IDI-Toronto co-sponsored the event series titled “Rumi” Talk Series organized by SAYGI Academic Association in cooperation with Anatolian Heritage Society (Student Club at UofT). First part of the series had the theme “Understanding Rumi’s Legacy”. The event took place at University of Toronto’s Claude T. Bissel building, Room 205 on March 8th, 2011 between 4pm and 6pm.

The program featured two academic presentations on Rumi and Live Whirling Dervish Performance. First presentation of the program was made by Prof. Maria Subtelny (University of Toronto) about “The Masnavi of Rumi: Old Tales with a New Twist”. William Rory Dickson of wilfrid Laurier University offered a speech about “Rumi’s Contributions to our Intercultural World”. The performance of the whirling dervish was the hot spot of the program. The program ended after a Q&A session followed by socializing around refreshments from Turkish cuisine.