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Arts, Ideas & Diversity Comes Together At The Indian Summer Festival 2013
Canada’s celebrated chef, Vikram Vij will launch the start of Vancouver’s hottest annual Indian Summer Festival that features musicians, chefs, authors, top performers, and practitioners who are paired with their Canadian counterparts. For ten days, this festival celebrates arts, diversity, and culture with a touch of South Asian flair intermingled with international talent. The festival will be held in Downtown Vancouver every July and will be held between July 4 to July 13, 2013 at SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts with various events held around the Lower Mainland.
Chef Vikram Vij at his restaurant
The first day of the festival will be held at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden on 578 Carrall Street, Vancouver on July 4th at 7:30 p.m. Known as the gastronomic guru, celebrity chef Vikram Vij will curate a culinary tour of South Asia where visitors can attend multiple culinary food stations hosted by Vancouver-based South Asian restaurants and can wet their appetites with fine beverages and including award-winning Volcanic Hills and Kalala wines. The countries featured in the tour are Nepal (Café Kathmandu), India (Vij’s), Bangladesh (Atithi), and Persian/Afgani (East is East).
Vij’s food philosophy, his expertise, and successful numerous cookbooks makes him one of Canada’s most beloved chefs. In an interview with Toronto Sun, he said, “Our food philosophy has always been to keep our spices and cooking techniques Indian—from all regions of India — while using meats, seafood and produce that are locally available.” He actively supports the sustainable food industry and is an active member of the Chef’s Table Society at B.C, which is an organization, dedicated to supporting innovative and sustainable food programs.
Indian cinema icon and humanitarian Shabana Azmi will make a rare Vancouver appearance. Ms. Azmi will speak on her life and work in cinema and activism, focusing on the attitudes towards women on screen and in society. She will be in conversation with Indian producer Sanjoy Roy, Managing Director of Teamwork Films.
CBC News Vancouver’s meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe will broadcast the opening gala live and it will feature live performances by internationally-known band, Rajasthan Josh and percussionist/DJ/beat-boxer Rup Sidhu. Vikram Vij is a regular presence at the Indian summer festival and has been an important part since the festival’s inception and its fabric. He has been honored both internationally and nationally and featured in Anthony Bourdain’s famous show on Travel Channel – No Reservations. Vij’s wife, Meeru Dhalwala and him are co-owners of award-winning restaurant’s Vij’s and Rangoli in Vancouver. Although he was born in India, he has lived in Amritsar and Bombay. He was also featured as a guest on Top Chef Canada, Cityline, and The Marilyn Denis Show.
Deepa Mehta occupies a unique place in the Canadian film landscape. She works across geographic boundaries and genres, combining an ease in her medium with experimentation. Jeet Thayil is a poet, novelist, librettist and musician. He switches between registers and countries – he was born in India, grew up in Hong Kong and the US.
Rajasthan Josh is a band of collective musicians and dancers perform a fusion of Northwestern desert folk traditional dances combined with Sufi and Punjabi music. They use numerous instruments such as Morchang (the mouth harp), Bhapang Kartaal (castanets), double flute, Nagadha (drums), and Bamboo flute. Their unique style is a combination of Sufi vocals, bhajans, and well-known Rajasthani songs that will electrify the opening gala. It is their first performance in Vancouver and they will be joined throughout the festival with other Vancouver-based musicians like Tarun Nayar from Delhi2Dublin, percussionist Ashwin Sood, and beatboxer/mixer Rup Sidhu.
Do not miss this great event!
Image & Source: Indian Food Festival Official Website, Toronto Sun, and Facebook
Feature Image: Indian Food Festival Facebook Page
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