event provides a unique platform for visitors to witness not only the Naga cultural diversity converging at one venue but also the states of northeast India as a means of cultural exchange. Adventure, sports, art, handicraft, fashion, music, literature, etc, also come as part of the special package. As in the previous years, the festival will be held at the Heritage Village of Kisama, about 10 km from the capital Kohima, from December 1 to 10 this year.
Tata Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFestWhen: October 25-29Where: Mumbai
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The 14th edition of Tata Literature Live! The Mumbai Litfest will take place in two versions. While the online edition will be held on October 25-26 with the participation of leading international authors such as Salman Rushdie and Elif Shafak, the festival will take place on the ground from October 27-29 at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), Nariman Point, and St Paul’s Institute of Communication Education and Title Waves bookstore in Bandra, Mumbai. Celebrated thought leaders, wordsmiths and storytellers from India and 15 other countries, will explore issues at the heart of fiction, poetry, mathematics, economics, communications, business, sport, health, history, art, society, nature and food, among others.
Rajasthan International Folk FestivalWhen: October 27-30Where: Jodhpur
Jodhpur’s Mehrangarh Fort is all set to host the Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF) from October 27 to 30. While the last festival was a comeback of sorts, following the Covid-induced hiatus, the upcoming edition will build upon the momentum, and hence, “the efforts had to be doubled this year”, as per festival director Divya Bhatia.
One of the things that is being done is that, compared to previous years, more national-level artistes have been called to collaborate with Rajasthan musicians. “For the folk tradition, our focus last year was on Khasi musicians. This year, we are coming back to Rajasthan with a focus on the Mewat region,” he says.
The line-up of Indian artistes will also include the band Alif, women dhol players from Maharashtra and percussionists from Chennai, among others. SAZ, a band comprising three young Rajasthani artistes, who came together through the festival, has collaborated and is performing with saxophonist Rhys Sebastian, in what is called the Cool Desert Project.
Among the Rajasthani artistes who will be performing include khartal maestro Bundu Khan Langa, acclaimed vocalist Bade Ghazi Khan Manganiyar, and women Kalbelia vocalists, among others.
Being an international folk festival, artistes from France, Australia, Cabo Verde, Italy and Estonia will also be gracing the event.
This year, there will be a special focus on dance performances. “Here we are breaking the distinction between what is thought of as traditional and what is thought of as contemporary,” Bhatia says. The performances include that of Kathak dancer Tarini Tripathi, who will be collaborating with Rajasthani artistes. At the same time, contemporary dancer Raina Peterson, who is of Fiji-Indian and British descent, will perform a dance piece titled Narsimha.
Dharamshala International Film Festival 2023When: November 4-7Where: Dharamshala,Himachal Pradesh
When filmmakers and long-time Dharamshala residents Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam started the Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) in 2012, their main aim was to give the local community a platform to watch good alternative cinema. Twelve years later, DIFF attracts audiences from across the country and beyond. The festival also nurtures the larger independent filmmaking community in India and South Asia, and builds networks of solidarity, support and resources. Like in the previous years, the 12th edition of the festival will be held at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) in McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, from November 4 to 7. This year’s edition promises an array of international features, documentaries and shorts, complemented by panel discussions, interactive Q&As and masterclasses with esteemed filmmakers. Stay tuned for the programme announcements.
54th International Film Festival of IndiaWhen: November 20-28Where: Goa
Since 1952, India has hosted 53 International Film Festivals of India (IFFI), both competitive and non-competitive. The festival became an annual event from 1975 onwards. The 54th edition of the festival, which includes a competition for feature films by directors from all continents, will be held in Goa from November 20-28. The festival is being organised by the National Film Development Corporation of India in collaboration with the state government of Goa and the Indian film industry. The festival is recognised by the International Federation of Film Producers’ Associations (FIAPF) as a competitive feature film festival. The festival aims at providing a common platform for filmmakers of the world to project their excellence in film art; contributing to the understanding and appreciation of film cultures of different nations in the context of their social and cultural ethos; and promoting friendship and co-operation among people of the world.
Magnetic Fields FestivalWhen: December 15-17Where: Alsisar, Rajasthan
Introduced in 2013, the Magnetic Fields Festival is held at the Alsisar Mahal in Rajasthan every year in the middle of December. During that time, the royal palace-turned-heritage hotel transforms into a throbbing, pulsing venue to celebrate some of the world’s finest underground music. The theme for this year is ‘preservation’—a call to action to protect what’s good, revive what’s fading, and preserve what’s essential for humanity. “This year’s festival will be a celebration of preservation in all its forms. From the decor and design elements to the activities, workshops and music, focus will be as much on curating an exceptional programme as it will be on introducing new concepts and showcasing artistes who use their platform to advocate for diversity of cultures and traditions,” say the organisers.
Mahindra Kabira Festival 2023When: December 15–17Where: Varanasi, UP
The seventh edition of the Mahindra Kabira Festival is all set to open its arms to its guests, alongside the banks of the river Ganga in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, from December 15 to 17. The annual festival of music, poetry and experiences will once again celebrate the philosophy and teachings of the 15th-century mystic-poet Kabir.Like in the previous years, it will offer its delegates an immersive journey inspired by Kabir, and across evocative music performances, curated talks, guided walks, boat-rides, Ganga Aarti and an array of local cuisines. The detailed line-up of artistes and programme schedule will be announced soon. For more information, you can visit http://www.mahindrakabira.com.
Sunburn FestivalWhen: December 28-30Where: Goa
Sunburn, a premier electronic dance music (EDM) festival, is ranked among the world’s biggest music festivals. Started in 2007 as a three-day music festival in Goa, Sunburn has grown to become an aspirational lifestyle brand boasting an eclectic mix of music, entertainment, experiences and celebration that has seeded music tourism in India. Over the past decade, Sunburn has brought together renowned International and Indian artistes to entertain hundreds of thousands of dance music lovers across the country and overseas and positioned India as a prime dance festival destination to the world. Even though the exact venue in Goa is yet to be announced, some of the artistes who are likely to participate in this year’s event include Australian house DJ and instrumentalist Timmy Trumpet, Swedish DJ and record producer Alesso and Belgian DJ Charlotte de Witte, as per reports. The theme for this year’s edition is ‘The Enchanted Forest’.
India Art Fair 2024When: February 1-4, 2024Where: New Delhi
The 15th edition of India Art Fair will take place at the NSIC Exhibition Grounds, New Delhi, from February 1 to 4, 2024. India Art Fair is a leading platform to discover modern and contemporary art in South Asia. Spread across a 20,000-sq-m venue, it is the biggest event in India’s cultural calendar with pioneering exhibitors from across the country presenting some of the region’s most iconic artists, alongside select international participants who bring works that have never or rarely been shown in India. It also hosts an expansive programme of artist-led talks, performances, workshops and projects.
Jaipur Literature FestivalWhen: February 1-5, 2024Where: Jaipur, Rajasthan
The 17th edition of Jaipur Literature Festival will be held between February 1 and 5, 2024, at Hotel Clarks Amer, Jaipur. The event will bring together a diverse global community of writers, thinkers and speakers to explore a range of literary themes and thought-provoking ideas. As in the previous editions, the festival will celebrate linguistic diversity, featuring a broad spectrum of languages such as Assamese, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Urdu, and more. The event will also host its flagship heritage evening, the Jaipur Music Stage, which will run parallel to the festival.The upcoming edition will celebrate how ‘Stories Unite Us’, exploring the transformative power of literature, how it reflects society and brings us together. “In recent times, so much new writing is coming out of different Indian and European languages. All of these unexplored stories, especially stories in Indian languages, are now accessible due to the availability of excellent quality of translations. Earlier, one could find only one or two good translations in Kannada, Telugu, Bengali and others,” says Sanjoy Roy, managing director of Teamwork Arts, which produces the JLF.
Roy feels that translations have transformed the publishing space. “Every publisher now looks at it as a new area to focus on and not just writing in English,” he says. With Geetanjali Shree’s Tomb of Sand winning the Booker Prize last year, the focus has shifted to translations, he adds.
The first list of 25 speakers announced so far includes Mridula Garg, recipient of the Sahitya Akademi award; Angela Saini, British journalist and author; Anuradha Sarma Pujari, Assamese author; B Jeyamohan, Tamil and Malayalam writer; BN Goswamy, art historian; writers Anand Neelakantan and Kalpana Raina, among others. International writers such as historian Mary Beard, travel writer Colin Thubron and translator Tom Holland, among others, will also speak at the event.
Serendipity Arts Festival 2023When: December 15-23Where: Goa
Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF) is one of the largest multi-disciplinary arts initiatives in the south Asian region. It spans the visual, performing and culinary arts, while exploring genres with film, live arts, literature and fashion. Besides the core content, which is conceptualised by an eminent curatorial panel, the festival has various layers of programming, in the form of educational initiatives, workshops, special projects, and institutional engagements. The sixth edition of Serendipity Arts Festival will take place in Panaji, Goa from December 15 to 23.
