Pune City to witness theatrical reading of letters to celebrate 60th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty

Pune, 18th January 2023: Alliance Française de Pune and the Goethe-Institut Pune are jointly organizing an event titled OF PHILOSOPHERS & KINGS to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty that laid the foundation for French-German cooperation post World War II.

In the spirit of fostering linguistic and cultural exchange among the youth of Pune, the city’s 60th anniversary celebrations will see local talents Aanand Chabukswar and Angad Patwardhan perform a theatrical reading of excerpts from the correspondence between French philosopher Voltaire and Frederick II, King of Prussia. The reading will be conducted in English and the session is titled ‘Of Philosophers and Kings’. .

This performance shall take place at Goethe – Institut Pune on Boat Club Road on Sunday, January 22nd at 7:00 pm. Entry to this session is free of cost. However, pre-event registration is compulsory on ticketkhidakee.com. The programme is created by Rainbow Umbrella Foundation, of which members Vibhavari Deshpande and Shrirang Godbole are the showrunners. The script is developed by Dr. Nandita Wagle and the performance is directed by Anupam Barve.

“The year 2023 marks the 60th anniversary of the Elysee Treaty of Friendship signed between France and Germany on January 22, 1963. It is not just to commemorate this occasion but also to depict the friendship between the two countries through cultural ties. In recent times, France and Germany are among the most enthusiastic proponents of the further integration of the EU. They are sometimes described as the ‘twin engine’ or the ‘core countries’ pushing for moves. We, at Goethe-Institut Max Mueller Bhavan Pune and Alliance Française de Pune aim to function like the twin engine and have planned a series of diverse events to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Franco-German Friendship this year”, said Miriam Bruns, Director of the Goethe-Institut Pune.

“All of these activities will be centred on the theme of friendship. Our institutes are committed to working with each other and the local artistic, educational and corporate sectors in Pune. We want to further our common goals and values, by multiplying collaborations between students, academics, and professionals in India and Europe. We’re excited to see where this will lead us, and the things we will achieve together this year,” added Amélie Weigel, Director, Alliance Française de Pune.