Thaindian News

New Delhi, Oct 13 (IANS) The legacy of the Nobel will tour India in a five-city roadshow Oct 15-23 with 25 events showcasing the culture, art and spirit of innovation associated with the prestigious prize. A feast for the eyes will be the Nobel menu illustrations.

The Nobel Memorial Week themed on Creativity and Innovation will tour five cities of India - New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune.

“For five years now, the embassy of Sweden, together with a number of partner companies, has organised this week annually. It showcases the values Sweden stands for and has not just grown stronger every year but has taken a more definitive shape over the years too,” Ambassador Lars Olof Lindgren told IANS.

“This year’s theme is ‘Creativity for Innovation and Development’. I hope that this year’s theme will contribute to further cooperation in stimulating creativity to the benefit of both our countries,” he said.

The Nobel Memorial Wall - a collage post of Nobel memorabilia - will bring the history of the prize to the common people in the capital in a five-day public exhibition at Rajiv Chowk from Oct 17.

A competitive showcase of installations by schoolchildren from five Indian metros, “Swedish Innovation, Indian Interpretation: An Art Competition in 3D” and an exhibition of “Nobel Menu Illustrations” will open at the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society in the capital simultaneously Oct 17.

The exhibits have been shortlisted by a five-member jury of curator Alka Pande, gallerist Rahul Bhattacharya, filmmaker Ayesha Sood and Ambassador Lindgren.

The exhibition of the Nobel Menu Illustrations - each a work of art - is coming to India for the first time, a spokesperson for the embassy of Sweden said.

The Nobel banquet is an event many would give a fortune to attend, the spokesperson said. But the history of banquet says only 1,300 guests can be seated at the Blue Hall of the City Hall of Stockholm where the banquet has been hosted since 1934.

During the first two decades, ‘consommes’ or clear soups like ‘Tortue Claire’ were common starters. Today, the spread has expanded to sea food, a variety of meat, including wild game, served with mushrooms and berries from the forests of Scandinavia. Every banquet has a theme.

The menus were fashioned in French from 1901 to 2004, but were translated in English and Swedish in 2005.

In September each year, three menus suggested by chefs with impeccable international credentials are presented to the Nobel Foundation for tasting.

The selected menu is then kept secret until the actual day of the Nobel Banquet.

A paid dinner Oct 22, “Dine Like a Nobel Laureate”, at the Park Hotel will treat guests to selected Nobel delicacies by leading Swedish chef Mark Phoenix.

The Swedish Trade Council is partnering the week for the first time to focus on creativity in business.