SPIC MACAY and Ministry of Culture collaborates for 'Music in the Park' series under “Shruti Amrut”.

SPIC MACAY organizes its very popular 'Music in the Park' series this year under the name “Shruti Amrut”in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the New Delhi Municipal Council. The beauty of Indian Classical Music was showcased by eminent artists from across the country. In this series, the first event of 2023 was held on today at 3pm in Nehru Park, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.

The concert begun with Sarod performance by Aman Ali Bangash, 7th Generation musician from Senia Bangash Gharana. He was accompanied by Anubrata Chatterjee (Tabla) and Abhishek Mishra (Tabla). Following this, Hindustani Vocal performance by Padma Bhushan Begum Parween Sultana of Patiala Gharana accompanied by Akram Khan (Tabla), Shrinivas Acharya (Harmonium) and Shadaab Sultana (Vocals) were performed.

SPIC MACAY- The Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture amongst youth is a voluntary youth movement that promotes the tangible & intangible aspects of Indian & world heritage by organizing programs and workshops of Indian Classical, Folk Music and dance, Yoga, meditation, crafts, and other aspects of Indian culture. It is a movement started in 1977 and has chapters in over 850 towns across the world.

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Culture Ministry organises a grand curtain raiser program 'Sur Sarita - Symphony of Ganga'

On the eve of the start of the world's longest river cruise in Varanasi, the Ministry of Culture organised a big curtain-raiser cultural performance today called "Sur Sarita - Symphony of Ganga." Tomorrow, January 13, the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will signal the start of the cruise. The big concert held today at the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor was conducted by renowned vocalist Shankar Mahadevan, who delighted the crowds with his lovely songs. Ganga Vilas Cruise will cross Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bangladesh, and Assam in a journey of 51 days.

The world's longest river cruise would be started with the inauguration of MV Ganga Vilas, according to Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways and AYUSH, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal. This will make fresh history for India's waterways industry and usher in a new era of river cruise travel.

On this occasion, Uttar Pradesh's Chief Minister, Shri Yogi Adityanath, stated that Kashi will usher in a new age with the aid of river cruises. Kashi is regarded as the global centre of culture and spirituality, and under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guidance, Kashi has made a name for itself while preserving its storied past.

He further stated that in addition to being connected by land and sky, Kashi will now also be connected by rivers.

Along with appreciating the Sur Taranginis, other dignitaries and tourists on the Ganga Vilas Cruise learned about Mother Ganga's significance and their obligations to care for her during the concert. One became aware of Maa Ganga's reverence as a Goddess for all Indians and for all of humanity after reading this Sur Sandhya.

In a 51-day journey, the Ganga Vilas Cruise will travel through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bangladesh, and Assam. The river has been a part of folklore and legend in these locations for a long time. In order to provide the event a variety of flavours, songs from several states were selected for it.

In a tribute to the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and Brahmaputra, famous singer Shankar Mahadevan was joined by folk musicians from Assam, Bihar, and Bengal. The performance of "Kartavya Ganga" by Shankar Mahadevan marked the conclusion of the roughly hour-long event. Every Indian will always take care of the river goddess, according to the pledge made in "Kartavya Ganga." As she has always shielded us from harm, we will all do every effort to protect her waters. During the event, an audio-visual presentation also highlighted the river and its timeless value.

A mobile science exhibition on Maa Gange: Arth Ganga was organised by the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), Kolkata, in conjunction with the Ministry of Culture, beginning on January 12. Before the concert, the exhibition was officially opened from Varanasi. The exhibition honours the Ganga and aims to raise awareness among the general public about the need to protect and restore the sacred river. The show will tour the neighbourhoods and locations close to the Ganges river. There are 18 panels in the displays, some of which include the Ganga's tributaries, the Ganga and Dams, and the Sunderbans.

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Why Asia's Most Anticipated Fair Took Years to Launch? by ART SG

After the very successful first Frieze Seoul edition in September, Southeast Asia is now the centre of the art world's attention as Singapore, another Asian Tiger, hosts its own first-ever international art show, ART SG.

Swati Bhat

Art SG Official

Since the announcement of its launch in 2018—and the numerous delays that followed—ART SG has seen its fair share of uncertainty and turmoil. But this week, the show at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre will officially begin operations. The event, which runs from Wednesday through Sunday, will feature over 160 galleries from throughout Asia and beyond.

But why is ART SG the topic of conversation? If at all, how does it differ from the plethora of international fairs debuting in the area? Here are the answers to all of your burning questions regarding Asia's most recent mega-fair.

What is ART SG?

The organisation behind Taipei Dangdai, India Art Fair, Sydney Contemporary, PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai, and the upcoming Tokyo Gendai, scheduled to open in July, is called Art Assembly. Sandy Angus, Tim Etchells, and Magnus Renfrew, seasoned organisers of art fairs who specialise in the Asia Pacific region, are in charge of Art Assembly.

While positioning itself as an international platform with top galleries like White Cube, Gagosian, and David Zwirner, their average fair typically offers art and programming that speaks to the distinct regional and local market. Due to this strategy, their portfolio of art fairs have managed to survive and remain popular despite the "fairtigue" of the late 2010s.

Magnus Renfrew, a cofounder of ART SG, and Shuyin Yang, the fair’s director.

PHOTO: JOYCE YUNG

What's up with all these delays, then?

The fair was introduced as a collaboration between Sandy Angus of Angus Montgomery Arts, Tim Etchells, the director of the event, and Art Basel's parent company, MCH Group, in July 2018. On November 1, 2019, it was scheduled to be unveiled at the Sands Expo by more than 80 galleries.

However, MCH withdrew from a number of regional fairs it had shares in, including ART SG towards the end of 2018, following the resignation of its longtime CEO, René Kamm, and because of the business's financial difficulties. The fair was then delayed to begin later in November 2019.

ART SG announced its deferral to October 2020 a few months after Art Stage Singapore, the city's previous significant art fair with international ambitions, was abruptly cancelled in January 2019. The organisers apparently extended the application deadline in response to galleries' requests for more time to prepare, but it was obvious that the financial difficulties and closure of Art Stage Singapore had rocked the nation's fledgling art sector.

Then the epidemic struck, which naturally caused the fair to be postponed until November 2021. It was once again put off until January 2022 in February 2021. Officially, it was planned to coincide with the annual Singapore Art Week, but limits on social gatherings and travel due to Covid were probably also a factor.

Finally, the fair declared it was being postponed to January 2023 in November 2021 when there was still no evidence of an exhibitor list and global supply chain concerns were at their peak.

Why in Singapore?

Funny enough, the fair would not be taking place at a moment of extraordinary interest in Singapore's emerging art market if it weren't for ART SG's numerous postponements. This is because the city-state has recently emerged as the preferred Asian base for affluent locals, families, and enterprises as well as multinational corporations. Thanks to Singapore's fair Covid limitations and its longtime status as a major international financial centre, many of them have left Hong Kong, which had long held the top spot as Asia's art market capital.

We have noticed that wealthy collectors from around Asia are increasingly settling in the city and utilising it as their base because Singapore has evolved as one of the most progressive economies as the world opens up post-Covid, says Jonathan.

The number of galleries participating doubled from the first list of 80 exhibitors in 2018 when ART SG revealed its eagerly anticipated exhibitor list in June. To coincide with the fair's opening, the WOAW Gallery in Hong Kong and the Whitestone Gallery in Tokyo also opened locations in Singapore, and Lehmann Maupin hired a Singaporean director to manage their operations in Southeast Asia.

What is the price of a ticket?

Weekday passes cost S$35 ($26) and weekend passes cost S$40 ($30), which are both less expensive than general admission to Frieze Seoul, which was 70,000 won ($55) per person. However, the latter also gave visitors entrance to sister event KIAF Seoul.

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