Saturday, September 12, 2020
10am to 1pm EST
Registration fee: $15

This program will be rescheduled in 2021.

The Gandhi Memorial Center presents Vidushi Sumitra Guha (Padma Shri) with Samia Mahbub Ahmad in a Guru-Shishya Parampara Offering of Hindustani Classical Vocal Muisc with Suman Chatterjee (tabla) and Sheryas Ravi (harmonium) on June 15, 2019 at 5:00pm. Admission is payable at the door: $20

237 INDIA: CULTURE, TRADITIONS AND GANDHI

Join us for an exploration of the rich cultural diversity of India. Each week we will engage in interactive sessions with guest presenters including musicians, dancers, artists and scholars from the Indian sub-continent. Come listen to musicians trained in the classical and folk music traditions of India and see classical Indian dance. Specially invited artists will provide demonstrations to add to your appreciation of these art forms. Other speakers will introduce the lives of Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore, as well as bring an understanding of the origins of Indian languages, which vary from state to state and even village to village. Class members will also be offered tastes of India, with food samples. Each session will add a new layer of culture and tradition.

MUSIC AND LIFE OF RABINDRANATH TAGORE:

Dr. Sudeshna Basu grew up in Kolkata, India. After training under the tutelage of the famous Hindustani Classical Vocalist, Smt. Meera Bandyopadhaya of Patiala Gharana, she started taking lessons on Rabindrasnageet from them maestro Sr Ashoketaru Bandyopadya. Currently, she is taking lessons in Dhrupad from the famous Gundecha Brothers. An empaneled artist of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Sudeshna had her first solo performance at Calcutta’s prestigious Sisir Mancha. Soon after she was invited to sing for West Bengal State Music Academy’s “Young Artist Series.” Apart from all over India, she has performed extensively in the US, UK, Germany, Canada and Bangladesh. She has broadcast on many radio stations including All India Radio, Voice of America, Friends FM and others. She has been featured in Television Channels such as Doordarshan Kendra India (National Television India), Tara Music, Kolkata TV, Asian Television (USA) and Toronto TV (Canada).  She has conducted several workshops both in India and abroad. Sudeshna has recorded ten audio albums. Bhavna Records released her first album directed by the legendary musician, V. Balsara. Her three latest projects are all recorded under the label of His Master’s Voice/Saregama India. A mathematician by training, Dr. Basu is equally passionate about music. She is currently on the faculty at George Washington University, Department of Mathematics.

Mr. Jeffrey Bauer received his musical training from the Peabody Conservatory of Music where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in piano performance, and at the University of Maryland where he earned a Master’s degree in Ethnomusicology. Mr. Bauer contributes his musical talents through arranging and composing musical presentations for special functions at the Gandhi Memorial Center. Mr. Bauer is also a minster of music for the Self-Revelation Church where he has shared his talents for over 30 years. Mr. Bauer offers private piano instruction in his studio in Bethesda, Maryland. 

Mr. Fred Dixon is trained in vocal music and has for many years been associated with the Gandhi Memorial Center and the Self-Revelation Church.

Saturday, March 16, 2018
at 2:00pm
Exhibit Opening and Reception

RSVP REQUIRED

"Dear America / پیارے امریکہ / प्रिय अमेरिका: Translation and Transformation in the Art of Lubna Zahid"

For more information about the artist: Lubna Zahid

With a presentation by: Dr. Hamza M. Zafer, Assistant Professor, University of Washington

Lubna Zahid is a classically trained fine artist who works in mixed media. Strongly influenced by contemporary and classical calligraphy in Urdu, Arabic and Persian, her pieces include texts in these languages. She experiments with bold renditions of Islamic decorative forms such as the Shamsa. Her work is inflected deeply by the works of masters like Mansoor Rahi, Sadequain, Dulac, Klimt and Kahlo. Typographic elements in her works rely heavily on the progressive post-colonial movements in the Muslim world in the 20th century. The philosophical works of thinkers like Allama Iqbal and Faiz Ahmed Faiz shaped her generation and their ideas are evident in her pieces.

Lubna has exhibited her work in the United States and in Pakistan. She teaches workshops and seminars on art and art history in various venues including the Smithsonian’s Freer and Sackler Galleries. She lives in the Washington, D.C. area. 

Lubna received calligraphy and illumination training by master calligrapher Abbas Baghdadi. She works with a variety of media including transparent watercolor, gouache, graphite, charcoal, ink, acrylics, gold leaf and clay. Her techniques include glazing, pouring, layering, splashing, spattering, textural writing and gilding.