Yatra: Opera Recital by Aastha Mohapatra 
Accompanied on Piano by Anuvrat Choudhary

A voyage through the sanctuaries of dreams and memory. Spanning five languages and multiple eras, the program features monumental works by Verdi, Mahler, Schubert, Puccini, and Rachmaninoff, alongside songs from the east.  
Aastha Mohapatra, an operatic soprano based in New Delhi. Disciple of late Situ Singh Buehler and Prof Jennifer Hamilton at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire, London. She is currently working with opera singer and voice coach Adrienne Chandok. 
Anuvrat Choudhary, pianist, has performed at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai. Tata Scholar, he is also a recipient of a bursary from the Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation for his Master’s in Music.
 

Carnatic Vocal Recital

By T K Ramachandran from Delhi, disciple of Sangeetha Kalanidhi Shri T.K Govinda Rao & Kalaimamani Chitravina Shri N. Narasimhan
Accompanists: Delhi R Sridhar (Violin) & M V Chander Sekhar (Mridangam)

At 19:00 
Bharatanatyam Recital

By Sathvikaa Shankar from Chennai, disciple of Guru Smt. Anitha Guha  
 

SUMMER SONATA – A FESTIVAL OF OPERA, BALLET AND CONCERT FILMS 
Curated and Introduced by Sunit Tandon

OPERA
Giacomo Puccini: La Bohème
Opera in four acts
(136 min; 2008; dvd; English subtitles)

From the Metropolitan Opera, New York, with Angela Gheorghiu (Mimì); Ainhoa Arteta (Musetta); Ramón Vargas (Rodolfo); Ludovic Tézier (Marcello); Quinn Kelsey (Schaunard); Oren Gradus (Colline); Paul Plishka (Benoit and Alcindoro); etc.

The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Chorus Master: Donald Palumbo
Conductor: Nicola Luisotti
Production: Franco Zeffirelli
Set Designer: Franco Zeffirelli
Costume Designer: Peter J. Hall
Lighting Designer: Gil Wechsler
Director: Gary Halvorson
Host: Renée Fleming

One of the most often performed and popular of all operas, La Bohème follows four poor, young bohemians living in 1830s Paris and is centred on the romance between the poet Rodolfo and the seamstress Mimì. They fall in love, but their relationship struggles due to poverty and Mimì’s fatal tuberculosis. Despite brief separations, they reunite before she dies in Rodolfo's arms.

All this is captured spectacularly in this highly-acclaimed, grand production for the Metropolitan Opera by the late Franco Zeffirelli.
 

TUESDAY 12

SUMMER SONATA – A FESTIVAL OF OPERA, BALLET AND CONCERT FILMS 
 

Curated and Introduced by Sunit Tandon

BALLET
Ferdinand Hérold / John Lanchbery: La Fille Mal Gardée
(The Wayward Daughter)
Comic Ballet in two acts and three scenes
(108 min; 2005 dvd)

From the Royal Ballet, London, with William Tuckett (Widow Simone, a rich farmer); Marianela Nuñez (Lise, her daughter); Carlos Acosta (Colas, a young farmer in love with Lise); David Drew (Thomas, a prosperous vineyard owner); Jonathan Howells (Alain, his son); Giacomo Ciriaci (Cockerel); etc.

Choreography: Frederick Ashton
Music: Ferdinand Hérold
Adapted and arranged by: John Lanchbery
Scenario: Jean Dauberval
Designs: Osbert Lancaster
Lighting: John B. Read
Staging: Alexander Grant assisted by Christopher Carr
Directed for the Screen by: Ross MacGibbon
Orchestra of The Royal Opera House
Associate Concert Master: Sergey Levitin
Conductor: Anthony Twiner

La Fille Mal Gardée ("The Wayward Daughter") is a joyful, pastoral comic ballet, first created by Jean Dauberval in 1789. The most popular version, choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton for The Royal Ballet in 1960, is known for its technical brilliance, colourful countryside setting, and affectionate humour, featuring famous scenes like the clog dance and ribbon dance.

The story follows Lise, a village maiden in love with a poor farmer Colas, who contrives to outwit her mother, the Widow Simone, who tries to marry her off to the wealthy but simpleton son of a vineyard owner.
 

Kathak Recital

By Rupa Rani Das Borah from Delhi, disciple of Guru Late Surendra Saikia 
Accompanists:  Madho Prasad (Vocal); Rajeev Shukla (Tabla) & Ghanshyam Shisodiya (Sarangi)

At 19:00

Odissi Recital

By Priyanka Jena from Cuttack, disciple of Guru Meera Das  
 

In Memory of Ustad Nasir Zahiruddin Dagar
 

A tribute by students of Ustad F. Wasifuddin Dagar. Shri Santosh Kumar; Shri Pramathesh Ambasta; Shri Aravindan Srinivasan; Smt Sucheta Roy; Sushri Aparajita Chakraborty
Followed by a vocal concert at 19:30 by Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar with Pandit Mohan Shyam Sharma on the pakhawaj
 

(Collaboration: Dagar Brothers Memorial Trust)

 

Lusophone Film Festival

O Voo do Crocodilo – O Timor de Ruy Cinatti (The Flight of The Crocodile) - (Timor-Leste)

(71 minutes;2024; Portuguese)

Director:  Fernando Vendrell

A documentary on Portuguese poet and anthropologist Ruy Cinatti, capturing his profound connection with Timor-Leste, its people, and traditions, through archival footage and writings that reflect a period of cultural and historical transition.

At 16:41

O Que Podem as Palavras (What Words Can Do) – (Portugal)

(76 minutes;2022; Portuguese)

Director:  Luísa Marinho and Luísa Sequeira

This documentary offers an intimate portrait of the “Three Marias”—Maria Isabel Barreno, Maria Teresa Horta, and Maria Velho da Costa—whose ground breaking 1972 work New Portuguese Letters challenged social norms and censorship under Portugal’s dictatorship. Through archival material and testimonies, the film reflects on the power of words as acts of resistance and transformation.

At 18:17

As Primeiras (The First Women) – (Brazil)

(78 minutes;2024; Portuguese)

Director:  Adriana Yañez

This documentary follows a group of women now in their sixties who share a remarkable past as pioneers of Brazil’s first women’s football team. Through their memories and experiences, the film reflects on resilience, friendship, and the challenges they faced in breaking gender barriers in sport.

At 19:35

Orlando Pantera (Orlando Pantera) – (Cape Verde)

(80 minutes;2025; Portuguese)

Director:  Catarina Alves Costa

This documentary revisits the life and legacy of Cape Verdean musician Orlando Pantera, whose promising career was cut short at the age of 33. Through archival material, music, and testimonies, the film reconstructs his artistic journey and celebrates his enduring influence on Cape Verde’s musical identity.

Celebrate World Portuguese Language Day with a curated screening of films from across the Portuguese-speaking world.

(Collaboration: Portuguese Embassy Cultural Centre)
 

Lusophone Film Festival

Opening Remarks followed by a Presentation of the Poetry book by Domingos Raul

At 18:50

Vou Mudar a Cozinha -The Kitchen- (Angola)

(30 minutes;2022; Portuguese)

Director:  Ondjaki

Set in the aftermath of the Angolan Civil War, the film reflects on the lingering impact of conflict through the life of a young widow. As the camera quietly moves through the rooms of her home, capturing everyday objects and moments, she recounts—through a poetic monologue—how the war came to inhabit her family’s life.

At 19:20

As Noites Ainda Cheiram a Pólvora - The Nights Still Smell of Gunpowder- (Mozambique)

(93 minutes; 2024; Portuguese)

Director:  Inadelso Cossa

Revisiting a childhood shaped by conflict, the film follows a man returning to his grandparents’ village in Mozambique, where he once lived during the civil war. Through memory and reflection, it traces how his grandmother shielded him from the violence, evoking a deeply personal account of resilience, loss, and the lingering echoes of war.

(Collaboration: Portuguese Embassy Cultural Centre)

Kamalini Samārādhanam
 

Smt. Kamalini Nagarajan Dutt, a pioneer in intangible heritage archiving, creating the Doordarshan Central Archives and also a reputed dancer, choreographer, guru, scholar, television producer and mentor to many. This programme is a tribute to her enduring legacy on the first anniversary of her passing.

Choreographies mentored by Kamalini Nagarajan Dutt and performed by Guru Sharon Lowen, Hemanta Kumar Kalita, Divya Goswami and Dr. S.Vasudevan of Manasa-Art Without Frontiers Dancers

(Collaboration: Manasa-Art Without Frontiers Dancers)
 

Manipuri Workshop: Yangshak Movement; In continuation

Facilitator: Surjit Nongmeikapam, choreographer and contemporary performing artist

Open to dancers of all classical styles

C.D. Deshmukh Auditorium

At 16:00

AI & Dance: Challenges and Opportunities
Curator; Dr Anita Ratnam, Artpreneur and SNA Awardee

Keynote Speaker: Madhu Nataraj, Director, STEM Dance Kampni, Bangalore

At 18:30 Young Dancers Festival

Odissi Recital

By Vrinda Chadha, New Delhi

At 19:45
Kuchipudi recital

By Avijit Das, Bengaluru