May 1 – 15, 2008: Workshop for Indian Dance – Mahagami Academy

MAHAGAMI GURUKUL offers a value based training under Guru-shishya tradition in Odissi and Kathak Dance forms. Residential facility is available for the outstation students. Local students are also encouraged to stay in the hostels in order to facilitate early morning individual ‘riyaaz’ of the disciples. The lush green Gurukul campus wakes up with the drone of Tanpura, chanting of mnemonic syllables punctuated with resonant sound of Pakhawaj and ‘ghungroos’.

World Dance Day 2008 – Pune

Prof. Suparna Banerjee (Choreographer) | Prof. Dipalle Parmar (Writer)
FLAME Campus (Pune) | Contact

The Town Hall Presents the World Premiere of “Miles from India: Celebrating the Works of Miles Davis”

Fri May 9th @ 8PM at NYC’s Town Hall (123 W. 43rd Street)
THE TOWN HALL PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF “MILES FROM INDIA: CELEBRATING THE WORKS OF MILES DAVIS”

EAST-MEETS-WEST IN AN ALL-NEW GROUNDBREAKING CONCERT EVENT FEATURING MILES DAVIS ALUMNI & RENOWNED INDIAN MUSICIANS

FRIDAY, MAY 9 AT 8PM

Show Celebrates The Music of The Jazz Master & All New CD Release “Miles from India”

The Town Hall, Times Square’s landmark concert venue, continues its 2008 season with the World Premiere of Miles From India: Celebrating the Works of Miles Davis on Friday, May 9 at 8:00PM. The show features many of the musicians on the new groundbreaking 2-CD set, Miles From India, available April 15 from Times Square Records. Tickets for the show, priced at $45 & $40, are now on sale.

The Town Hall’s “Miles From India…” show features some of the jazz world’s greatest musicians from the US and India, including, Sridhar Parthasarathy (mridangam/kanjira), Kala Ramnath (violin), Ravi Chary (sitar), Gino Banks (percussion), Bob Belden (conductor/arranger) – and the previously announced Ron Carter (bassist), Lenny White (drummer), Wallace Roney (trumpet), Pete Cosey (saxophone), Badal Roy (tabla), Rudresh Mahanthappa (saxophone), Benny Reitveld (electric bass) and Louiz Banks (keyboards).

The evening offers audiences a wonderful “passage to India,” featuring many Miles Davis alumni and renowned Indian classical and jazz musicians performing stunning reinterpretations of some of his “classics,” including: “All Blues,” “Spanish Key,” “So What,” “It’s All About Time,” and “Jean Pierre.” In what’s being called a “labor of love,” and taking nearly 10 years to complete, this music project comes from the visionary head of Times Square Records, Yusef Gandhi and producer Bob Belden. “Jazz musicians have always listened to Indian music and Indian musicians know jazz,” said Gandhi. “Miles Davis incorporated tabla and sitar in (his) recordings, so this seemed like a perfect fit.”

This kind of East-meets-West, cross-cultural fusion has been going on since the mid- 60s when George Harrison played sitar on The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood,” and Brian Jones added the instrument to the Rolling Stones hit, “Paint In Black.” In 1971 John McLaughlin investigated South Indian classical music forms on the Mahavishnu Orchestra’s debut The Inner Mounting Flame, and Miles Davis did in turn on 1972’s On The Corner. Now in this all new concert and CD-set celebrating the music of Miles Davis, both cultures come together for an unforgettable and legendary experience.

Called the “Picasso of Jazz,” the late Grammy Award winning musician Miles Davis was one of the greatest visionaries and important figures in jazz history. His illustrious career included touring with Billy Eckstine’s band, playing trumpet for Charlie Parker’s group, credited with creating the “cool jazz” sound, and later fusing rock and jazz to create the “fusion revolution.” During his lifetime Davis collaborated with many of the top musicians in the field, including: John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, John McLaughlin, Cannonball Adderly, Chick Corea, Lee Konitz, Gerry Mulligan, Max Roach, Joe Zawinul, and others.

“We’re extremely pleased to present the world premiere of this exciting & innovative jazz show celebrating Miles Davis,” said Lawrence C. Zucker, The Town Hall Executive & Artistic Director. “As an artist that has performed on The Town Hall stage, it’s truly amazing to see the influence he’s had and continues to have on jazz musicians and music fans of all ages from all around the world.”

“Miles From India: Celebrating the works of Miles Davis” show is part of The Town Hall Presents 2008 season, a program that includes East Village Opera Company, Tamango’s Urban Tap, Klezmatics, The Nuyorican Poets Caf Third Millennium Celebration, Judy Collins and the Broadway By The Year series.

Built in 1921 by a group of suffragettes, The Town Hall began as a lecture hall and public forum for debates. Over the decades, the stage has been graced by Eleanor Roosevelt, Margaret Sanger, Billie Holiday, Igor Stravinsky, Bob Dylan and Miles Davis. Today the hall flourishes as a popular, affordable venue, boasting the hottest acts in rock, pop, folk, cabaret, world music, comedy and dance, including Billy Joel, Blondie, Elvis Costello, Natalie Merchant, Graham Nash, Liza Minnelli, Cyndi Lauper, Norah Jones, Andre Watts, Henry Rollins, Joe Jackson, Pink Martini, Regina Spector, Bryan Adams, Aimee Mann and Dawn Upshaw. For over a decade, The Town Hall has hosted live broadcasts of Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion. Over the past two-and-a-half decades, The Town Hall has produced a number of new and critically acclaimed musical series, which include The Century of Change, Not Just Jazz, Broadway By The Year and The Broadway Cabaret Festival.

Tickets for “Miles from India…” are $45 & $40 and available through TicketMaster, 212-307-4100, or ticketmaster.com, or by visiting The Town Hall Box Office between noon and 6 PM (except Sundays) at 123 West 43rd Street, 212-840-2824. For more information, visit The Town Hall website.

(Source: 03/28/2008 – AllaboutJazz.com | Jazz News)

13th European Union Film Festival in New Delhi…

Press Release (P&I/2008/004)

13th European Union Film Festival
to be screened in India from 1st – 30th April

New Delhi, 26 March 2008

An exclusive collection of well-known contemporary films from all over Europe will be creened in 5 Indian cities as part of the European Union Film Festival from 1 – 30 April 2008. European Union Member States embassies and the Delegation of the European Commission are collaborating with a range of local partners to organise the 13th European Union Film Festival in New Delhi (1 April – 8 April), Chennai (7 April – 17 April), Kolkata (10 April – 16 April), Calicut / Kozhikode (17 April ? 20 April) and Pune (24 ? 30 April).
.
In celebrating the culture and art of several European countries, especially through the moving image, the EU hopes to emphasise the importance of culture, particularly in light of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, 2008. The European Union’s multifaceted relations with India encompass a dialogue between modern nation states built upon ancient civilisations, enriched with myriad cultures, religions, ethnicities, and languages. Culture has become an essential component of the EU-India relationship. The EU Film Festival 2008 is a step in celebrating the diversity of our cultures, both in India and in Europe, in the ‘European Year of Intercultural Dialogue.’In this edition of the EU Film Festival, the inspiring diversity in the contemporary European film industry is showcased through an array of films, each one representing a different Member State that includes national and international hits with gripping thrillers, finger-on-the-pulse comedies and forceful modern-day dramas. The EU Film Festival is now part of the EU-India strategic partnership established at the 6th EU-India Summit in September 2005. This year the EU Film Festival showcases a package of 21 films from 20 EU Member States. The films being screened have in general been widely acclaimed in Europe and some have been awarded prestigious prizes in recent years.

The films that will be screened are Short Circuits (Slovenia), I Am (Poland), Kids in da Hood (Sweden), FC Venus (Finland), Waiter (Netherlands), On the Other Side of the Bridge (Austria), Yella (Germany), After the Wedding (Denmark), Its Spring in Prague Every Year (Czech Republic), Two Syllables Behind (Slovak Republic), You and Me (France), Ultranova and Long Weekend (Belgium), Eighth Day of the Week (Hungary), Last of the High Kings (Ireland), Golden Beach (Estonia), Occident (Romania), Bye Bye Blackbird (Luxembourg), Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive (UK), Honey and Wine (Cyprus) and Fiction (Spain)

The Festival is being staged, thanks to the precious support of the Government of NCT of Delhi, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi; Nandan West Bengal Film Centre, Kolkata; Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, Kozhikode; National Film Archive of India, Pune and ICA Foundation in Association with South India Film Chamber of Commerce, Chennai. The support of Alliance Francaise de Delhi, Corporation of Kozhikode, Max Mueller Bhavan (Pune), Alliance Francaise de Poona and British Library (Pune) is gratefully acknowledged.

Information about the venue, dates and the programme schedule is available at the website:
www.delind.ec.europa.eu/en/euff2008

Darbar South Asian Music Festival 2008… (U.K.)

See details on

Darbar South Asian Music Festival 2008 &

the 8th Annual event in memory of Ustad Alla Rakha…

India: Bihar to set up FM radio stations in schools (news)

Patna: The Bihar government plans to set up Frequency Modulation (FM) radio stations in schools across the state to make education more effective and user-friendly.

Initially, the government would set up FM radio stations in 11 high schools in Patna and Nalanda. “The government would select more schools for the purpose later,” the state’s Minister of Information & Public Relations Arjun Rai said.

Rai said the decision to set up school FM radio stations was taken in view of the fact that the world was using information technology in schools for easy access to knowledge.

“Programmes on FM radio would be made to educate and inform students about community development, health and disaster management,” Rai said.

These FM radios would help revive local and folk music and art, and provide opportunities to local people to generate employment, particularly in the rural areas.

“The FM radio station would air four to five hours’ programme daily, including entertainment,” an official in the information and public relations department said.
…
The state government has already applied for licence and the decision is pending with the central government. After the licence is issued, the state will set up FM radio stations in selected schools and relay programmes, the official said.

The core programming will be done in Patna and the peripheral programming in the districts. The channels would host phone-in programmes featuring guest lectures, career counselling, and quizzes based on general and subject knowledge.

According to a government estimate, the cost of setting up one Community Radio Station (CRS), including equipment and installation charges, is nearly Rs.480,000.

The cost of studio, which would be optional, would be Rs.230,000. The operational cost per radio station, as worked out by the government, is Rs. 46,965 per month while the expected monthly revenue per CRS is Rs. 50,400.

Sixty per cent of the cost will be borne by the human resources development department of the state and the remaining will be taken as loan from banks.
…
Half-a-dozen schools in Patna were selected and five in Nalanda, the home district of chief minister Nitish Kumar. “We were told by our class teacher that the government would set up a FM radio station in school. It is a big step,” Aprajita Singh, a student of Bankipore Girls High School, said.

Another student of the same school, Sanjana Kumari, said they were excited after being told that they would learn new things through FM radio station. “The experience will be different,” she said.

Ramesh Ranjan, a student of Miller High School, said the FM radio station would help the students to connect to the changing world. “It will be handy for us,” he said.

(Source: Monday, March 24, 2008 | Siliconindia.com | NEWS )

March 22nd concert: Vocal, Sarode & Oud duet and Sarode

Join with the AACM this Saturday for the fourth concert of it’s Winter Series featuring:
• Wallace Harvey – vocal with
Ferhan Quereshi – Tabla
• Annette Bauer & Derek Wright
sarode & oud duet with
Javad Butah – Tabla
• Mallar Bhattacharyaa

Please join the AACM for the next film night at 7 PM on Friday, March 28 at the AACM in San Rafael. The AACM will be showing a performance of Maestros Ali Akbar Khan and Swapan Chaudhuri performing Ragas Chandranandan, Jogiya Kalengra, and Manj Khammaj. The concert took place in San Francisco on August 10, 1984… These old concerts are a rare treat, so please tell your friends, and as always there is no charge. Hope to see you all there!

(Source: 20th March 2008 | Ali Akbar College of Music – 215 West End Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94901 (USA))

 

IMCOnAir-IMCRadio.Net wishes you a Happy Dol/Holi/Easter ’08

About: Holi Feast | Easter Feast (Colored Easter Eggs | Easter Bunnies)

U.S. seeks India’s help to improve global healthcare (News)

Washington: The U.S. is seeking additional scientific, regulatory and technical collaboration with India as a means to improve healthcare outcomes for patients around the world.

Sharing his aspirations for such collaboration, US Health Secretary Michael O. Leavitt Tuesday described how India’s burgeoning spice industry has adopted market principles to ensure access to US markets.

At a meeting hosted by the US-India Business Council (USIBC) to brief industry leaders about his recent five-day visit to India, Leavitt referred to what he called the “red pepper principle”, which encourages the market, not regulatory enforcement, to foster international best practices and quality control.

Important to consumers worldwide, he expressed confidence that with the entrepreneurial synergies inherent in the US-India relationship, the ‘market before mandate’ approach to self-regulation will be a successful model that will foster greater trade while ensuring safety and quality.

USIBC President Ron Somers said, “Leavitt has taken a lead role in advancing the healthcare partnership between these two dynamic democracies, and we are hopeful this will result in increased regulatory harmonisation.”

“Having launched the Coalition for Healthy India, USIBC looks forward to continued engagement with Secretary Leavitt’s team as we work towards raising the standard of patient care, the development of new treatments and cures, ensuring access and affordability, getting medicines safely to patients, and promoting corporate social responsibility,” he said.

…

A central goal of the Coalition for Healthy India is to foster greater regulatory harmonisation between the US and India, resulting in decreased costs and increased patient safety.

Leavitt said he had also indicated to India that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would like to have positions in the American embassy and its other posts in India given the deepening and widening relationship in this area.

The FDA plans to begin carrying out checks on Chinese food products following approval from the State Department. To do so the agency will create eight new positions at US diplomatic missions throughout China over the next two years subject to final approval from Beijing.

“We have also initiated conversations with the Indian Government on the need to have similar kinds of officers in India,” Leavitt said noting that more FDA approvals are coming out of India than any other country in the world.

“We did not reach agreement; we did not seek an agreement; we are not actively negotiating. But we did make clear that part of our plan in the future would be to work toward that…” the official said. “It won’t happen overnight… but it is a high priority.”
…

In the context of the emerging trade relations between India and the US, it would be very important to have such an arrangement, he said suggesting the new concept of “rolling borders back” to have product safety implemented in originating countries has already struck roots in India.

Noting the US get imports from 825,000 different sources, through over 300 ports-of-entry, Leavitt said it is simply impossible to check everything that is coming into the US short of bringing global commerce to a grinding halt.

“This is a very large, very complex sector of our economy. We’re going to import $2 trillion worth of goods just this year. And it’s growing. There’re some estimates that would suggest that by 2015 we’ll see three times the amount of imports we have today” he added.

“The key to product safety in the future will be transparent, interoperable systems in which people know who does and who doesn’t produce goods that are safe and effective. The role of government is to support, not dictate that process,” Leavitt said.

“Coming up with the right standards is hard, messy work. The only way to get it done is to collaborate with one another,” he said.

IANS

(Source: Wed – 19th March 2008 | Siliconindia.com | News)

INDIA: Indian students spend $13 Bn a year on education abroad (News)

New Delhi: Over $13 billion is spent annually by about 450,000 Indian students on higher education abroad, said Industry body Assocham.

Over 90 percent of students appearing for IIT and IIM entrance examinations are rejected due to capacity constraints, of which the top 40 percent pay to get admission abroad.

“Over 150,000 students every year go overseas for university education, which costs India a foreign exchange outflow of $10 billion. This amount is sufficient to build more IIMs and IITs,” the body said.

The primary reason for a large number of Indian students seeking professional education abroad is lack of capacity in Indian institutions.

“The trend can be reversed by opening a series of quality institutes with public-private partnership by completely deregulating higher education,” said Assocham President Venugopal Dhoot.

Higher education in India is subsidized as an IIT student pays an average $120 (about Rs 4,800) monthly fee, while students opting for education in institutions in Australia, Canada, Singapore, the U.S. and UK shell out $1,500 to 5,000 as fees every month.

…

Deregulation of higher education in the country will result in creating annual revenues of $50 to $100 billion, besides providing 10-20 million additional jobs in the field of education alone, the chamber said. India has only 27,000 foreign students, as compared to 400,000 in Australia.

Assocham also said that vocational education in India is only 5 percent of its total employed workforce of 459.10 million as against 95 percent in South Korea, 80 percent in Japan and 70 percent in Germany.

siliconindia news bureau

(Source: Wedn, March 19, 2008 | siliconindia.com | News)