Melbourne rocks to Indian beats

Melbourne: The streets of Melbourne are set to come to life with the spirit, sights and sounds of India.

A series of cultural events will take place across the city in the lead up and then throughout the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Indian culture will be a highlight in both the Adopt a Second Team - India Festival and Festival Melbourne activities.

The city hosted a one-day India Festival on Saturday as part of the Adopt a Second Team programme.

Injecting the flair of Indian music, dance, food and film, the highlights of the Festival include -- Indian Cultural Festival and Bollywood Dance Party inspired by the colour and beauty of the subcontinent.

The full day event will be held at Melbourne Town Hall and feature non-stop entertainment including the ultimate Bollywood disco.

Indian Market Bazaar get up close and personal to the tastes and sounds of India with this Indian Hawkers Market which will be held in a traditional Rajdabar tent at City Square.

Bollywood Film Festival, showcasing the movement and colour of contemporary and classic Indian films, four of India's most popular Bollywood films will be screened at the Capitol Theatre as part of the Bollywood Film Festival.

Once the Commonwealth Games are underway, Festival Melbourne will kick off with 12 days of non-stop music, dance, street performances and cultural events.

Set to capture the culture and sparkle from all corners of the globe, the Indian spirit will be a showpiece of the Festival with a series of events scheduled to take place throughout Melbourne and the regional areas.

Nine Indian events will take place across 24 performances.

Key performances include: Bollywood at the Bowl an all-singing, all-sashaying, sari spectacular. Dhol Foundation powerful percussion from the Punjab. Dya Singh -- a captivating blend of North Indian traditional and classical music with global sounds.

Musafir Gypsies -- an electric troupe of fire-eaters, snake charmers and world class musicians.

BhuKham -- Circus of Earth and Sky -- a spectacular production of beauty, human skill and daring Indian dance.