Indian Evening

It is almost impossible to sum up Indian literature in a few lines. India’s written heritage dates back to the dawn of history, the Sanskrit hymns and mantras of the Vedas were written at a time when perhaps only a few clay huts were perched upon the hills that would become Rome. After India became independent, it is altogether pointless to talk about uniform Indian literature – for example, Rabindranath Tagore, who became the first non-European Nobel Literary Prize winner in 1913, wrote in Bengali, which is spoken by as many people as the population of entire continental Europe. However, if a phenomenon is too vast and diverse to attempt an exhaustive description, it gives you the freedom to approach the topic from an angle of your choosing and shed light on it. There are many people in Estonian culture whose works have recognisable Indian influences. Mathura’s (1973) experiences of India are reflected in his poetry but he has also translated Indian fiction into Estonian (for example, the Hindi writer Kunwar Narayan). Musician and painter Leho Rubis has taken inspiration from Buddhist culture, playing the bamboo flute bansuri. They both have been invited to HeadRead to share their experiences with India in one way or another, and they are supported by beloved poet Doris Kareva (1958), highly esteemed poet and cultural thinker Hasso Krull (1964) and presenter of the Folgialbum programme on the Klassikaraadio radio station Liina Vainumetsa, and Kyiv-born poet, artist and traveller, advocate for free thought Sergey Solovyov (1958). Solovyov has written 10 books about India. In recent decades, he shares his time between Germany and India. In India, he resides in the wild, in the jungle, where encounters with animals and ancient tribes occur. His performance will include unique images and footage of authentic India.