Anglo-Scapes - the Anglo-Indian community
 'Anglo-Scapes' is conceived by Moonoverstillwater Productions and presented with Anglos in the Wind in association with British Council and Alliance Francaise of Madras.
Anglo-Scapes journeys into the heart of the Anglo-Indian community, celebrating its past and present. Straddling two cultures - the British and the Indian - this is a community which has absorbed and adapted adding its unique contribution to the fabric of Indian society.
Noted writer, Irwin Allan Sealy, will inaugurate Anglo-Scapes on Saturday July 1 at the British Council, Chennai. Sealy will open 'A Slice of Life' an exhibition with rare photographs of historical interest that offers a glimpse into the lifestyle and customs of the Anglo-Indian community. This photo exhibition will be on display from Monday July 3 to Saturday July 15, 2006, at the British Council, Chennai (except Sundays and public holidays). For further information please contact British Council, Chennai at 044 - 4205 0600.
He will also read from his new work 'Red'- the colour of passion, but also rage and pain. The colour of lips and painted nails. Of blood and wine. The heart.
About Allan Sealy
One of India's post-Independence writers, Allan Sealy was born in 1951 in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. After schooling in Lucknow, he attended Delhi University, then studied and worked in the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Now he spends much of his time in Dehra Dun. His eye for place and his evocative descriptions are apparent in all his novels and in his travelogue, From Yukon to Yukatan. Sealy's first novel, 'The Trotter-Nama: A Chronicle', is a tale of seven generations of an Anglo-Indian family. His more recent novel, 'The Everest Hotel: A Calendar', gained him an international following after being short-listed for the Booker Prize in 1998. Allan Sealy has won a number of awards for his writing including the Commonwealth Best Book Award in 1989, Sahitya Akademi Award in 1991 and the Crossword Book Award in 1998. The Library of Congress has four works by him.
About 'Red'
Red: the favoured colour of
Matisse:
A kaleidoscope of colour, billed as an alphabet, and narrated by the nameless 'N' - a writer who lives in the foothills of the Himalayas - Red introduces us first to N's friend,
Zach.
In St Petersburg for a music festival, Zach encounters the red-headed Aline in the Matisse Room at the Hermitage and is immediately bewitched. The A-Z chase that follows leads to India, but no sooner do the principals arrive than other characters appear between the sheets, among them five blackshorts, a gang of soot-smudged, grease-smeared cat burglars; a girl who tends pigs, and wants to keep her man; a gypsy of the pole-vaulter caste, one of the gang, whose wants are few - a stolen picture, a box of paints and a woman - but fateful.
A burning corpse, a thief in the night, a moment of dawning realisation: leading the reader on a dazzling, dizzying dance through the alphabet, and weaving a vivid, vibrant tapestry as rich as anything painted by Matisse, Red is at once a love story and a story about the love of art, about life imitating art, about the end of love - and the end of life.
 Rajiv Krishnan, the founder of
'Moonover still water Productions', a theatre actor, director and independent documentary film-maker based in Chennai, says, "Anglo-Scapes evolved from a discussion that Harry MacLure and I had about adapting the American play 'The Glass Menagerie' into an Anglo-Indian context. After reading it, Harry told me that it resonated with a lot of the experiences and concerns of the Anglo-Indian community in the period immediately following Indian Independence. However, keeping in mind that the play reflected the concerns of a particular family in particular circumstances, we decided to try and put together different events that could reflect the spirit of the Anglo-Indian community."
"So 'Anglo-Scapes' was born, with the theme of 'journeys' and 'celebrating diversity' through a better understanding of the different communities that form an integral part of Indian society. And we have been very lucky to rope in wonderful partners on this journey, both individuals and organisations, who have played a major role in enhancing the cultural life of this city."
 Harry MacLure, the editor of 'Anglos in the Wind', is a writer, illustrator, cartoonist and graphic designer. He edits an international magazine for Anglo-Indians called 'Anglos in the Wind', and runs a design-print studio in
Chennai.
Says Harry, "There are a few scholars who feel that the 400-year old Anglo-Indian community will soon fade away into oblivion. Published theories of this 'eventuality' even show us tidy calculations of when this is going to take place! After launching Anglos in the Wind in 1998, and seeing the overwhelming response from the community worldwide, I believe that Anglo-Indians are alive and dancing. They are here to stay. The youngsters in India are doing well, contributing positively to society in general, and most importantly, they continue to marry within the community, giving us hope and proving the scholars wrong."
In a fortnight-long celebration, through the medium of visual art, literature, film, theatre, a culinary festival and music, Anglo-Scapes offers a platform for discussion, dialogue, entertainment and reflection.
R Rangaraj
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