INTERCULTURAL EVENING

The Intercultural Circle, a project of the Alternative Development Centre organised an evening of intercultural exchange of ideas and poetry reading from diverse cultures recently. The evening had a Japanese flavour as the food was cooked by a Japanese lady Yoshiko Murata who is married to a Jaipur man.  As a Haiku poet Yoshiko recited  poems related to Zen Buddhist tradition. Haiku is a form of poetry which is very short and simple but deep and mysterious

A Japanese artist Nishioka narrated his search for the meaning and purpose of art all over the world. He also studied fine arts in Shantiniketan.  Nishioka found that art has been created for and used by rich people and the royal families who could patronise as well as display it as a symbol of their power and wealth. He decided in Gandhiji’s footsteps to work with ordinary artists to revive and promote village cottage industries, particularly by using the charkha and handmade cloth. By selling the cloth directly in Japan he is able to pay good wages by avoiding the middlemen.

Malihe a lady from Iran living in Jaipur recited Persian poems of Rumi and  Saadi and explained their philosophy. The world class Persian poets like Omar Khayam, Saadi and Hafiz with Sufi overtones were all born in the city of Sheraz which is famous for its golden grapes and wine. Today wine making is banned and perhaps so are great poets who disagree with the regime

Rainu Singh who presents a daily program of poetic and melodious film music on ETV, recited from her rich repertory of Shairs and Hindi poems. Prahlad Shekhawat Director of the Intercultural Circle stated that the objective is to create better understanding among not only international and regional Indian cultures but also between the culture of the well of and educated and the poor and marginalised, as well as between the human culture and the culture of  nature which are all bound together in a common web of life.