Oz Fest Comes To India

26 September 2012

Oz Fest is about to descend on India with over 100 events planned in 18 cities across the country. Running from 16 October through to 5 February, it will be the largest Australian event to be ever held in India, even seeing a visit from Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Australian culture for most conjures up images of didgeridoos, BBQ’s, Mick Dundee, cricket and Australian Masterchef. Although the programming obviously encompasses a lot more (music, art, food, films, literature, dance, sport and ideas), it doesn’t shy away from the clichés and certainly seems to satisfy our base need for these traditional necessities.

The opening ceremony in Delhi will certainly be one of the highlights with performances from Aboriginal singer/songwriter Gurrumul Yunupingu, didgeridoo master Mark Atkins and musician Anoushka Shankar. What we’re most excited about are the 3D projections that will serve as a backdrop, orchestrated by Sydney based AGB at the Purana Qila.

The Aussie BBQ programme isn’t about snags and shrimp either, but about “food for the soul”. It will see upcoming Australian musicians Karnivool, Big Scary, The Aston Shuffle, Jija Safari and Sheppard tour around India also making appearances at the Bacardi NH7 Weekender in Pune.

The Sound Chamber (unfortunately exclusive to the NH7 Weekender in Pune ) is also another highlight, an interactive sound art experiment inside a dome that (in a nutshell) creates sound and bursts of colour when you start to move.

Another interesting concept is the Bookwallah, which will see six Australian and Indian writers travel across India by train accompanied by an ingenious travelling library. Making stops at Mumbai, Goa, Thiruvananthapuram, Bengaluru and Chennai, the journey will see writers discuss their books, dine with Indian writers in their homes, talk with key thinkers and visit some of India’s most "thought provoking places".

There are a few surprises in store with a large Australian act/band/DJ yet to be announced. There will also be two opportunities during the festival for people to take part in a competition to win an all expenses paid trip around Australia. More info on these as we have it.

As Australia elevates its relationship with India to the “front line”, Oz Fest aims to demonstrate a contemporary understanding of Australia in India while simultaneously exploring and enriching the connection between the two communities.

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