大象传媒

The best of the world's arts, film, music, literature and music brought to you every day. Presented by Harriett Gilbert.

Indian Voices.
This year's Proms season will include the first ever Bollywood Prom and Harriett talks to Shaan. He's one of the most popular playback singers who also has a successful career as a chart idol and TV star in India. He reveals what he really feels about his fame and his musical passions.

Gardens and Cosmos
Between the 18th and 19th centuries, three generations of princely rulers shifted the course of Indian history. They also commissioned numerous breathtaking paintings to document their exploits and visually promote their philosophies which until very recently hardly anyone had seen. From idyllic garden scenes to awe-inspiring visions of the cosmos, The Strand attends the Gardens and Cosmos exhibition to find out more about this remarkable period in Indian art history.

The National Youth Orchestra of Iraq
When she was just 17 years old, Zuhal Sultan, a young pianist from Baghdad, dismayed by the effect the war had on her country's cultural life, had the idea of forming a national youth orchestra. Two years later the orchestra will be holding the inaugural performance in a gala concert at the Arts Palace in the northern Kurdish city of Suleimaniya. Zuhal tells The Strand all about it.

Les Paul
And The Strand pays tribute to the great electric-guitar designer Les Paul who died this week aged 94.