The Kennedy Center in Washington has been converted into a palace to showcase India's arts, precious gems and diverse culture over the next three weeks.The $7 million "Maximum India" festival opened last Tuesday and runs through March 20. With nearly 100 performances, films and events, organizers say it is one of the largest U.S. festivals ever devoted to the south Asian country of 1.2 billion people.
Exhibits opened Wednesday in the Kennedy Center's main halls, including a collection of traditional saris, an installation featuring words from a historic speech by Mahatma Gandhi, and colorful crafts from various Indian streets.
The India festival is the latest in a series of large-scale events tracing the cultures of the Silk Road trade routes across Asia. Earlier festivals featured China, Japan and 22 Arab countries.
Many Indian artists have toured in the United States, but not always on the country's biggest stages, said Alicia Adams, the Kennedy Center's vice president of international programs.
"What this does is bring it all to the fore and in three weeks allow for the exploration of a lot of art on one of America's main stages," she said. "It's a real opportunity to learn quite a bit about India."
Bollywood movie star Nandita Das is curating a film series to feature portrayals of women in Indian film since the 1960s, including the country's first portrayal of a gay relationship on a major film in 1996. In an e-mail from Mumbai, Das said Americans will be surprised by India's vastly different elements.
