Indian Heritage Centre Digital CultureFest 2020

The Indian Heritage Centre’s (IHC) first digital edition of IHC CultureFest showcases the diversity of Indian arts, culture and heritage in Singapore through the lens of the epic literary work Ramayana.

IHC CultureFest 2020 Image credit: Indian Heritage Centre

The eclectic line-up of online programmes includes cultural performances, panel discussions, workshops, storytelling sessions and cooking demonstrations. They will explore a wide variety of Indian art and culture forms and their influences, bound by common values and themes.

IHC CultureFest 2020: Digital Edition will take place from Saturday, 5 to 20 September 2020, and its programmes can be enjoyed for free online at IHC’s Facebook page and website.

IHC CultureFest 2020’s more than 40 programmes, which include performances, demonstrations and workshops, will be spread across 5 to 20 September, with new programmes introduced every week to keep festival-goers coming back.

To make it easier for audiences to catch a daily dose of culture, bite-sized videos will be posted on the IHC Facebook page every weekday, with Lunchtime Culture Bites at 1pm and a Daily Cultural Showcase at 6pm. Special programmes will be uploaded on weekends.

IHC CultureFest2020 Youth Contemporary Showcase Image credit: Indian Heritage Centre

Headlining this year’s IHC CultureFest are both traditional and contemporary performances by local artists and groups – all inspired by the Ramayana. Kicking off the festival on 5 September is Sita, a dance production of the celebrated Indian artist Raja Ravi Varma’s Ramayana paintings, brought to life by Apsaras Arts, a recipient of NHB’s The Stewards of Singapore’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Award.

Other highlights include a retelling of the story of the Ramayana by Singaporean storyteller Kamini Ramachandran through a six-part series of illustrations by local artist Yip Yew Chong and a community youth showcase that combines the traditional art forms of kalaripayattu, silambam, bharatanatyam, kathak, traditional yoga and veenai to reenact a key portion of the Ramayana.

In addition to these performances, interactive programming and workshops will also introduce the values of Ramayana to audiences of all ages. For example, Ramayana: A Dance-telling session told through Puppetry and Craft will tell the tale of the Ramayana by getting audiences to dance and create their own characters through a blended approach of storytelling, performing arts and craft.

Join Chef Devagi Sanmugam as she prepares an epic three-course meal with a traditional drink.

IHC CultureFest 2020 Chef Devagi Cooking Demonstration Image credit: Indian Heritage Centre

In the Madhubani Art Workshop, participants will be able to create a piece of Ramayana-themed madhubani pen art and learn more about the history of this traditional folk art, which is often created as a decoration for events such as weddings, harvests and festivals.

To complement the offerings online, IHC will also be staging a Madhubani Traditional Folk Art display at the centre’s lobby. Visitors can experience the traditional Indian art form of madhubani through a series of paintings that narrate the story of the Ramayana through eye-catching geometrical patterns.

They can also try their hands at this intricate art form through a special madhubani community art wall on weekends. There will also be special edition IHC CultureFest guided tours of the galleries for festival-goers to sign up for.

To enjoy IHC CultureFest programmes, please visit IHC’s Facebook page or website.

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