ABSTRACT
The year 1962 was a watershed year not only in world politics but for India as well. On the one hand, October of the year witnessed the world coming to the brink of a nuclear war, with the Cuban Missile Crisis, on the other hand, in October itself, India faced its first military invasion from China. This chapter follows the trail of Uday Shankar’s tour of the USA, Canada and Europe with his troupe, which set sail for the West in September 1962, before either the Cuban Missile Crisis or the Sino-Indian War had begun. They performed at the Seattle World’s Fair 1962, where they represented India. President John F. Kennedy opened the Fair with a speech delivered on telephone but was unable to do so during the closing ceremony on October 21, as it was during the period of the 13-day crisis. The Seattle World’s Fair as well as the performances across Europe were all sponsored by the Government of India. This reflects the soft power initiatives by the Indian government under its first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru and the status of performing arts and artists; as well as the establishment of the ICCR as a means of institutionalizing cultural diplomacy. The other performances across the USA were hosted by the then notable impresario, Sol Hurok, which was another experience in itself and has not been documented in detail in any literature on Uday Shankar, for the tour of 1962. This chapter also looks at the preparation that the troupe underwent for this tour, the items performed along with the ballet Samanya Kshati; as well as the novel experiences of the troupe during their travels, spanning a period of almost five months.
