IIC Festival of the Arts: Day 1 in pictures

The India International Centre's annual Festival of the Arts kicked off its fourteenth edition on 7 October, with a range of activities across the entire spectrum of the arts.

The festival began early, with an intriguing exhibition curated to mark the seventieth anniversary of India-Russia diplomatic ties. Curated by Dr Hari Vasudevan, the exhibition chronicled Russia's first known ties to India, all the way back in the fourteenth century, to the establishment of India's first embassy in Russia in 1947. The exhibition takes often forgotten threads throughout history and weaves them together to create a fantastic window into the history of India's relationship with Russia.

Meanwhile, in IIC's art gallery, an art exhibition titled 'Carrying Roots Around' was getting underway. Curated by Manish Pushkale and organised by the Raza Foundation, the exhibition saw many artists, from Atul Dodiya and Ganesh Haloi to Veer Munshi and Nancy Adajania display some fantastic art playing on the exhibitions theme.

IIC's film festival also received a good response, with an almost packed hall gathering to watch classics from some of the masters of Italian cinema.

The day ended with a phenomenal Bharatanatyam recital on the Fountain Lawns, where Justin McCarthy and his students performed a series of pieces titled 'Where the Streets are Filled With Sandal Paste...' Across the course of an hour and a half, the dancers had the audience mesmerised with their synchronicity, grace and technique.

Here's a glimpse of all the activities from day 1!