India’s Cultural Diversity in a Journey Across Five Cities – Confluence: Festival of India in Australia 2018 Set to Kick off from October 26 In Perth

From Friday 26 October 2018, the third chapter of Confluence: Festival of India in Australia will touch down in Perth to commence its six-week journey across five cities. Once again, the festival will travel across the nation leaving in its trails a colourful and collaborative tapestry of arts and culture. This year, residents of Adelaide, Brisbane, Bundaberg, Melbourne and Perth will witness the very best of Indian culture in both a contemporary and classical context. Across these five cities, Confluence will showcase a diverse spectrum of arts including dance, theatre, literature, and well-being practices.

Confluence: Festival of India in Australia is a recognition and celebration of India and Australia’s rapidly advancing bilateral relationship. It represents a meeting point, one that sees the convergence of ideas, arts, cultures, and civilizations. The festival is focused on highlighting this incredible tie through artistic demonstration, the convergence of Indian and Australian culture in a way that has never been seen before, and in a way that provides attendees with truly unforgettable experiences.

"Confluence, incorporating the dynamism and vitality of the Indian subcontinent, manifesting in its science and technology, trade & commerce, education and sports, would attempt to merge the Australian aesthetics with the Indian cultural efflorescence in Australia and I am sure, leave a deep imprint on the audience here. I hope the spirit of the Festival will transcend into the vital people-to-people bonds of trust and faith, which underwrite the growing interaction between Australia and India.”

His Excellency, Dr. A.M Gondane, High Commissioner of India in Australia

The 2018 program will feature a revitalised line up to deliver an exciting range of new experiences for residents across Australia. Namely, the legendary Grammy award winning percussionist Vidwan Vikku Vinayakram will be performing alongside his sons Selvaganesh and Umashankar, as well as his grandson Swaminathan to form 3G, a celebration of classical Indian music conveyed across three generations of the one family. For music lovers seeking a unique experience, Kabir Café will be bringing their distinctive musical concoction of pop, reggae, rock, folk fusion, and Carnatic influence to Bundaberg, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth. The theatrical component of Confluence 2018 will be headed by the wonderfully quirky Elephant in the Room, which reinterprets the mythological narrative of the young boy, Master Tuck, who mysteriously awakens alone in the forest with the head of an elephant.

In addition to the new artists and performers, Confluence will also be returning with several fan favourites from previous editions of the festival. Those looking to immerse themselves in Indian culture with a hands-on experience can look forward to Gilles Chuyen’s Bollywood Workshop, which will be returning this year with the same infectious energy and accessibility that made it a hit in 2017. Also headed by Gilles, the Guided Yoga and Meditation Workshops will take guests on a journey mind and body as he shares the world-renowned techniques and practices of the Karmic Research Centre in New Dehli.

For the first time ever, Confluence will be working in conjunction with OzAsia Festival in Adelaide to deliver JLF Adelaide. An extension of the world’s largest literary festival, Jaipur Literature Festival, JLF Adelaide will feature more than 30 authors, journalists, activists, and literary minds from across the globe who will engage over topics such as politics, economics, sport, magic, travel and cinema, to gender, environment, science, history and arts. OzAsia Festival will also be featuring some of Confluence’s major acts including Kabir Café and 3G.

To view the full program and stay up to date with important festival announcements, visit the website here.

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