Untitled Document

wednesday 24^th septemper to wednesday 8^th october, 2008
11a.m.-6:30 p.m. (Sundays 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm)

‘Mint Green’ - An Art-In-Décor exhibition Showcasing ‘world art’ at its eclectic best by a melange of artists from around the world. Organized by The Fuschia Tree

Creative energies, at their eclectic best, connect in 'Mint Green', an exhibition that promises to showcase the best of original artworks and art prints from around the world, in hues of 'Mint Green'.

Peerless techniques and a refreshingly new language fused with distinctive styles are at play to add sheen to a show that is already a visual delight.

The exhibition's unique art-in-décor concept transcends many cultures and geographies and brings forth the aesthetics of fine art to the buyer and art enthusiast, all at affordable prices.

The artists are surprisingly united in their diversity and artistic expressions as they find common ground in shades of the all encompassing unifying colour, Mint Green

The Fuschia Tree is an interactive space that caters to artists and people in search of that perfect blend of creativity and art.

For them, art is a necessity, like the air we breathe — becoming a part of everybody's life to adorn our lives like a precious jewel. Clearly, the business of buying art ceases to be a business when a canvas becomes the very soul of an artist. The cause then becomes nobler. This is The Fuschia Tree's basic tenet and its beliefs ripple through every facet of its endeavors.

7.00 pm OFF THE MANTLE # 17 ‘Beneath Her Flying Feet’ The Dramatic Work of Angela Carter

The First City Theatre Foundation Readings

British writer Angela Carter's work has been called 'voluptuous', 'snarling' and 'learned'. It is the work of a writer who was singular in seeing no paradox in being a dandy as well as a socialist. Her vocabulary was both far-flung and down-to-earth; her mode of address veered from the abstruse to the anecdotal. She played with fantasy and fairy tale, making them tell new truths. Her plays for theatre, film and radio, published together in the collection The Curious Room, enlarges the scope and alters the contours of her rich body of work. The First Theatre Foundation presents excerpts from her radio plays which include Vampirella and The Company of Wolves.

Cuba Fest., a week long festival of revolutionary Cuba, the legendary Che Guevara, the indestructible Fidel Castro, Cuban food and Cuban music celebrating the Month of Culture in Cuba when for the national anthem was played for the first time, as well as 50 years of Revolution. - In collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in India.

Fidel Castro, with a small group of brave comrades landed in Cuba in December 1956 to overthrow the dictator Fulgencio Batista. Fighting for 3 years from the Sierra Maestra with between 20 and 300 men his determined guerrilla not only overthrew the dictatorship on 1^st of January, 1959 but also captured the imagination of the world with their daring, their determination and their courage. Since then this little island has inspired the world in many fields, not least in ‘the art of revolution”.

20 October is celebrated as the ‘Day of Cuban Culture’

11 am to 6.30 pm: ‘Che and Fidel’ an exhibition of photographs with emphasis on the 60’s, smoothly connecting with today to reflect the 50^th Anniversary of the Revolution.

‘Che: love, politics and rebelry’- a documentary film directed by Teresita Gomez

This 1995 film approaches human aspects of the life of Che Guevara, sometimes forgotten and often distorted by Western media.

‘Fidel and Che: The first years of the Cuban Revolution and Cuba today” a talk, by His Excellency Miguel Angel Ramirez, Ambassador of Cuba to India.

Fidel and Che Guevara were closely united since they met in Mexico while Fidel was training together with a group of rebels to return to Cuba and overthrow dictator Batista. Both icons were also together in the first and founding years of the Revolution in action and spirit until Che left Cuba to carry out the Revolution to other lands of Africa and Latin America.

Ambassador Ramírez is a senior career diplomat, always working in Asia, whose first posting was also India in 1984. He wrote a collective book “From Eisenhower to Reagan”, that talks about one of the most defining issues of Cuban foreign policy, the relationship or lack of it with the United States., relating those years of confrontation, survival and development.

‘Tasting of Cuban cuisine’ a demonstration of 3 Cuban dishes by the Cuban Embassy cook

The main feature of its unique cuisine is reflected in the Ajiaco (a blend of meats and vegetables boiled in a big soup) which is something new and reflects the mixed character of Cuban culture.

There are well-known dishes that represent Cuban cuisine like congri, tostones, picadillo a la habanera, puerco asado, casquitos de guayaba con queso, etc, but they are not the only ones. Many more dishes should be discovered and enjoyed by those who love to indulge in new culinary experiences.

We will offer some secrets for small and easy-to-cook dishes just to open your palate to the Cuban taste. (Tostones, corn fritters, tamales, chicken croquets, Cuban ham spread for crackers, torrejas, guava marmalade with cheese and others)

‘Son, Salsa, Mambo, Rumba, Bolero, Cha-Cha-Cha and other famous rhythms: Cuba’s contribution to World Music ‘ a talk by Punita Singh and screening of ‘ I am from Son to Salsa”

Not only the cuisine and the culture are a melting pot in Cuba. Probably the best and most fruitful expression of this fusion happens to Cuban music, whose principal roots are in Spain and West Africa, but has also been influenced by French, American, Chinese and Caribbean rhythms.

But more importantly Cuban music has been immensely influential to the development of Latin jazz, salsa, and other Latin American as well as African rhythms and even Spanish flamenco.

In Cuba, music propped up by the deep and diverse academic background of their musicians, either performers or composers, enjoys quality and permanence worldwide. The influence of Cuban music in the world is growing all the time, not only pop, but also symphonic and chamber music is at par with European avant-garde musicians. Salsa, Bolero and Nueva Trova rhythms, to cite only 3 examples, have invaded the world and any reference of them is impossible without mentioning Cuba

The First City Theatre Foundation Readings

Edward Albee burst onto the American theatrical scene in the late 1950s with a variety of plays that detailed the agonies and disillusionment of that decade and the transition from the placid Eisenhower years to the turbulent 1960s. Albee's plays, with their intensity, their grappling with modern themes, and their experiments in form, startled critics and audiences alike while changing the landscape of American drama. His body of work is recognised as unique, uncompromising, controversial, elliptical, and provocative. The First City Theatre Foundation presents excerpts from his renowned plays The Zoo Story and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, as well as his stage adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's acclaimed and controversial novel Lolita.