Outsiders on the Fringe.

(From Indian Express)

Today is the last day of a hectic month of arts activity in Edinburgh, as the Fringe, which began on August 21, comes to a regretted end. On High Street, across the Royal Mile, hordes of spiffy merry-makers from all over the world are doing their damnedest to drink in the sterling spectacle before the lights dim on a season of high colour. Festival watchers and local media say this year's gathering has witnessed a rather busy season of extremely versatile, in-your-face encounters with several full houses, including a special tasting of the flavours of India. There are posters of Shri 420 and Mr and Mrs 55, umbrellas with actors painted on them and flags sporting Kabir's dohas (couplets) on them. ''We want to turn Mumbai into a major cultural centre of the world,'' says Culture Secretary Govind Swaroop, explaining why the Bollywood thread runs through it all. The highpoint, of course, was our very own Shah Rukh Khan, whose film Devdas reportedly had the crowds buying their tickets in black, a la Mumbai! A brisk run through the Edinburgh Fringe Festival - it began in the late '40s and is today considered the world's largest showcase of performing arts - reveals that this year the event showcased a veritable list of 'Who's Who' and 'What's What' of arts encounters and acts from across the world. The surfeit of goodies was packed in with tremendous punch and pizzazz to present a wholly eclectic feel of what's hot and what's not. As Rona Johnson, editor of the festival guide puts it, ''Holding the high ground at the sharp end of the arts, the Edinburgh International Festival is the biggest and most important event in Scotland's cultural diary, which dares to challenge an audience it believes can take it. And when it comes to new, this year too there's been plenty to shout about.'' Festival director Brian McMaster's much touted visit to India earlier in the year yielded a series of Indian classical dance presentations which were put up at the Royal Lyceum Theatre between August 24 and 26. Birju Maharaj and Radha and Raja Reddy elaborated on the nuances of Kathak and Kuchipudi, while Madhvi Mudgal and Malvika Sarrukai expounded on Odissi and Bharata Natyam. Audience presence, though, was nothing to write home about. But, as an Indian organiser put it, ''It's ...