Tribute to Netaji Subash Chandra Bose

Shaurya Samurai – the first ever Indo-Japan Tribute to Netaji
on the occasion of
Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav

Unravelling Netaji’s statue at India Gate is a historic move that shifts the national focus from colonialism to Bharatiyata. It further cements the unmatched respect for Netaji among the pantheon of Indian freedom fighters as does justice to the title ‘Patriot of Patriots’ given to him by Gandhiji.
However, Netaji’s incredible story would not have been possible without the backing of Japan that sponsored the INA — from soldiers and equipment to currency and even its first Azad Hind Government.
It must also be noted that the theme of “Kartavya” is echoed by the Samurai Code of Honor that upholds universal virtues of heroism, courage, honor and patriotism that Netaji exemplified.
Rarest Exhibit of Samurai Art:
DIAF in collaboration with Samurai Museum & Centre will have an exhibit of authentic Samurai swords, Ninja weapons, Samurai costumes, Samurai paintings, Samurai Buddhist prayer items & Samurai statuary – all never before displayed in India.
Each item comes with a distinct forbearance and unique history.
This is a lifetime opportunity for the Indian audiences that they may never get again.
Interactive Stage and Film Performance:
DIAF is honored to be presenting Zenji Nio, who has been recognized as the “only Indian-origin person and the only North American to be knighted as a Samurai”. His one-man performance (in English, Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali and Japanese) has generated rave reviews.

In this performance, Nio wears official Samurai costumes, uses actual Samurai weapons and props and pays a powerful and rousing tribute to the concept of Kartavya that drove Netaji and the INA to sacrifice their lives for Independence.

DIAF will mount a large screen to intercut between the stage and screen on which will be projected rare and original Samurai footage from across Japan’s greatest landmarks and from the first Indo-Japan Samurai motion picture to be released in 2023.
SHAURYA SAMURAI
World Premiere at Delhi International Arts Festival 2022

The Samurai treasured certain sacred Buddhist mudras and kathas which is choreographed as a performance.

The performative art is an Indo – Japan collaboration which includes Indian martial artists complimenting the Japanese tradition of storytelling and martial arts.
Martial dance forms of Chhau, Thang-Ta and Kalaripayattu blend with Samurai mudras and movement to create a unique dance-theatrical experience.
Choreographed by Zenji Nio & PadmaShri awardee Prathibha Prahlad.

Unique Prayer Ceremony:

Netaji’s final resting place is in a Japanese Buddhist temple of the Nichiren Order. Nichiren Buddhism is highly revered by many in India. Gandhiji also chanted the Lotus Sutra at the beginning and end of all prayer ceremonies and the Lotus Sutra will be chanted while the “Three Monkeys” which is a symbol of the Tokugawa Samurai Clan will be displayed. Rev. Nio will lead a congregation to chant the Lotus Sutra in both Japanese and Sanskrit — in a tribute to Netaji.

ABOUT US

Our mission is to be the most exciting, innovative and accessible Festival of the arts in this part of the world, and thus promote the cultural, economic and social projection of India as a global soft power. The high visibility of India as a diverse, dynamic, peaceful, multicultural, refined and tolerant nation will also serve to attract potential investors from around the world. Through bilateral and multilateral activity primarily in art and culture, India is projected as a meeting place of ideas.

The Delhi International Arts Festival provides an annual opportunity for Indian and International business houses to develop a strong visionary profile. The festival encourages people to people cultural and emotional ties and helps interfacing between the artistic and business communities. This powerful projection of India in the world serves as a cogent tool for cultural diplomacy and cultural tourism.

BELIEF

We, at DIAF, believe that aesthetics are never compartmentalized by forms or controlled by countries. Creativity is a notion constantly in search of new contents and forms. DIAF looks forward to inviting art projects from other parts of the world and opening new avenues for explorations of different approaches to the development and creation of artistic works. It also believes in reviving and re-projecting many ancient traditional art forms of India and the sub-continent thereby creating newer audiences and opportunities for continuation of intangible heritage. In this sense the festival committee has taken the first step towards offering a new and unique model that is non-judgmental of the art forms presented and non-bourgeois.

DIAF brings a global perspective in terms of aesthetic and artistic experience into the city simultaneously offering local artists the opportunity to interact and perform in an international context. Delhi International Arts Festival is a cultural confluence where boundaries dissolve and the idiom of one world comes alive.

FUNDING

The Festival is responsible for funding all its activities. As a not-for-profit organization and a registered charity, its budget is a carefully balanced mix of income raised from donations, fundraising and sponsorship, along with public sector grants.

70% of the Festival’s expenditure is allocated directly to meeting the costs of presenting performances: artists’ fees and travel, local hospitality, hiring the venues, and paying the technical costs involved with staging events. The remaining 30% of the budget is spent on marketing, fundraising and administration.

Have you been engaged or inspired by the Festival?

Seen a special Festival performance or enjoyed the city in all its vibrant life? The Delhi International Arts Festival would not exist without the support of Ministries, semi-govt. organizations, corporations, Companies , PSUs’, trusts, foundations, and individuals. We would love you to join them and help create an unparalleled cultural equity for India.

Donations / Sponsorship / Grants may be made to Prasiddha Foundation A/c DIAF or Forum For Art Beyond Borders – both registered non-profit cultural Trusts.

All Sponsorship, Grants & donations to both the non-profit Trusts is exempted under section 80(G)(5)(vi) of the Income Tax Act, 1961. 

Smt. Prathibha Prahlad

Prathibha Prahlad is a celebrated Indian Bharatanatyam dancer whose multi- faceted personality reflects in the outstanding work she continues to do in the arts field.  She is a performer, teacher, choreographer, researcher, cultural visionary, arts administrator, author and a culture- feminist activist. Her work in the field of arts is profound and unparalleled in contemporary dance history. Her contribution to the arts field goes much beyond her own trail-blazing dance career which has taken her to prestigious platforms all over the world. Prathibha Prahlad has performed in many prestigious International Festivals in over 85 Countries and has given more than 3000 performances in India.

Prathibha Prahlad is equally famous for her missionary work in conceptualizing and presenting International Arts Festivals.

The Delhi International Arts Festival, the most famous and the largest Arts Festival in India, of which she is the Founder Festival Director, is a known Brand internationally because of Prathibha’s vision, direction, conviction and hard work. The Dept. of Posts, Govt of India, released a ‘First Day Cover’ of the Delhi International Arts Festival in 2011, with Prathibha Prahlad’s mission statement.

Prathibha Prahlad also has the unique distinction of being the only dancer of her generation to be on an Indian Postal Stamp of Rs.5 /- released by the Indian Posts & Telegraphs Dept., as a special honor to her extraordinary work in the arts field.

Prathibha Prahlad is a recipient of the National honour –‘Padmasri’, conferred by the President of India. She is the youngest recipient of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for dance. She has also received the Karnataka State Government Award, Sangeet Nritya Academy Award of Karnataka besides several other awards & titles.

A post graduate degree in Mass Communications, and in English Literature and an enviable experience in the performance, print and television media add to her distinction as an arts interlocutor. Prathibha writes articles in leading newspapers and is a frequent invitee to seminars and other academic activities nationally and internationally. She has produced, directed and acted in television serials. Prathibha Prahlad has also authored books on dance & other related subjects.

Prathibha Prahlad heads the Prasiddha Foundation & Forum For Arts Beyond Borders, both of which have established themselves as premier cultural organizations of the Country.

Prasiddha Dance Repertory, of which she is the Artistic Director and Choreographer has become a much acclaimed dance group and is frequently invited by International Festivals for performances. Prasiddha Repertory has performed widely in China, Japan, Belarus, Malaysia, Europe and most recently in Georgia and Armenia.

Prathibha Prahlad is a cultural visionary and crusader and is involved in changing lives and transforming societies through her work in the arts.

She was the convener of the Culture Committee of the Commonwealth Games 2010 and was a member of the expert committee that designed the Opening & Closing Ceremony of the Games.

The other Government Committees, Prathibha Prahlad has served on include- Member of the Executive Board of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi, member of the Cabinet Committee for HANNOVER EXPO 2000– where she designed the entire cultural component of the Indian Pavilion besides choreographing the main Indian presentation there.( ITPO –Ministry of Commerce),Member, Expert Committee for Tableaux Selection for Republic Day( Ministry Of Defence),Member, Expert Committee for selection for  Dance Scholarships-( Ministry Of Culture),Member, Expert Committee for Junior and Senior Fellowships-2001,2004,2005,2007,2009,2010,2012,2013-( Ministry Of Culture),Core Committee Member, Culture, for Afro Asian Games ( Hyderabad). Besides these, Prathibha Prahlad has also been member of Committee to design the Syllabus for dance for CBSE Boards -10^th and 12^th – 2008,2009,2010,2011.

She was also requested to design the model Question Paper for C.B.S.E Boards for general and practical – Arts-2009/2010 and was on N.C.E.R.T- Committee to design Syllabus and teaching methodology for cultural studies.

Prathibha Prahlad’s other significant and unique contributions to the arts field include a documentary film ‘Nectar in Stone’ on Belur & Halebid temples, which won her the best film award from UNESCO in 1987, production and acting in popular TV serial ‘SHRUTI’ on the life of a dancer, a film on 50 years of dance in Karnataka which won her a national award. She was responsible too for the structuring of the ‘Hampi Vijayotsav Festival’, which she handed over to the Govt. of Karnataka to organize. ‘Sharad Vaibhava’ and ‘Eka Aneka’ festivals of dance and music have won her the appreciation of the large artistic community. The Prasiddha Foundation, which she heads, collected funds for the PM’s Relief Fund through her programmes ‘Karnataka for Kargil’.

The highlights of her performances are too many to list. To cite a few, she performed for a body of the United Nations in Thailand (1989), UN HQ in New York in 1995, and at the World Bank Auditorium in Washington DC  celebrating  50 years of the Indian Republic in 2000.

In recent years, she was a special invitee to speak on ‘India & Culture’ at prestigious international festivals such as the Adelaide International Arts festival, Tokyo International Arts festival, Sziget Festival in Budapest, China Shanghai International Festival, Taiwan International Arts Festival, Beijing International Festival, Festivals in Poland, Denmark ,Israel and others. She was invited to present her production ‘Vande Mataram’ for the closing of Festival of India in Malaysia in June 2015. In 2016, she toured China and Japan with her group. Her multi-style productions ‘Panchajanya -sights & sounds of India’ and ‘Vande Mataram’ won her huge accolades and have been emulated by many of her contemporaries and seniors in the field.

In Feb 2017, Prathibha Prahlad opened the prestigious Sarajevo Winter Festival with her group the Prasiddha Dance Repertory. Thereafter, they performed in several cities in Bosnia, Herzegovina and Hungary. In October 2018, Prathibha Prahlad and Prasiddha Dance Repertory toured Georgia and Armenia for the 70^th Anniversary celebrations of India’s independence.

Over the last 12 years, Prathibha Prahlad has been India’s representative at the China Shanghai International Festival and has been a distinguished speaker at the main forum.

She was also invited for China- South Asia Dialogue Forum (a track 2 diplomacy forum) as a distinguished speaker in 2018, 2019 & 2022 by the China Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries ( CPAFF) where she brought forth India’s perspective effectively.

Prathibha Prahlad’s production Warrior Women of Bharat has been acclaimed as unique, innovative, outstanding & truly of international standards. The production was chosen to inaugurate the Festival of India in Russia in September 2023, where it had standing ovations in all cities including Moscow and the Marinsky in St. Petersburg.

She continues to be a frequent invitee to international conferences and Festivals and is very popular on the international arts circuit. Prathibha Prahlad is among the most renowned artistes of the Country and is continuously performing and being honored by many Organisations in India.

Prasiddha Foundation

The Prasiddha Foundation was established in 1991 with the purpose of fostering love and appreciation for all forms of art and to work through the medium of arts for the promotion of national and international cultural contact. Many high-profile festivals that have been organized by Prasiddha Foundation are today considered among the best administered platforms of art in the country. Promotion, Propagation and Preservation in the field of Arts has motivated Prasiddha Foundation to constantly readdress the Arts and redesign Festivals towards sensitizing and enlarging the mass base of cultural consumers.
Apart from conducting colloquiums, festivals like Sharad Vaibhava & Eka Aneka, workshops, seminars, most significant tourism directed cultural initiative of the Prasiddha Foundation, started in 1995, was the impressive Hampi Vijayotsav, set amidst the awesome landscape of Hampi.
Under the leadership of Founder Chairperson Smt. Prathibha Prahlad, it secured train travel concessions for all artistes in 1995, raised funds for KARGIL relief in 2000, made documentary films on dance, made television serials with art at its core which popularised classical dance & music effectively and pioneered the famous DELHI INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL. The Dept of Posts & Telegraphs has released a FIRST DAY COVER & a special cancelled Stamp of Prathibha Prahlad in its honour.
The Prasiddha Dance Repertory is famous and has toured India and the world. The Foundation is planning to build a state-of-the-art cultural centre in Bangalore to further build networks with international arts organisations and festivals. The Prasiddha Centre will be a meeting place of ideas and art and will further expand India’s cultural footprints across the globe.

Funding

The Festival is responsible for funding all its activities. As a not-for-profit organization and a registered charity, its budget is a carefully balanced mix of income raised from donations, fundraising and sponsorship, along with public sector grants.

70% of the Festival’s expenditure is allocated directly to meeting the costs of presenting performances, artists’ fees and travel, local hospitality, hiring the venues, and paying the technical costs involved with staging events. The remaining 30% of the budget is spent on marketing, fundraising and administration.

Yet in its nascent stage, the Festival heavily depends on Collaborations and partnerships to ensure larger numbers of venues, art forms and participating artistes as also for publicity and wider reach.

The Union Ministry of Culture, Union Ministry of Tourism, Union Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Sangeet Natak Akademi, India Tourism Development Corporation, Ministry of Textiles, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, Directorate of Film Festivals of India, National School of Drama, National Gallery of Modern Art, Sahitya Akademi, Lalitkala Akademi, National Museum, National Archives, Doordarshan, the National Television and the Govt. of NCT of Delhi and the Zonal Cultural Centers have been invaluable partners of DIAF over the last three years.

DIAF Supporters-2007-10

Principal Sponsors

The Times of India and Airtel

Corporate Sponsors

Exim Bank, Unitech, Ericsson, Radisson, Tata, Seagrams, Rosebys, Rahul Sales Ltd.,

Public Sector Sponsors

ONGC, IFCI, Oil India Ltd, GAIL India Ltd., Indian Oil Company, BHEL, HPCL, BPCL, MMTC, STC, TEA Board, ONGC Videsh, NTPC, NHPC, PEC, PTC, REC, Rites, BSNL, IRCTC, Konkan Railway, CONCOR, NFAI, SAIL India Ltd., Power Finance Corporation Ltd., Union Bank of India, IFFCO, IRCON

Foreign Govt Collaborators

Alliance Francaise, Pro-Helvetia, Mexican Embassy, Australian Embassy, Austrian Embassy, Embassy of Japan, Embassy of Turkey, Embassy of Sri Lanka, Embassy of Malta, Embassy of Tanzania, Embassy of Paraguay, Embassy of Belarus, Embassies of Uzbekistan and Slovekia, Embassy of Poland, Visual Industry Promotion Organization, French Embassy, Embassy of Italy, Embassy of Egypt, The Canada Council for the Arts, British Council.

Support in kind

The Lalit, ITC Maurya, The Park, Le Meridian, The Ashok, Hotel Janpath, Fortune Select Hotel, Habitat World, Spicejet, The Bahai house of Worship, Osian’s Connoisseurs of Art, The Cathedral Church of Redemption, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Neemrana Foundation, Epicentre, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Archeological Survey of India, India Islamic Cultural Centre, Crafts Museum, Copal Arts Pvt. Ltd., S.G. Chan dra Foundation, JD Centre of Art, UNODC, Surabhi Foundation, Miranda House College, DLF Promenade, DLF Place, DLF Select City Walk, J C Dceaux, PVR Cinemas, First City, Delhi Diary, Buzz in town.com, 98.3 FM – Radio Mirchi, Times Now, One Ocean, National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum, Sri Aurobindo School of Mass Communication, HCL Technologies, SUN Foundation, Capital City Minstrels, Apparao Galleries, Rock & Raaga, Disney, Amnesty International,