Cultural calendar: Art exhibitions, theatre, stand-up comedy, and symphonic shows across India
India's cultural pulse this week stretches from Delhi to Chennai, offering a kaleidoscope of visual, performing and auditory experiences. From intimate portrait exhibitions to a symphonic tribute, the programme showcases the country’s artistic diversity.
At Shridharani Gallery in New Delhi, the group show Every Face Holds a Story—curated by Amrita Kochhar—invites visitors to read identity, memory and imagination across portraiture, abstraction and symbolism.
Comedy finds a conversational edge at Backspace in Ahmedabad, where host Aneri Thakkar leads It’s That Simple, a stand‑up set that turns everyday anxieties about love, work and ageing into unexpected laughs.
Theatre‑dance hybrid Dancing With Dad arrives at the India Habitat Centre, directed by Maneesh Verma. It follows Noor, a neurodivergent boy, and his dancer father, exploring love, parenthood and the fragile ties that bind.
Film lovers can attend the screening of Départ at the Bangalore International Centre, where filmmaker Mrinalini Tewari traces colonial migration and the lingering imprint of French rule on the Malabar Coast.
Finally, Chennai’s SDAT Indoor Stadium hosts Yuvan’s Walking Through The Rainbow — A Symphonic Experience, a lush orchestral reinterpretation of composer Yuvan Shankar Raja’s iconic songs.