A new full-fledged Indian Cultural Centre (ICC) opened its doors to the public in Kuala Lumpur on 4th November 2009 to showcase India’s rich heritage and promote multilayered cultural exchanges between the peoples of India and Malaysia. The establishment of a the Centre is an important initiative of the Government of India, in keeping with the high priority it attaches to its bilateral relations with Malaysia. It will give India’s cultural presence in Malaysia a major fillip and constitute an important dimension of the friendly partnership between the two countries.

The ICC is the Cultural Wing of the High Commission of India in Kuala Lumpur and has a dedicated Director and support staff. It is administered by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), an autonomous organization of the Ministry of External Affairs of India, which promotes awareness and appreciation of India’s composite cultural heritage abroad.

Located downtown in lively CapSquare, the ICC places itself at the heart of the cultural life of Kuala Lumpur, offering a wide and interesting range of cultural services and performances to its patrons. It is spread over 8000 square feet and houses a multi purpose hall, exhibition gallery, stage, dance studio, music room, yoga hall, library and resource centre. All events at the ICC are free of charge and open to the general public.

The ICC has a well stocked Library and Resource Centre, a Tourism Kiosk and an Education Help Desk. Qualified teachers from India offer classes in Kathak dance, Carnatic vocal music, Tabla, Yoga and Hindi during the week as well as on weekends.

The ICC facilities are open to all persons interested in learning about India and preserving, promoting and enriching Indian culture, values and heritage. In addition to hosting leading artistes and cultural troupes from India, the Centre relies on the large reservoir of accomplished Malaysian exponents of Indian art forms, many of whom have received formal training in India.

The ICC invites artistes, academics, writers and performers to use its premises to showcase their talents and reach out to a wide and discerning audience.

The Centre places special emphasis on working with local cultural organizations promoting Indian culture. It looks upon its work as complementing and supplementing the efforts already being made by cultural organisations in Malaysia to promote Indian art and culture.

The ICC brings out a monthly newsletter with write-ups on events held and profiles of artistes performing at the Centre, as well as announcing forthcoming events and providing other relevant information. The newsletter is emailed to interested persons and institutions all over Malaysia. To register, please send your request to info.icc@indianhighcommission.com.my.

Location of the Indian Cultural Centre

Opening Hours
The Indian Cultural Centre is open Tuesday to Saturday, from 9.30 hrs to 18:00 hrs. Apart from office hours, the Centre is open for scheduled events in the evening.

Address & Contact details

Indian Cultural Centre,
CapSquare Signature Office B (Level 1),
Jalan Munshi Abdullah,
50100 Kuala Lumpur
Telephone: 03- 2691 0437, 03- 2691 0439
Fax: 03- 2691 0436
Email: info.icc@indianhighcommission.com.my

Map Details and Directions

Library and Resource Centre

The Library and Resource Centre at the ICC houses an interesting collection of the latest books on Indian history, polity, economy, art and culture. It has a particularly exciting collection of books on contemporary Indian literature. There is a large reference section with encyclopedias, dictionaries and coffee table books. While the bulk of the books are in English, there are a substantial number of Hindi and Tamil books too. There is a separate Children’s Corner and an Ayush Corner with books on traditional Indian medicine. The library collection is computerized with e-Granthalaya software and has search facility for users.

Readers also have access to Indian newspapers, magazines and journals in the reading room. In addition, the library stocks Hindi movies, Indian music CDs as well as recordings of performances conducted by reputed cultural organizations in Malaysia.

Classes

The ICC conducts classes in five disciplines, viz. Yoga, Kathak dance, Tabla, Carnatic vocal music and Hindi language. The classes are held on weekdays and weekends and candidates can opt for morning, afternoon or lunchtime classes based on their convenience. There is a nominal fee for enrolment and the classes, payable every quarter. Twice a week the teachers conduct outreach programmes where they take their talents to schools, institutions and community centres in order to reach out to the widest possible audience.

Yoga

Yoga is a ‘science of right living’ which seeks to attain physical, mental, emotional, psychic and spiritual wellbeing of the person. The ICC dispenses classes in Hatha yoga, which is a branch of yoga that concentrates on physical health and mental well-being. Hatha yoga uses bodily postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), meditation (dhyana) and cleansing processes (kriyas). Hatha yoga postures stretch and align the body and are particularly good for promoting balance and flexibility.

Yoga Classes

Teacher: Classes in Hatha yoga are conducted by Mr Ajinkya Deshpande, D.Y. Ed., M.A. (Philosophy), M.Com, who has 23 years of experience teaching yoga at the internationally acclaimed Yoga Institute Kaivalyadhama in India. He has also worked as a lecturer at Gujarat University, Ahmedabad and Bharati University, Pune.

Tabla

Tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music as well as in folk and film music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres. The term tabla is derived from an Arabic word, tabl, which simply means "drum." In addition to the tabla, a weekly class of dhol, another traditional Indian drum, is also conducted.

Tabla Classes

Teacher: Tabla classes are conducted by Mr. Navin Kumar, Tabla Visharad, who is a graded artist for All India Radio. He has a combined experience of 16 years as Tabla instructor at Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, New Delhi, and Pakhawaj instructor at Triveni Kala Kendra, New Delhi.

Carnatic Vocal Music

Carnatic music is one of the two principal streams of Indian classical music, which is broadly classified into Hindustani music, prevalent in North India, and Carnatic music, prevalent in South India. Carnatic music is based on the concept of shruti (pitch/tone) and laya (rhythm). It comprises devotional songs in praise of God or the king of the particular composer’s period. The musical repertoire taught at the ICC includes Swaravali, Datuvarasi, Jantivarasi, Alankara, Pellari Geeta, Sanchari Geeta, Lakshna Geeta, Swarajethi, Jatiswara, Varnam, Keethane, Kruti, Devaranama and Tillanas.

Carnatic Vocal Classes

Teacher: Carnatic vocal classes are conducted by Mrs Savithri Sreenivas, an exponent and teacher of Carnatic music vocal and the violin. She has 17 years of teaching experience in institutions such as the Vijaya College of Music, Jnanodaya School, National Hill View School and Gurusmruti Kala Kendra, Bangalore.

Kathak

Kathak is one of the eight major classical Indian dance forms and is the principal classical dance of North India. The word kathak means "to tell a story" and is derived from the dance dramas of ancient India. During the Mughal era, there was a change in emphasis from that of telling religious stories to one of entertainment. Today, the dance is an abstract exploration of rhythm and movement, involving complex footwork and pirouettes executed at lightening speed, matched by accompanying percussion instruments such as the table and pakhawaj. Lucknow, Jaipur and Banaras are recognized as the three schools of Kathak where the interpretative and rhythmic aspects of the dance have been refined to a very high standard.

Teacher: Kathak will be taught by an accomplished teacher deputed by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations. Classes will commence from 1st December 2009.

Hindi

Hindi is the national language of India and the second most spoken language in the world. About 500 million people speak Hindi in India, particularly in the northern and central parts. It is also spoken in other countries of the Indian subcontinent as well as by the Indian diaspora across the world. The total number of people who can understand the language is approximately 800 million. Hindi's popularity has been aided by the expanding international appeal of Bollywood, the Hindi film industry.

Hindi Classes

Brochure of the Indian Cultural Centre