Whirling Dervishes from Turkey!

The Turkish Semazen ( Whirling Dervises ) perform at the Turkish Fest 2012 that was held from the 25th to the 26th of March 2012, at the City Select Mall in Saket.

The other highlights of the fest were theTurkish Bazaar,Turkish Food,Turkish Delights,Ebru (Marbling Art) Performance, Hat (Calligraphy Art) Performance, Live Music Performance by Turkish Mehteran team, Turkish Music, Turkish Folk Dance by Indian Students

Indialogue Foundation (along with Select City Walk, Turkish Airlines and the Embassy of Turkey in India) presented in New Delhi the most amazing Turkish Fest in India: Turkish Fest 2012 New Delhi.

The Festival was held on Saturday March 24, 2012 and Sunday March 25, 2012 in the heart of New Delhi at Select City Walk Mall, Saket.

Activities at The New Delhi, Turkish Fest 2012:

• Live Turkish Music Performances: A variety of Turkish music groups will be performing on stage throughout the festival. Music will feature contemporary, folk, traditional and popular songs by Indian, international and local performers.

• Turkish Folk Dances: Professional and children Folk dance groups will be show cased performing dances from different regions of Turkey. Music and costumes are the essential parts of the traditional dances. During performances music, instruments and patterns of the region are preserved. Music is performed with traditional folk instruments.

• Turkish cuisine: Sample gourmet foods including kababs, donair / doner, vegetarian and olive oil dishes, Gözleme (Turkish Pancake), Börek (Turkish Flaky Pastry), Mant (Turkish Ravioli), Sarma (Stuffed Vine Leaves), drinks such as Ayran (Turkish Buttermilk), desserts like baklava, Turkish delight and much more.

• Kids' activities: face painting, games and the making of cotton candy.

• Whirling Dervish of Rumi Performance: One of the wonders of Turkey will perform one of the most exquisite ceremonies of spirituality, a mesmerizing seven-century old ritual, incredible performance featuring beautiful costumes, hypnotic music with flutes, string and percussion, and the amazing sight of the Dervishes whirling on the stage.

• Mehterân, Ottoman Military Band: Mehterans are thought to be the oldest variety of military marching band in the world. It is believed that the first "mehter" was sent to Osman I by the Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad III as a present along with a letter that salutes the newly formed state. From then on every day after the afternoon prayer; "mehter" played for the Ottoman ruler.

• Ebru, Water Marbling Demonstrations: Marbling is a method of making patterned paper by transferring colour from the surface of a liquid to paper. Marbling is the art of printing multi-coloured swirled or stone-like patterns on paper or fabric. The patterns are formed by first floating the colors on the surface of a liquid, and then laying the paper or fabric onto the colors to absorb them.

• Turkish Tourism Corner: Providing touristic brochures and information on trips to Turkey.

• Ney (Reed Flute) Performances: A rim-blown, oblique flute made of reed, the Ney has six finger-holes in front and a thumb-hole in back. Using cross-fingering, finger-hole shading, and embouchure adjustment.

Indialogue is an action and research-oriented dialogue and peace foundation, was founded in New Delhi in 2005, the imagination and fortune of a group of Turkish and Indian people inspired by Mevlana Jalal-ad-Din Rumi, to promote and to encourage local, national, international, inter-civilizational, intercultural, interfaith, intercommunal and inter-ethnic dialogue; Love, tolerance, understanding, reconciliation, harmony, co-existence, tranquillity and peace; to courage intellectuals and scholars and to provide opportunities for a comprehensive and deliberate thinking, brain-storming on humankind-related topics and issues; proactive studies and activities on the causes of wars and violent conflicts, develop tools for early recognition of tensions, and formulate conflict mitigation and peace-building strategies.