The fifth edition of The IIC Experience : A Festival of the Arts 2008 will be held  from 16th to 22nd of October 2008. All the cultural performances will be held in the Fountain Lawns, film screenings in the Auditorium and cuisine in the Rose Garden. The venues for the exhibitions are – Baburnama in the Conference Room 1, Carving Stones, Making Legends at the Gandhi-King Plaza and A Musical Journey Through Rajasthan with Komal Kothari at the Art Gallery and Lecture Room, IIC Annexe.

In The IIC Experience, performances held every evening in the Fountain Lawns provide its core.  This year the festival opens on the 16th with a spectacular presentation in Kathak by artists of Kadamb, Ahmedabad, titled Atah Kim choreographed and directed by Kumudini Lakhia, the renowned artist and concludes on 22nd October with a play based on a dialogue between Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore, Stay Yet Awhile presented by Prayog, Delhi, designed and directed by M K Raina.

Other events include Hindustani Classical Vocal Recital – Morning Ragas by the pre-eminent vocalist
Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, (18th Oct), the noted Bharatanatyam dancer, Rama Vaidyanathan’s Choreographic Composition – Kalindi Katha (18th Oct), the haunting music of the Langās and Mangāniyārs who will present a Rajasthani Folk Music (19th Oct) and Carnatic Music Concert by the distinguished vocalist, Bombay Jayashri (21st Oct).

The international events include: Heartbeat – Innovations with the Alphorn by Eliana Burki – a concert presenting the Swiss Alphorn in a repertoire that blends the traditional with contemporary music, funk, pop and jazz (17th Oct), Traditional Hungarian Gypsy Music presented by Parno Graszt Band from Hungary (19th Oct) and a rarely seen theatrical presentation by one of Israel’s leading directors, Ruth Kanner with the show Alternating Perspectives: Three Israeli Stories (20th Oct)

‘You are on Edge’ – Comedy and Thrillers: A Festival of Films presents award winning Indian and foreign films based on the theme of fun, frolic, murders and mysteries.

 The exhibitions to be presented are: Baburnama – An exhibition of select folios of an outstanding artistic heritage of miniature paintings selected from the collections at the National Museum, New Delhi. This exhibition comprises digitized prints of the original paintings of the Baburnama which will be on view in Conference Room 1.
Carving Stories, Making Legends - Featuring the exemplary skills and distinctive wood signatures of the Monpa, Khampti, and Sherdupen of Arunachal Pradesh; the Ao-Naga, Konyak, and Chakhesang of Nagaland. On view in the Gandhi-King Plaza. Musical Journey Through Rajasthan with Komal Kothari (1929-2004), an exhibition from the collection of Rupayan Sansthan, Rajasthan Institute of Folklore, dedicated to the memory of Komal Kothari, founder of the Institute. The exhibition will have a special focus on the musical traditions and instruments of the Langās, Mangāniyārs and Bhopa communities. On display are rarely seen instruments, photographs, films and audio and video recordings of some of the finest practitioners of this art form.

There will also be demonstrations, performances and film screenings during the exhibitions in the Plaza Garden and at the Annexe.

Each evening concludes on a culinary note – Delhi Ka Dastarkhan, From the European Continent, Kashmiri Wazwan, Gujarati Farsan, Magya Vacsora, Plat du Jour, Kerala Sadhya and A Calcutta Food Festival.

Each evening concludes on a culinary note – Winter Food of Delhi, Continental Dinner, Kashmiri Wazwan, Gujarati Farsan, Hungarian Dinner, Mediterranean Dinner, Kerala Sadhya, and the Food of Calcutta.