SAARC Cultural Centre, Colombo is presenting its upcoming Fourth Session of the SAARC Talk Series 2024 on 30th April 2024 (Tuesday) at 2:00 pm (Sri Lanka Standard Time). The lecture will be delivered by Dr. Aly Shameem, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Arts, Maldives National University.
Dr. Aly Shameem will deliver his lecture on the topic “Maldives Cultural Music and Dances: Local and Regional Blend of Rich Performing Arts Traditions”.
The presentation is open to public. To attend kindly register at the link given below.
Please click here to register
Meeting link: https://meet.google.com/eto-fgdk-yze
Do spread the word. We look forward to your participation and engaging discussions during this enlightening lecture.
Participatory Programme – Royal Government of Bhutan
1. Introduction
It is believed that rice was domesticated in Asia more than 5,000 years ago and since then has been a part of the diet in Asia. Rice is one of the most important staple foods of the SAARC Region and has been cultivated in all SAARC Member States for centuries. This has gradually changed with the population increase and globalization making it cheaper to import, and the traditional rice varieties and cultivation have disappeared from some areas. The Festival of Rice Culinary Arts and Spice Exhibition is planned with the intention to revitalize the intangible cultural heritage associated with traditional foods of Asia which is based on rice and spice. This programme will highlight the resilient cultural heritage of the SAARC Region and help in the process of recovering and rebuilding after the global pandemic.
There are many rituals associated with rice including being the main food item at celebrations, festivals, life events such as birth, marriage and death, etc. Rice made for special occasions are flavoured by spices and other ingredients which are found in each Member State. Rice is also used in creating multiple types of foods including porridge, sweets, breads, medicines and fermented drinks. The SAARC Member States use different processes to create these food items and add different ingredients to increase the nutrition and flavours.
The Festival of Rice Culinary Arts and Spice Exhibition will be an opportunity for culinary artists to compare and contrast their processes, styles and methods of cooking with the others of the Region. The exhibition will also reflect different aspects of the shared cultural heritage of the SAARC Region.
2. Objectives
The main objectives of the SAARC Festival of Rice Culinary Arts and Spice Exhibition are as follows:
3. Programme
The SAARC Festival of Rice Culinary Arts and Spice Exhibition will have different components which will be used to highlight the culinary arts associated with rice varieties of the Member States and the intangible cultural heritage which are slowly disappearing. This will be a 4-day programme and all participants of the Member States shall participate in all the segments of the programme.
1) Food Festival
There will be stalls allocated to each participant Member State to share their rice-based traditional, fusion and modern food, street foods and others for the public to enjoy. The menus for the food festival will be decided by the participants of each Member State. Ingredients which should be made available for food preparation should be conveyed to the SAARC Cultural Centre by the participants at the earliest. The SCC will inform the participants of available resources at the earliest. All Member States should participate in the Food Festival and should be prepared to bring all the necessary special ingredients to prepare the food.
2) Live Cooking Demonstrations
The Festival will also provide an opportunity for live cooking demonstrations of street/local rice-based cuisines of the Region. The choice of food for live cooking demonstrations is at the discretion of the Member States and the participants. This could include staple food, savoury, sweet, snacks, drinks, etc., based on rice. All Member States should participate in this event and necessary ingredients, utensils, etc., should be planned ahead in coordination with the SAARC Cultural Centre.
3) Spice Exhibition
The Member States have different spices which enrich the taste of the food. The raw material for the spices is very similar but the quantities used and the ingredients mixed are slightly different creating different aromas of the food. The Spice Exhibition will be an opportunity to display the native spices of the Member States and provide an opportunity for the public to appreciate the different spices. The participants of the Member States should be able to introduce the spices with the specific ingredients and the special food made with these spices authentic to each Member State.
4) Exhibition of Traditional Implements used in Rice Culinary Arts
SAARC Member States are the inheritors of multiple utensils created to meet the needs of cuisines before the industrial age. Today many of these implements are replaced by electronic gadgets which makes the tasks faster but sometimes there is a slight difference in the taste. For example, hand ground (using mortar and pestle) rice has more fibre in the flour than the machine ground rice. This will be an opportunity to introduce the younger generation to fast disappearing utensils and to learn about their uses. Some of these implements will be heavy and the SAARC Cultural Centre hopes that the participants will bring photographs / sketches of traditional implements to be displayed. This will provide an opportunity to understand the similarities and differences in the traditional culinary implements of the SAARC Region. All Member State should try to bring the portable utensils, photographs, documentaries, videos, etc., of traditional utensils for this segment of the programme.
5) Workshop and Webinar on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Rice Culinary Arts
During the festival, the participants will be given an opportunity to discuss the intangible cultural heritage of rice culinary arts and to share knowledge and information. This will also give an opportunity for the culinary experts in the SAARC Region to share their views and ideas virtually. The webinar information will be made available and will be an open forum where culinary experts and practitioners of the culinary intangible heritage of the Region can participate in real-time. This information will be documented and shared online. All Member States should participate physically and virtually.
4. Participants
1) Officially Nominated Participants from the Member States
The honoured Member States to select participants who can contribute to the multiple segments of the Programme mentioned above. At least one participant should be able to share their knowledge / skills on each segment.
i. Host Member State of the Royal Government of Bhutan is invited to nominate a maximum of twenty (20) participants. Other Member States are invited to nominate a maximum of six (06) participants for the SAARC Festival of Rice Culinary Arts and Spice Exhibition.
ii. The Honoured Member States are respectfully requested to take into consideration the following guidelines.
2) Other Participants from the Member States
i. Category A – The SAARC Cultural Centre would also accept the participation of other Experts from the Member States (other than the Official Nominees of the respective SAARC Member States).
ii. Category B – Participants from the Host Country where the event is held can participate. (Participants with culinary experience of rice cuisines in the Royal Government of Bhutan and traditional methods of creating various dishes can be included in this category.)
3) Virtual Participants – All Member States to nominate any number of Rice Culinary Experts / Intangible Cultural Practitioners of Rice Culinary Arts to join the Workshop/Webinar virtually. The Virtual activities will be open to the Public.
5. Nomination Procedure and Deadline
1) The names of all participants (Official & Other Participants Category A & B), relevant biographical information including their culinary experiences, contact details and copy of passport should be sent through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs / External Affairs of the Member State via the SAARC Secretariat to the SAARC Cultural Centre.
2) The Member States are required to send their Official and Other nominations for the SAARC Festival of Rice Culinary Arts and Spice Exhibition via the respective Ministries of Foreign Affairs / External Affairs at the earliest.
3) All Participants (Official Nominees and Other Participants) must fill the Registration Form which is attached as Annexure 1.
6. Additional Information for the Participants
1) Transport (Airfare) of the nominated participants to the Host Member State should be borne by the nominating Member State as per SAARC practice.
2) All local hospitality including accommodation, meals and local transportation will be provided for the officially nominated participants for the official duration of the Programme by the SAARC Cultural Centre.
3) General ingredients (vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, etc.) for the cuisine, if available in the Host Member State will be provided by the SAARC Cultural Centre. The list of ingredients and required quantities need to be sent to the SAARC Cultural Centre by the participants before the programme.
4) Required cooking utensils (ovens, cookers, pots and pans, etc.) will be provided by the SAARC Cultural Centre, however, specific requirements should be conveyed to the Centre by the participants.
7. Dates
TBA.
8. Venue of the Programme
Paro, Bhutan.
9. Contact Information
Mr. Sikder Md’ Zulkernine
Deputy Director – Programmes
SAARC Cultural Centre
Colombo
Sri Lanka.
Email : dd-programmes@saarcculture.org / sccprogrammes2023@gmail.com
Registration Form : PDF Document Download / Word Document Download
The SAARC Cultural Centre will be screening the award-winning movie “PINK” at the Moon Bastion of the World Heritage City of Galle on 5th April 2024 at 8:30 pm. PINK is a movie portraying three young female professionals facing social and cultural prejudices, political pressure and respect for their choices. It is a movie with strong social meaning which encourages women to speak up in society and fight for their choices.
Pink is directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury and was first screened in 2016. The Cast includes Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, Andrea Tariang, Vijay Varma, etc.
Please join us at the Moon Bastion Open Air to enjoy this uplifting movie.
Date: 5th April 2024 Time: 8:30 pm onwards Location: Moon Bastion of the World Heritage City of Galle
Entrance Free
Introduction
The SAARC Puppetry Day was introduced this year to highlight fast disappearing traditional entertainment of puppetry. The pandemic had rather adverse effect on this traditional entertainment due to travel restrictions and many of the traditional puppetry craftspeople had to leave their trade and look for new avenues of economic support thereby having a detrimental effect on the already disappearing craft. The puppetry tradition in Sri Lanka uses handmade puppets using traditional techniques and methods passed down from generation to generation. This is an attempt by the SAARC Cultural Centre to ensure the intangible heritage of the puppetry traditions of Sri Lanka, both the art of making them and the tradition of using folk stories, Buddhist stories and others to entertain their audiences are brought alive and enjoyed by the SAARC Region.
Puppetry Day Programme
The Puppetry Day will consist of 2 shows:
The Puppeteers use puppets to share folk tales and traditional historical stories of Sri Lanka, etc., passing on the intangible cultural heritage of puppet making, folk lore, historical stories, etc., to the next generation. Some of the stories and events used for the Puppet show are as follows:
This is a FREE Public Event and all are welcome.
SAARC Cultural Centre Presents World Puppetry Day Celebrations On Friday 5th April 2024 At Moon Bastion, World Heritage City of Galle at 7:00 pm . A Special School Show will be held @ 3:00 pm at the Moon Bastion, World Heritage City of Galle.
SAARC Cultural Centre, Colombo is presenting its upcoming Second Session of the SAARC Talk Series 2024 on 20th February 2024 (Tuesday) at 3:00 pm (Sri Lanka Standard Time). The lecture will be delivered by Dr. Shrikant Ganvir, Assistant Professor, Dept of A.I.H.C. and Archaeology, Deccan College PGRI, Deemed to be University, Pune, India.
Dr. Shrikant Ganvir will deliver his lecture on the topic “Sacred Landscape of the Buddhist Monastic Sites of North-eastern Andhra Pradesh, India”.
The presentation is open to public. To attend kindly register at the link given below.
Please click here to register
Meeting link: https://meet.google.com/dnq-eyuq-asi
Do spread the word. We look forward to your participation and engaging discussions during this enlightening lecture.
SAARC Cultural Centre, Colombo is presenting its upcoming First Session of the SAARC Talk Series 2024 on 30th January 2024 (Tuesday) at 3:00 pm (Sri Lanka Standard Time). The lecture will be delivered by Prof. Swadhin Sen, Department of Archaeology, Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh.
Prof. Swadhin Sen will deliver his lecture on the topic “Breaking the Spatiotemporal Boundaries of Continuity and Change: Thinking About Archaeology of Bangladesh”.
The presentation is open to public. To attend kindly register at the link given below.
Please click here to register
Meeting link: https://meet.google.com/utq-jgep-cre
Do spread the word. We look forward to your participation and engaging discussions during this enlightening lecture.
SAARC Cultural Centre, Colombo is presenting its upcoming Eighth SAARC Talk Series on 6th December 2023 (Wednesday) at 2:00 pm (Sri Lanka Standard Time). The lecture will be delivered by Eng.(Dr.) Sanath Panawennage, Director General and Chief Executive of the Arthur C Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies, Colombo,Sri Lanka
Eng.(Dr.) Sanath Panawennage will deliver his lecture on the topic “Preserving South Asia’s Cultural Heritage: ‘Space’ as a Decisive Enabler”.
The presentation is open to public. To attend kindly register at the link given below.
Please click here to register
Meeting link: https://meet.google.com/jfz-krot-mnm
Do spread the word. We look forward to your participation and engaging discussions during this enlightening lecture.
SAARC Cultural Centre, Colombo is presenting its upcoming Seventh SAARC Talk Series on 24th November 2023 (Friday) at 3:00 pm (Sri Lankan Standard Time). The lecture will be delivered by Kamalika Bose, Urban Conservationist, Founder-Principal, Heritage Synergies India.
Kamalika Bose will deliver her lecture on the topic “Building Regional Cooperation through Shared Cultural Heritage of Kolkata and Dhaka”.
The presentation is open to public. To attend kindly register at the link given below.
Please click here to register
Meeting link: https://meet.google.com/ois-xcky-nfn
Do spread the word. We look forward to your participation and engaging discussions during this enlightening lecture.
Captivating Canvasses of the Vibrant Colours of Culture is an Exhibition of Paintings organized by the SAARC Cultural Centre (SCC) in Collaboration with the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka. The SCC is the custodian of a large collection of paintings created by the artists of the SAARC Region during the SAARC Artists’ Camps held annually from 2011 to 2019. This Exhibition is organized to create an understanding of the cultures of the SAARC Member States as depicted through the artists of the Region.
The exhibition will be held at the Royal Asiatic Society premises at the Mahaweli Centre.
Date: 7th to 10th November 2023
Inauguration: 7th November 2023 at 11am
Venue: Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka, No. 96, Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha, Colombo 07.
All are welcome.
Copyright © 2015 SAARC Cultural Centre. All Rights Reserved.
Designed by FANATICZINE
