WELCOME TO INDIA
MEET THE ENSEMBLE | FILM | FOOD | BOOKS | JLF TORONTO | MUSIC | ART | EXPLORE | PLAYS
! With the COVID-19 health crisis continuing to escalate in India, we wanted to share some ways you can donate to support relief and aid efforts: Give India ; IAHV ; Salaam Baalak Trust ; Delhi Youth Welfare Association ; Goonj ; Ketto Relief Fund ; UNICEF
Don't miss Hayavadana
Hayavadana. by Girish Karnad. In Association with Why Not Theatre.
Love is imperfect, identity can be deceiving, and perfection is dangerous. Padmini is in love with two friends, Devadatta, a poet, and Kapila, a blacksmith, but the familiar love triangle is turned upside down when the men’s bodies are mysteriously switched. One of India’s most popular plays of the 20th Century, Hayavadana reinvents an iconic myth into a powerful search for wholeness. Read the Playbill.
> Explore the 9 other plays from India to round our your Around the World in 80 Plays experience
Tickets are Pay-What-You-Choose, and audiences enjoy unlimited access to the audio drama from the premiere date until April 20, 2022. You will receive an email with a link to log into your account and listen to an embedded audio file through your computer or device.
Purchase a Passport Subscription and enjoy all eight productions!
CBC IDEAS - INDIA in-depth Podcast
IDEAS is a deep-dive into contemporary thought and intellectual history. Using Hayavadana as a launching-off point, host Nahlah Ayed sits down with artists to discuss the cultural context to understand this Indian drama, and what it might have to say to our contemporary Canadian context. FREE
EXTEND YOUR STAY
THE SIT DOWN - interview with miriam fernandes
Director of Hayavadana, Miriam Fernandes, sits down with Emma Stenning to discuss how this fantastical play is a meeting of Ancient and Contemporary and the East and West as it weaves together ancient Indian theatre traditions, all while remaining so relevant to audiences right now.
Recorded early 2021 with Soulpepper's previous Executive Director.
INDIAN CUISINE OFFER FROM TORONTO LIFE
Dive into the world of Indian myths and cuisine with Door2Door Fresh’s curated Hayavadana collection. Created in partnership with Toronto Life Insider to celebrate the premiere of our audio drama Hayavadana – this curated collection includes everything you need to get started with Indian cooking.
Enjoy 25% off Indian cuisine delivered right to your door through the TL Insider Chef's Pantry. Simply apply promo code TLINSIDER at checkout.
Spotlight from TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF AUTHORS - Anosh Irani
Keeping in touch, both figuratively and physically, is a challenge during times of isolation; while physical touch – and what we touch – is now a source of fear and anxiety for many. The Dutch phrase “skin hunger” has come to prominence in recent months, encapsulating these feelings.
For the 2020 Festival, TIFA presented Skin Hunger: a new writing commission featuring original works by internationally renowned writers, in reflection on what we’ve all felt and suffered during the COVID-19 crisis. Featured here is Indo-Canadian writer Anosh Irani, reading his Skin Hunger piece, titled Ezekiel’s Scorpion.
Book Recommendations from Toronto International Festival of Authors
JLF Toronto - 2020 festival highlights
The Jaipur Literary Festival in Toronto has been an important showcase for South Asia’s unique literary heritage and Canada’s diverse literary legacy, while also celebrating the richness of its landscape, people and cultures. Learn more about the Festival here.
The 2020 JLF Toronto Festival was held online, and features an incredible line-up of authors and talks.
SPOTLIGHT FROM SMALL WORLD MUSIC -Toronto Tabla Ensemble
The Toronto Tabla Ensemble beautifully integrate the mastery of the tabla with so many different rhythms, sounds and flavours from around the world. It's been a pleasure to work with them and see them expand their organisation to serve our community and youth.
Toronto Tabla Ensemble (TTE) is a unique and multifaceted arts organization dedicated to promoting the North Indian classical art of tabla. The organization is led by founder and artistic director Ritesh Das, who oversees the organization’s artistic vision, educational curriculum, and production activity. Since 1991, the Toronto Tabla Ensemble has mesmerized audiences using the rhythms and grooves of North India to collaborate with music and dance from around the world. The organization also established the Toronto Tabla Youth Ensemble (TTYE) with the aim of becoming one of the elite pre-professional training and performance groups for youth percussionists aged 8-16.
ART ATTENTION FROM THE AGO
The Art Gallery of Ontario shares two pieces of Indian art from their collection, The Taj Mahal and Gardens, Agra, from the Entrance Gate (1865) & The Taj Mahal, Agra, from the Fountain (1865), from Indian Views, Samuel Bourne
Explore Arts and Culture
The National Museum in New Delhi is one of the largest museums in India. Established in 1949, it holds a variety of articles ranging from pre-historic era to modern works of art.
India's major museum dealing with the history of human transportation, it is situated on 3.01 acres and has 95,000 square feet of exhibition galleries.
Archive of Indian Music seeks to digitize and preserve rare gramophone records, ranging from Hindustani and Carnatic classical music, Folk music, Early Cinema, Theatre, Speeches of great leaders of the country and voices of common Indians that were recorded starting 1902.
The Royal Opera House, Mumbai is widely touted as Mumbai’s Cultural Crown Jewel and India’s only surviving Opera House, opened in 1911 by King George V and restored and reopened in 2016.
Take a tour through India's most recognizable landmark, a mausoleum commissioned in 1632 by one of the greatest Mugal Emperors.
The biennial Delhi Photo Festival is an initiative to bring photography into the public space, initiating dialogue amongst photography practitioners and lovers.
The Theatrical Canon - india
9 OTHER PLAYS CURATED BY SOULPEPPER ARTISTS AND LOCAL SCHOLARS TO READ AND ENJOY! INQUIRE ABOUT THESE TITLES AT YOUR LOCAL INDEPENDENT BOOKSHOP OR LIBRARY.