Indian Summer in Israel

The 15-member group from Company Theatre has never performed in Israel before,and is excited about the first outing in the country. “Our liberties with performing this play with a world of clowns has gone down well with audiences in Europe and the US. We hope that people in Israel will also find the play entertaining,” says Atul Kumar,the lead actor in the play that also stars Kalki Koechlin.

The second day of the festival will have Chaurasia performing Indian classical ragas. “He has always enjoyed performing in Israel because the audience there is very musically sensitive. It will be an impromptu performance,” says Kasturi Chaurasia,the flautist’s daughter-in-law,who also manages his schedule.

Delhi-based contemporary fusion band Mrigya,which started performing a decade ago,will now become the first Indian band to perform in Israel. “Our performance will be a mix of our old tracks and some new ones,” says Indranil Hariharan,bassist with the band,which has two shows during the festival.

Other performers include Sufi singer Zila Khan and Kathak dancer Aditi Mangaldas and her troupe. A retrospective of Sharmila Tagore’s films is also being organised,where the actress will discuss her films apart from a few Satyajit Ray works. To conclude the festival,there will be a small literature festival with Indian and Israeli authors.