Delhi’s IIC Festival of the Arts Celebrates Nature
The India International Centre in New Delhi has announced its 22nd arts festival, featuring dance, music, films, and paintings celebrating nature and ecology.
Get ready for an exciting celebration of creativity and nature in the heart of New Delhi! On 23 October 2026, the India International Centre announced the full programme for the 22nd edition of its grand annual event, ‘The IIC Experience: A Festival of the Arts’. This special IIC festival of the arts will take place over six lively days from 29 October to 3 November 2026.
Children, families, and art lovers can visit different venues across the campus to enjoy colourful performances, rare artworks, and wonderful films. This year’s central theme is ‘Prakriti: Ecology and Existence’, which looks closely at how Mother Nature inspires artists, dancers, musicians, and thinkers across our country.
What happened?
The celebrations begin on 29 October with an art exhibition called ‘Prakriti: Harmonising Inner and Outer Worlds in South Asian Texts and Traditions’. It will be officially inaugurated by Vivek Aggarwal, who is the Secretary of the Ministry of Culture. During the opening, art historian and JNU professor Naman P. Ahuja will give a keynote lecture explaining how ancient Indian traditions included tree worship in art.
On 30 October at 6:30 pm, India International Centre President Shyam Saran will formally launch the main festival. Right after the ceremony, classical dancer Alarmel Valli will present a Bharatanatyam recital titled ‘Scent of the Earth’. Her graceful dance will bring stories of soil, rain, and living landscapes to life on stage.
The festival will also explore serious environmental questions that our planet faces today. Thinkers and creators will examine topics like climate change, biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, and the pressures faced by people working in traditional livelihoods.
Music lovers have plenty to look forward to during the week. The programme features a solo performance by Maa Parvathy Baul, a deep Rudra Veena recital by Ustad Mohi Bahauddin Dagar, and Hindustani classical singing by Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarty.
Art galleries at the centre will display remarkable historical treasures. Visitors can view Company paintings of Indian birds created between 1800 and 1835, along with traditional manuscript heritage from Kerala. One eye-catching piece will be a shiny stainless steel wire sculpture of a tree titled ‘I Am Within You’, created by Lalit Kala National Award winner Dhananjay Singh.
Movie fans will also enjoy a special cinema series called ‘Stories on Screen’, which features 13 films. The screenings include a restored 4K version of the classic film Umrao Jaan, the exciting adventure Jurassic Park, and an Oscar-nominated animated movie called The Red Turtle.
Why does it matter to you?
Art is not just about pretty paintings hanging on a wall; it is a fun way to share how much we care about the living world. Through expressive dance, gentle songs, and creative sculptures, artists help us notice the wonder of trees, birds, and clean water.
Seeing how nature inspires famous painters and musicians can inspire you to observe your own surroundings with fresh curiosity. You might choose to paint a local bird visiting your window, write a poem about rainfall, or think of creative ways to keep your school neighbourhood green.
Words to know
- Ecology: the scientific study of how living creatures, plants, and their environment connect with each other.
- Biodiversity: the wide variety of different plants, animals, and insects living in a natural habitat.
- Degradation: the process of something being harmed, worn down, or damaged over time.
- Rudra Veena: an ancient Indian string instrument with large gourds that creates deep musical notes.
Did you know?
One of the movies in the festival line-up, The Red Turtle, is a world-famous animated film that tells its entire story about nature and survival without a single spoken word!
Think about it
If you were invited to make an artwork about your favourite plant or animal, what materials would you use? How can creative arts like music and dance encourage people to protect the environment?
Quick quiz
What is the chosen theme for the 22nd edition of the IIC festival?
- Prakriti: Ecology and Existence
- Scent of the Earth
- Stories on Screen
See the answer
Prakriti: Ecology and Existence
Sources
This story was prepared by the Kids Gazette news desk with the help of AI research and writing tools, using the sources listed above.
