British Council, the UK’s international organization for educational opportunities and cultural relations, celebrated 70 years of its association with Mumbai through a cultural extravaganza, yesterday. The event was hosted in the plush settings of Verbena Sky Garden located at the Kamla Mill Compound.
As part of the celebrations, the British Council announced the launch of three events, 70 words of Indian origin that are a part of the Oxford English Dictionary, Mumbai Music Week and the Howard Hodgkin Exhibition.
The British Council has worked to connect with people from Mumbai and the UK through arts, sports, and education. While knowledge of English language has played an integral role in helping young people from Maharashtra and across India to explore growth opportunities within the country and across the world, the focus of 70 words of Indian origin signifies the great influence India and its various languages have had on the English language.
Several Marathi-inspired words such as bhelpuri, palanquin (palki’), tank (tanki) Doolally (Deolali military camp) Mongoose (mungus) have been added to the dictionary, reflecting the long historical and cultural connections between India and UK.
On the occasion, Alan Gemmell OBE, Director India, British Council said, “There are many points of connection in which people, ideas, language, goods, and services have moved between Britain and India over the centuries. The British Council has been one such point and as we celebrate our 70th year, we are proud to say that we have been inspired by India every day of those 70 years and hope that in a small way, we inspire young people in both our countries to imagine what the next 70 years could be.”
He further added “ The British Council is offering scholarships to Indian students for academic exchange programme in the UK (United Kingdom) universities. Students from across the country and in recently many female students from the North Eastern states have won scholarships at UK Universities.”
Currently, over 40 UK universities offer academic exchange programme.
The Howards Hodgkin Exhibition was announced at the Prince of Wales Museum, now renamed as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sanghralay (CSMVS). This exhibition is inspired by the mural commissioned on the renowned, late Indian Architect Charles Correa’s British Council Delhi Building. The work was created by the late UK artist Howard Hodgkin, considered one of the greatest British painters of his time and has inspired the visual identity for the British Council’s 70th-anniversary celebrations.
The 70th-anniversary celebration also includes a music culture ‘confluence’ which will include conferences, workshops, performances, and social events by leading individuals belonging to the music industry in India and UK. Selector Pro is the British Council’s leading music conference and skill building platform coming to India for the first time. It aspires to provide training and support for developing Indian Musicians, managers, and journalists and share professional expertise and showcase new talent from the UK. “We are delighted to partner with Homegrown for the launch of the ‘Selector Pro’, which will be officially launched at Mumbai Music Week in January 2019 and we hope to build cultural skills and connect people through access to creativity,” said Helen Silvester, Director-West India, British Council.
The event concluded with a visit to the Flea Cafe, where a special event was hosted by the Homegrown team in collaboration with the British Council. Varun Patra – CMO & Co-founder, Homegrown – “We are excited to partner with British Council on our new property Mumbai Music Week and bring Selector Pro in all its glory to India for the first time. This collaboration kicks off with a showcase at the Dharavi Project. We looking to having the best of the music industry from both the countries coming together over 3 days at the Mumbai Music Week”.
- British Council celebrates its 70th anniversary with 70 English words of Indian origin that are a part of the Oxford English Dictionary
- The launch of Selector Pro and Mumbai Music Week
- Howard Hodgkin Exhibition
LIFESTYLES OF MUMBAI 