India Calling, the festival to celebrate Indian culture at Ground Control

After three editions, the festival celebrating Indian culture and traditions returns to Ground Control on April 27 and 28, 2024 ! DiscoverSouth India in all its facets, between past and present, thanks to a wide range of events focusing on cuisine, yoga, spices and many other lesser-known aspects of Tamil culture, in the world's most populous country.

Concerts are also scheduled, as are bharata natyam, kuthu & bollywood dance performances , spice and Indian food stalls, a choreographed workshop with Usha Jey, live cooking with Top Chef's Renaud Ramamourty, a Bollyboom for kids, an exhibition and a fashion show!

• To be read
• Tips for the week of December 30, 2024 - January 5, 2025 in Paris: free or cheap outings

Festival program

Saturday, April 27

• Live painting - 12h-18h
• Stand - Carrom board - 12h-18h

Born over a century ago in India, Carrom or Indian Billiards is a traditional game considered not as a sport but as a cultural practice. Come and enjoy the game!

• Stand - Animation on the benefits of spices & sale of Indian products by Tapovan - 12h-18h

Animation on the benefits of spices in Ayurvedic cooking & sale of chai drinks, Indian snacks, books, CDs, spices...

• Workshop - Maternity Ayurveda - 12:30-13:15 - 5€, registration required

Introductory workshop to Ayurvedic baby massage, an age-old Indian art. The facilitator will explain the benefits of this massage through the exceptional relationship between parents and baby, while teaching the traditional gestures of this ancestral practice.

• Workshop - Foot massage with the Kansu bowl - 1.15pm-2pm - 5€, registration required

Foot massage, performed by a partner using a bowl and ghee, is renowned in ayurveda. It relieves nervousness, anxiety and anger. Come and try it with a partner.

• Cooking workshops - 2pm-3.30pm or 4.30pm-6pm - €25, registration required
• Kuthu dance workshop with Usha Jey - 17h-18h30 - 10€, registration required

Open to all levels, Usha Jey will teach you choreography and immerse you in one of the most vibrant aspects of Tamil culture: Kuthu!

• Karaoke - 7:30-8:15 p.m.

A giant Karaoke to discover the most emblematic songs of Bollywood (Hindi), Kollywood (Tamil) & Tollywood (Telugu) cinema, guided by the SoTamil collective and singer Uma Devi.

• Dance - Kuthu and Bollywood dance performances - 8.45pm-9.15pm - free, registration required

Passion Apsara is an activist dance collective co-founded in 2019 by Vinola. Its aim is to help women express themselves through Tamil dances. Khulfi malaï is an Indian dance troupe that creates Bollywood dances (a mix of classical, folk and traditional dances).

Sunday, April 28

• Yoga class - 12:30-13:30 - €8, on ticket

Developed, practised and then widely disseminated by the Himalayan Sages, subtle body yoga is a system of traditional yogic exercises that work deeply on the whole body. They reinforce vitality in body and mind, and help to achieve the right physical, mental and emotional balance.

• Live cooking & tasting - 1pm-2.30pm - €10, registration required

On the menu: cold payasam, coconut ice cream and caramelized cashew nuts.

• Bollyboom for children with dancers from the Khulfi Malai collective - 3pm-6pm
• Performance of bharata natyam dance - 7pm-7.30pm - free, registration required

Bharata natyam is a classical Indian dance from Tamil Nadu in southern India. It is one of India's oldest traditional dances. A blend of classical dance and martial art, it has been linked to religious practices from its very beginnings.

• Parade: Somewhere between "India" and "France" - 8:30-9:15 p.m. - free, registration required

Bishi, a fashion designer from Thrissur, a town in the province of Kerala, is organizing an exceptional show of his creations for India Calling. The show will feature an original collection of traditional garments, as well as contemporary creations.