British Council initiatives to promote India-UK cultural exchange

Sharath Chowdary

The British Council of India is transforming its library into a cultural convening space by introducing online programmes in its centres across the cities of India including New Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune, Bengaluru and Chennai. Its new Director for India, Alan Gemmell has launched the 2017 UK-India Year of Culture in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

UK-India Year of Culture was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to London in November 2015. The aim of this campaign was to highlight the vibrant cultural history of the two countries and celebrate the best ‘cultural exports’ together.

Alan Gemmell emphasised the need to promote cultural exchange for stronger economic and trade ties between India and the UK. To connect with more young people in the country, ‘Mix the City’ and ‘Mix the Play’ are the two digital programmes initiated by British Council.

‘Mix the City’ platform offers visitors the role of a DJ working with Kutiman’s music recordings, while ‘Mix the Play’ offers audiences the chance to direct one of Shakespeare’s plays. ‘Mix the City’ is already in place while ‘Mix the Play’ will be launched in October, 2016.

The British Council library aims to become an epicentre of cultural activity with regular events and activities for all ages. It will host film clubs, book groups, children activities, workshops, book launches, arts events, performances, debates etc. It will also serve as a hub for partners and visiting UK institutions, Gemmell said.

He further said, “British Council has launched several initiatives across the country to create new linkages between the youth of the two countries. We are enhancing our network of nine centres in India. On an average, around 11,000 young people are coming from India every year to study in the UK. We are offering scholarships to 500 students this year.”

The purpose of the UK-India 2017 Year of Culture is to increase the appreciation of contemporary relationship between both the countries. This will be done through events and projects, both physically and online, with a wider aim to reach out to newer audiences, not restricted to the metropolitan cities alone, he added.