Grammy winner A R Rahman was named the season ambassador of the British Council's "India/UK Together 2022, a Season of Culture," celebrating India's 75th anniversary and bilateral relations between the two nations. The initiative was launched on June 8 at the British Council in New Delhi.
"A R Rahman's work and professional journey truly embody what the Season of Culture stands for—working together and artistic output that captures the imagination of the world," said Barbara Wickham, Director India, British Council,
Working with several partners and institutions in arts, education and English, the British Council is developing cultural activities that will bring together over 1,400 artists from India-UK to showcase collaborations in dance, music, theatre, poetry, literature, visual arts and creative technology.
"This is a stellar initiative," said Rahman, who could not be present in person at the launch through video. "As an artist, it is a pleasure to be part of an innovative cultural programme which supports creative excellence and artistic appreciation and brings diverse audiences together."
The year-long programme will have a vast repertoire of creative collaborations and educational and cultural exchanges that will take place online and in cities in both countries.
"Future Flow: India and Scotland reflected in prints," a collaboration between Flow India and Edinburgh Printmakers, will have 20 young people from India and Scotland build curatorial skills for an exhibition.
Another project, the "Govandi Arts Festival: Life of Govandi pictured in art and poetry," a collaboration between artist Natasha Sharma and rapper Moin Khan, will capture the highs and lows of living in a neighbourhood like Govandi in Mumbai.
"Language is a Queer Thing" is an India-UK poetry exchange of queer stories.
Speaking about the partnership for a "Future Fantastic: AI meets Art," Kamya Ramachandran, Founder Director, BeFantastic, said, "With the support of the British Council and a deep partnership with FutureEverything, Manchester, we at BeFantastic are confident of developing and presenting cutting edge AI-enabled artworks to audiences. "
The Season of Culture will also enable greater access and opportunities for young people in India and the UK in Education and English.
At the launch, scholarships were announced for English teachers from India to complete a Master's degree in English from a UK university. There will be a focus on language teaching with new educational technologies.
With so many exciting things on the anvil, the Season of Culture promises much stimulating creativity in the months ahead.
(The author is a lifestyle, celebrity, and travel feature writer who has worked in a senior capacity with leading publishing houses.)