Indian Consulate Joins Samskriti to Present INCREDIBLE INDIA

HOUSTON: There is a reason for the peacock being the national bird of India. It symbolizes India’s extraordinary and harmonious diversity, in languages, cultural traditions, religions, costumes, songs, dances, and much more. It is this rich and colorful diversity that Samskriti brings to the stage year after year, through its numerous performances.

For the 12th consecutive year Samskriti will be presenting one of its two signature events, INCREDIBLE INDIA (the other being BOLLYWOOD BLAST) on Saturday, August 13, 8.30 PM, at the Miller Outdoor Theatre. What brings greater credibility to this year’s INCREDIBLE INDIA is the collaboration by the Consulate of India in Houston, with the Consul General Anupam Ray at the helm, making this a special celebration of India’s 70th Independence Day. This is the first of its kind, and paves the way for more such harmonious collaborations in the future.

Showcasing not only India’s cultural and artistic diversity but also its inclusivity, INCREDIBLE INDIA will present an interesting array of items to satisfy people with diverse artistic tastes. This year’s roster features Pandit Suman Ghosh’s students from the Center for Indian Classical Music of Houston, Supradipta Datta’s Kalangan School of Odissi, Rathna Kumar’s Anjali Center for Performing Arts, the University of Houston’s winning Roarin’ Raas team, Piyal Sengupta’s Bengali Folk Dance ensemble, and a special appearance by New York’s Battery Dance Company in “The Durga Project”, exemplifying the dualities of destruction and creation and the all-powerful force of creativity. Steeped in both traditions of Western and Indian dance and music, Battery’s artistic director Jonathan Hollander has chosen the theme, music and designers for this ground-breaking production.  Guest artist Unnath H.R., a leading classical dancer of his generation in India, has collaborated with Battery Dance’s brilliant ensemble of dancers, engaging in a symbiotic process.  Raga Durga, as interpreted by the esteemed musicians Rajan & Sajan Mishra, and Garuda’s Dream, produced by Sangita Sounds, form the musical underpinning of the work, laced together by the tabla solos of Samir Chatterjee.

Each of the items reiterates the theme of the show – that India is indeed incredible in so many ways, and we in Houston are fortunate to have a very large pool of local talent that we can share with the community at large. The Miller Outdoor Theatre is the perfect venue for INCREDIBLE INDIA, attracting viewers from all over the city, and Samskriti is the cultural conduit between the East and the West, informing, educating and entertaining audiences through its wide variety of high caliber programs.

INCREDIBLE INDIA takes place on SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 8.30 PM, at the Miller Outdoor Theatre, 6000 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX 77030, and is funded in part by grants from the Texas Commission on the Arts, the City of Houston through the Miller Theatre Advisory Board, and the Consulate of India in Houston. Humtumdesi.com is the media partner.

The event and parking are FREE. For tickets and information, visit www.milleroutdoortheatre.com / www.samskritihouston.org / www.humtumdesi.com , or call 832 275 9658.