The long history that India and South Africa share is being explored in the month-long Shared Histories festival, running concurrently with Arts Alive.

INDIAN culture comes to South Africa in the Shared Histories: Celebrating India in South Africa experience - and it's Joburg's turn from next week; the festival will be in the city for a whole month.

Part of Joburg's month-long Arts Alive festival, India shares some of its long history with South Africa at various venues throughout the town, ranging from good eating and good conversation, to great dance, movies, theatre, music and art. 

It kicks off on Monday, 1 September with a week of Goan cuisine at Le Canard Restaurant in Morningside. Goan cuisine is Hindu cooking, combining coconut milk, vegetables and fish. Already Friday, Saturday and Sunday next week are fully booked, so you better hurry if you want a table. 

World music band Indian Ocean will be playing at the Blues Room in Sandton on 5 and 6 September, and at Jazz on the Lake on 7 September. On 9 September the band gives a free concert at The Arena at the University of Johannesburg's Soweto campus. Entrance at the Blues Room is R60, while the concert on the lake is free. 

Indian Ocean captures an eclectic mix of musical genres and influences from around the world, says the press statement. "The music is innovatively composed allowing the spontaneity of improvisation to change direction and move mind, body and soul into new territories. It is an experience that captures the essence of an India that is spiritual and worldly, rhythmical and magical." 

The Bollywood Love Story, a musical, will be performed at the Market Theatre in Newtown from 4 to 14 September. It recently toured Germany and received rave reviews while playing to capacity audiences. It's performed by the Indian Theatre Company. Shows are at 3pm and 8pm, and tickets range from R60 to R100. 

Literature
From 15 to 17 September you can tune into India and South Africa talking literature at the Origins Centre. Hear Nadine Gordimer, Achille Mbembe, Luli Callinicos, Mark Gevisser, Xolela Mangcu and Antjie Krog chat to Pavan K Varma, Urvashi Bhutalia and Nayantara Sahgal, among others. 

The Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company will be staging Uncharted Seas at the Dance Factory on 16 and 17 September. It is billed as "exquisite Indian dance couples, great virtuosity with playful emotion and expression". 

Mangaldas says of the production: "The search for the intangible, may we call it God, truth, beauty, love or freedom, is the essence of Uncharted Seas. Though each piece stands alone, it is actually the entire production viewed in its entirety that tries to capture the essence of ‘Search.'" 

The Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company will be staging Uncharted Seas at the Dance Factory on 16 and 17 September

More dance comes in the form of the Janak Khendry Dance Company's Gayatri at the Theatre on the Square on 5 October. 

The Concert for Freedom with Dr L Subramaniam, a violin virtuoso, will be staged at the Bassline on 26 and 27 September, and at the Linder Auditorium on 28 September. 

Also look out for The Indigo Story, an exhibition of indigo textiles and crafts at the Sandton Civic Art Centre, from 5 September to 5 October. The exhibition focuses on the Champaran Struggle, the first unified non-violent uprising which led to India's Independence, says curator Anjana Somany. "Indigo is desirable for its beauty and its therapeutic and eco-friendly qualities. The display section will include antique and contemporary exhibits of textiles and products of different materials, both national and international." 

Old and new textiles, and wood and paper will also be exhibited, as well as contemporary work from all over the world. 

Satyagraha
At the same venue you'll see Satyagraha, Contemporary Indian Visual Art. 

"The notions of Satyagraha and peaceful non-violence are increasingly relevant in a world where terrorism has become a reality," says curator Dr Alka Pande. The exhibition will interrogate the notions of Mahatma Gandhi's Satyagraha and non-violence through the works of contemporary Indian artists Arpana Kaur, Bulbul Sharma, Satish Gupta, Yusuf Arakkal, Satish Gujral and others. 

Inner Voices, an exhibition of photographs by Haran Kumar, will also be showcased at the same venue. The central theme of the exhibition is street life, says curator Pande, exhibiting the work of Kumar and Vicky Roy, two photographers who have won leading awards in India and abroad. The exhibition will travel through townships and is part of a workshop programme with young people in association with the J&J Foundation and the Mandela Youth Centre. 

The centre is open daily from 11am to 5pm and entrance is free. 

From 12 to 21 September you can see a retrospective of some of the most popular films of actor and director Amir Khan at Nu Metro cinemas at Montecasino. Some of the titles include Rangeela, Ghulam, Lagaan, Sarfarosh, Raakh, and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander. 

Tickets for all the shows are available from Computicket on 083 915 8000 or through its website.

 Related stories:

• Arts Alive 2008
• Shared Histories: the Indian experience in South Africa