INDO-AMERICAN ARTS COUNCIL
118 East 25th St.,3rd floor, NYC 10010
Ph:212 529 2345 Fax:212 477 4106

December 18, 2003

For Immediate Release
Contact: Paula Mallino @ 646-312-4089
Zane Berzins @ 212-802-2881

BARUCH PERFORMING ARTS CENTER in Co-production with
the INDO-AMERICAN ARTS COUNCIL
Announces its
First Gala Event: MELA: A SOUTH ASIAN FESTIVAL
Theatre, Dance, Music, Film & Comedy
January 21 - February 15, 2003

Baruch Performing Arts Center, in its inaugural year presents MELA: A SOUTH ASIAN FESTIVAL, in co-production with the INDO-AMERICAN ARTS COUNCIL. The celebratory fair highlights South Asian performing arts in our Western culture: theatre, dance, music, film and leading South Asian stand-up comedians, January 22 - February 15, 2004. MELA, meaning "fair" in Hindi, will showcase performing and visual arts that include new works and classics:

THEATRE: KALIGHAT. Cultures clash at Kalighat, Mother Teresa's first home for the dying in Calcutta. KALIGHAT tells of Westerners who discover themselves and their role in a turbulent world. With a cast of 23, KALIGHAT dramatizes the work of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity, and seeks to build a bridge of understanding between cultures. The powerful new drama merges current Euro-American theater styles, politics and spiritual/religious perspectives with the traditions of South Asia.

DANCE: NAYIKAS is New York's first and only resident classical Indian Odissi dance theater company, creating innovative and cutting-edge theatrical dance pieces. Myna Mukherjee's choreography for Nayikas gives traditional Odissi an urban and contemporary flair, privileging voices of often-neglected women protagonists in Indian mythology. Odissi is the oldest dance form in India, dating back to the second century BC. The current repertoire, "Samita," explores themes of feminine divinity, sexuality and humanity.

MUSIC: CLASSICAL INDIAN MUSIC, a medley of vibrant and rich classical melodies from India. The program features ragas (classical Indian melodic compositions), bhajans (devotionals) and ghazals (lyrical music) performed by celebrated North Indian classical singer Marina Alam, a disciple of Pandit Jasraj.

INDIAN FUSION & JAZZ, features talented musicians who come together to reflect the South Asian Diaspora, combining Indian classical, folk , jazz and other modern musical forms. Isheeta Ganguly, Athul Prashar, Neil Dave & Ravi Sukhnandan draw on the best of both worlds, blending the melodic and rhythmic richness of Western and Indian musical traditions.

"THE FILMS OF SATYAJIT RAY," celebrates the work of one of the twentieth century's greatest filmmakers. Some film historians call Ray the greatest filmmaker in
the second half of the twentieth century. Satyajit Ray, the director of some 37 films was honored with a special lifetime achievement Academy Award in March 1992, just a few weeks before he passed away. The series will debut newly restored films, which have been generously restored at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Archives (AMPASA) in Beverly Hills, CA. The six-film series will be accompanied by a lecture presentation on Mr. Ray. Scheduled films include the Apu Trilogy: Pather Panchali, Aparajito and Apur Sansar; Charulatta, Abhijan, and Kanchanjang (not restored). A panel discussion will be held on February 6th with special guest speakers TBA.

COMEDY: "LAFF-O-RAMA: A NIGHT OF SOUTH ASIAN STAND-UP COMEDY,"
featuring Shazia Mirza, Vidur Kapur and Vijai Nathan, among others. An evening of cutting edge comedy by groundbreaking South Asian comics who tackle issues of identity, racism and immigration through humor. Ms. Mirza, UK's only female Muslim comic, will soon be profiled on the TV news program "60 Minutes." Mr. Kapur has been getting international attention with his edgy and urban comedy that focuses on his experiences as a gay Indian immigrant. Ms. Nathan's irreverent humor springs from her experiences of growing up as a "foreigner" in America, despite the fact she was born and raised in a suburb of Washington D.C. Presented in association with Sholay Productions.

Baruch Performing Arts Center (BPAC) is a new state-of-the-art performance center at Baruch College. Baruch, known for its emphasis on Business, also infuses art into the curriculum, college life and the community. Broadening student and community experiences, BPAC emphasizes creative and critical problem solving, a key tool in business, as well as, personal life situations.

Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) supports all the artistic disciplines in classical, fusion, folk and innovative forms influenced by the arts of India. IAAC works cooperatively with colleagues around the United States to broaden its collective audiences and to create a network for shared information, resources and funding. The focus is to help artists and art organizations in North America, as well as, to facilitate artists from India to exhibit, perform and produce their work here.

Baruch Performing Arts Center at Baruch College 23rd - 25th Streets and Lexington.
BPAC general Information line (646) 312-4085

Schedule of Performances:

Kalighat - Theatre
Tuesday - Fridays at 7PM, Saturdays at 2 & 8PM, Sundays at 3PM for the following:
January 21 - 25, 2004 (OPENING NIGHT GALA PERFORMANCE JAN 21 AT 7 PM)
January 30 - February 6, 2004
February 10 - 15, 2004
No performance Thursday, February 12, 2004.
Tickets: General Admission $19; Student /seniors $15; Baruch ID holders $12.
GALA OPENING NIGHT BENEFIT TIX: $100
www.smarttix.com or call (212) 868-4444. General Info (646) 312-4085.
Theatre: Nagelberg Theatre. 25th St & Lexington. Entrance 25th Street.

NAYIKAS - Dance
Sun - Thurs, Jan 27 - 29 at 8PM
Sat - Mon, Feb 7 -9 at 8PM
Tickets: General Admission $25; Students/Seniors $18; Baruch ID Holders $15.
www.smarttix.com or call (212) 868-4444. General Info (646) 312-4085.
Theatre: Nagelberg Theatre. 25th St & Lexington. Entrance 25th Street.

INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC EVENT
Monday, January 26 at 8PM

INDIAN FUSION AND JAZZ NIGHT
Monday, February 2 at 8PM
Tickets: General $15. Student/senior citizens $10. Baruch ID Holders $8.
www.smarttix.com or call (212) 868-4444. General Info (646) 312-4085.
Theatre: Engelman Recital Hall - 25th St & Lexington. Entrance 25th Street.

"THE FILMS OF SATYAJIT RAY"
February 6 at 7PM Documentary on Satyajit Ray. 8PM, panel discussion on
Mr. Ray. Special guest speaker Vibhuti Patel.

February 7: The Apu Trilogy: Pathar Panchali @ Noon; Aparajito @ 3:30PM; Lecture presentation "Cinema of Satyajit Ray," @ 6:30PM ; Apur Sansar @ 8PM.

February 8: Charulatta 1PM; Abhijan @ 4:30PM; Kanchanjanga @ 8PM
Tickets: $10 www.smarttix.com or call (212) 868-4444. General Info (646) 312-4085.
There is no charge for the panel discussion or the lecture talk.
Theatre: Baruch Performing Arts Center, Mason Hall - 17 Lexington Ave @ 23rd St.

"LAFF-O-RAMA: A NIGHT OF SOUTH ASIAN STAND-UP COMEDY,"
Thursday, February 5 at 8:30PM
Tickets: General $10. Baruch Student ID holders $7.
Theatre: Baruch Performing Arts Center, Mason Hall - 17 Lexington Ave @ 23rd St.

For additional information, please visit the following websites:
Baruch Performing Arts Center http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/bpac
Indo-American Arts Center http://

hag gbg