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Journalism of Courage
LONDON June 13: Britain loves a good celebration, and this year it is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Indian and Pakistani independence. Celebrations began months ago, with a banquet for “community leaders” and the South Asian glitterati.
The British Government announced its plan to mark the anniversary in March, saying that the occasion was also an opportunity to celebrate the “contribution the people of the sub-continent are making to our culture”. Since then, there have been “dinners”, and “receptions” to accommodate different streams of the local Asian community.
While some cynically say that this was part of pre-election community relations, the programme had cross-party support, and the Conservative Minister who announced the programme did say that irrespective of a change of Government, the programme would remain the same. And, in the curious way that Britain does things, the Queen is to mark the 50th anniversary (apart from a visit to India) by inviting more than the usual number of South Asians to her garden parties over the summer.
Around Britain, exhibitions as varied as `Photographs of Mahatma Gandhi’ to `Photographs of Queen Victoria’s Indian Servants’ are part of a year-long celebration of Indian Independence. Art Galleries in regenerating East London have had a series of exhibitions of the works of contemporary Indian artists and photographers since early this year.
Other specialist London museums, like the Railworld Museum and the National Army Museum have commemorative exhibitions, celebrating the achievements of India and Pakistan. The British museum is marking the 50th anniversary by taking an exhibition of some of its non-Indian collection to India. `The Enduring Image,’ will include Egyptian antiquities, reliefs and sculpture from Pompeii, bronzes from Benin, stone figures from the Easter Islands and works from medieval and Roman Europe.
The big India exhibitions in Britain are being organised by the Victoria and Albert Museum, which has one of the largest collections of Indian art (most of it in storage). A six-month-long exhibition of contemporary prints from India and Pakistan began in April. Later this month, “Shamiana”, an exhibition inspired by the tradition of Mughal and Rajput decorative arts, will open at the V & A. The illustrations from the Padshah Nama, exhibited in New Delhi earlier this year, were also on display, for the first time in Britain, at the V & A. A special display at the museum’s Nehru Gallery will open in August, which will include exhibits that have never been displayed before.
Indian cinema will be shown at the National Film Theatre in London, which has announced a programme titled `50th Annniversary of Indian Independence: A season of Films.’ It is a film festival with a difference. Writers themselves have chosen their cinematic “classics”.
The BBC has possibly the most extensive “India season”. Through May, BBC Radio 3 had a series of programmes on young writers including Arundhati Roy, Indian music, Delhi, Gandhi and Tagore. The season continues this month. BBC Radio 4 will run a series of over 30 programmes between August 9 and 18, including a series of partition stories, several programmes by Mark Tully, documentaries on modern India and Pakistan by a London-based Indian academic and a Pakistani journalist, food programmes, a series of specially commissioned plays by Mahesh Dattani and Girish Karnad and funnies including Mind Your Language.
A musical version of the Mahabharat, A Bed of Arrows, A Quiver of Husbands, produced by a team that includes London-based musician Nitin Sawhney and choreographer Shobana Gulati, has been touring England for the last couple of months, as part of the Government-sponsored celebrations. The Nehru Centre, the Indian Government’s cultural centre, has organised a series of “freedom lectures”, and dedicated its programme for the year to “commemorating 50 years of Indian Independence and Celebrating Indo-British Friendship.” An exhibition-cum-sale of Indian books titled “India’s Tryst with destiny”, was held last week as part of the celebration.
Indian organisations and associations across England and Scotland are holding “special functions” in August, which will, by and large, be: “dinner, speeches, and perhaps a short cultural programme.” But London and Birmingham plan big public celebrations. A four-day Festival of India organised by the filmy entertainment impressario Safdar Hussain, to be held in London in late August is said to be a “something for everyone” mela on a mega scale. A smaller, but similar “mela” is also planed for Cannon Hill park in Birmingham.
The less organised, and less well-funded are still making plans. From universities to restaurants, there are events planned and in the planning. The list runs on. There are still a few who speak nostalgically of an imperial past, but for the most part, Britain is happy to celebrate being thrown out of India.
