Thursday, February 11, 2010

Nehru Centre

Based in South Arlington Street, in the heart of the swanky Mayfair area of West London, the Nehru Centre is part of the Indian High Commission. It is holding part of the Himalaya Festival, including the art works which are predominantly contemporary paintings and just a few good quality photos, several of which aren´t labelled and almost half of them taken in Kathmandu only.

The highlight of the evening visit however is the screening of One Crazy Ride, a documentary by Guarav Jani. Jani and a few motorbike enthusiasts make a road-trip around Arunachal Pradesh, a remote Indian province that borders China. Roads are rough at best and sometimes non-existent.

A trained film-maker, Jani single-handedly not only captures the beauty of the region, but introduces the audience to local tribes-people, his fellow riders (in the full range of emotions that they show)and the "craziness" of undertaking such harsh road-trips. Jani is present at the showing and takes questions from the audience at the end of the screening. Both myself and my companion Airways have seriously itchy feet afterwards.

This is Jani´s 2nd documentary, and there is a screening of his first film, Riding Solo To The Top Of The World which tracks his journey through Ladakh, (my most favourite region in India) at the Rich Mix at 7.15pm on Friday.

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