Astha Butail’s take on ancient methods of archiving and the tradition of carrying oral histories through Vedic myths and metaphors marks a meticulous installation with minuscule prototypes of book-like objects…reports Asian Lite News
The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) will present a new group exhibition titled ‘Inner Life of Things: Around Anatomies and Armatures’ (preview on April 24), curated by Roobina Karode, at the Noida space of the museum.
The exhibition brings forth independent projects by 15 artists whose investigations are rooted in the ecologies of co-existence as well as the enigmatic life of objects and materials beyond and autonomous from human perception.
The four-panel watercolour painting of Lahore-based artist Ali Kazim is executed in subdued shades and presented on a scale that overwhelms the viewer. It is inspired by the artist’s visit to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation excavation site near the Ravi river, and the ruins of culture it preserves.
Anindita Bhattacharya’s acutely crafted lines of lushly detailed organic clusters and foliage in earthy hues, executed in the tradition of Mughal miniature painting, prompt the viewer to find the hidden and intricate patterns in nature.
The idea of traversing lesser-travelled terrains and vast expanses is explored in Shalina S. Vichitra’s landscape with a thousand white flags, inspired by Tibetan Buddhist dictums and the spiritual harmony that they seek with respect to the primordial laws and spirits of nature.
Astha Butail’s take on ancient methods of archiving and the tradition of carrying oral histories through Vedic myths and metaphors marks a meticulous installation with minuscule prototypes of book-like objects.
Other artists participating in the exhibition include Nibha Sikander, Reena Saini Kallat, Shambhavi Singh, Debasish Mukherjee, Rajendar Tiku, Rathin Barman, Dilip Chobisa, Kishor Shinde, Vibha Galhotra, Rahul Kumar, Chetnaa, Seher Shah and Randhir Singh.
The artist, who greatly incorporates elements from popular culture, cinema and images from advertisement culture feels that a certain intertwining happens between creative spheres like literature, cinema, theatre, and music — all being in the creative sphere…reports Sukant Deepak
He stresses that it is the ability to detach himself from what is going on that helps him create, and that if he tried to relate it to what is happening in the world, it would probably not be possible to paint.
“I would go out and try to help people in hospitals or try to make myself useful as the occasion demands. However, I cannot survive If I don’t paint, it’s a very different experience. What comes on canvas or on paper, and the imagery that you are painting… it starts dictating itself. And you have to obey, you have to follow, what is the demand of the particular image or a painting,” artist Atul Dodiya tells IANS, while talking about his latest ‘Walking With the Waves’, a body of intimate and small-format watercolours produced by him during the past two years of continuous Covid crisis, currently on view at the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) in the capital.
He adds that they were done almost in one go, over one year — 365 watercolours. There is no reference to a solitary figure in the landscape. They are doing nothing, talking to tree trunks and holding the branch. “There are some shadows and touches of the pandemic which what they are going through its not a literal sense, but in certain tonality or certain loneliness which one felt during this time. Being alone, not being able to go out, not being able to experience nature, and not being able to meet friends. This is again very unique for me, at least in my context.”
For someone who at the age of 10 knew that he wanted to be an artist, Dodiya says that he feels lucky that he was supported by his family and could go to an art school. “In my early period, that passion an d that kind of interest was a wonderful feeling. It is interesting to reflect and witness how things change over the course of time. As a painter, my own style and work have evolved. I am thankful that there was an opportunity for me to continue to do what I want to do.”
The artist, who greatly incorporates elements from popular culture, cinema and images from advertisement culture feels that a certain intertwining happens between creative spheres like literature, cinema, theatre, and music — all being in the creative sphere.
“When I talk about my painting, it is in my own creative language. I try to articulate my painting which is visual, into words. Poetry is always a creative joy, in the same way, that cinema is visual joy and literature a reading one. Of course, cinema in a way, to me feels like a complete medium. The great masters such as Satyajit Ray, Akira Kurosawa, Federico Fellini, Jean Luc Godard, they inspire you as they experiment so much in their own mediums.”
Talk to him about the fact that each of his shows boasts of a unique style and concept, and he asserts, ” I don’t follow any sin gle style when I paint. Every time, the effort is to try something new and different. I enjoy experimenting with new techniques and styles. I often feel that instead of having no option, there are too many options for me. When I first attempted a large scale realistic watercolour, it was a 6ft by 4ft size. Now watercolour is a difficult medium, and realism and the scale made it even more difficult.”
“Additionally, a subject matter like Gandhi, made it even more challenging. The first time that I did the Broken Branches Cabinet in the year 2002, it was shown at the Venice Biennale. This was the first time I did something that was actually not a painting, instead it was kind of an installation of an object. Before that, I painted on actual roller shutters on shops that go up and down. Painting on that was an unusual experience and that was shown at the Raina Sofia Museum in Madrid, and a solo show called ET and others. Those shutters were completely new to me. In 2001, I did a show called Tearscape which was large watercolours. Those works didn’t have any reference to any specific people or locations, mostly invented figures and no realism in it, they are most stylized figures.”
Mumbai, he says is a part of him, and he of the city. Stressing that it has been a major influence on him considering the diverse experiences he has had there, the artist adds, “The extremely rich people live next to very poor. There is the world of cinema and popular film stars living here, the advisement and hoardings that you see are often ugly but then that is the part of the city. You hear the noises of the city and all kinds of diverse experiences. If I was born and brought up in, for example, Shanti Niketan, I would have been probably a different kind of person. I am not saying good or bad, there is no question of good or bad, just a different experience. I would probably be totally different if I had grown up, living in calm and green surroundings. Here in the city, surrounded by concrete buildings, and concrete jungle, that is another kind of experience. But I believe that human beings are the same, whether it’s Shanti Niketan or Bombay or any other city.”
Talking about his process, the artist says that it is quite “mixed” and not simple. “When doing a specific medium such as watercolour, I am parallelly doing something else, then I feel like attempting some images from cinema and do it simultaneously. There is oil on canvas, then cinema references, there are small scale watercolours — every work being done simultaneously. I find I am easily able to switch mediums and subjects without any challenges. It is a quiet and also extremely painful process to resolve each theme in a certain way. However, that is the way I have been working and that is what I enjoy,” he concludes.
Aanchal Malhotra is an oral historian and writer from New Delhi. She is the co-founder of the Museum of Material Memory and writes extensively on the 1947 Partition and its related topics…writes Sukant Deepak
Publishing in the 75th year of India’s Independence and Partition, Aanchal Malhotras “In The Language of Remembering – The Inheritance of Partition” serves as a reminder of the price this land once paid for not guarding against communal strife, and what could happen once again should we ever choose division over inclusion.
It’s the much-anticipated sequel to Malhotra’s remarkable debut book, “Remnants of a Separation” that was published in 2017 to mark the 70th anniversary of India’s Partition. It told a human history of the monumental event by exhuming the stories lying latent in ordinary objects that survivors had carried with them across the newly made border. It was acclaimed for the freshness of its approach to a decades-old, much-written-about subject. But more significantly, it inspired conversations within families: between the generation that had witnessed Partition and those who had only inherited its memories.
“In the Language of Remembering”, as a natural progression, reveals how Partition is not yet an event of the past and its legacy is threaded into the daily lives of subsequent generations. Bringing together conversations recorded over many years with generations of Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, and their respective diaspora, it looks at how Partition memory is preserved and bequeathed, its consequences disseminated and manifested within family, community and nation.
With the oldest interviewees in their nineties and the youngest just teenagers, the voices in this living archive intimately and sincerely answer questions such as: Is Partition relevant? Should we still talk about it? Does it define our relationships? Does it build our characteristics or augment our fears, without us even realizing?
“In the last decade of working as an oral historian of the 1947 Partition, I have realised that the impact of Partition does not always end with those who witnessed it. Through interviews with descendant generations, I noticed that some like myself felt shades of their ancestors’ trauma. They wanted to speak about a tragedy they had not witnessed, but which impacted them sometimes in silent ways,” Malhotra said of the book.
“While there are multiple archives that record eyewitness memory, there are hardly any that attribute the same seriousness to descendant testimonies or even to the passage of memory from one generation to another. But it is important for this kind of intergenerational, cross-border, oral history archive to grow as well to understand how inherited memory may shape and re-shape present worlds. In the Language of Remembering’ consists of interviews recorded over several years with Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, and serves as a record for how the 1947 Partition continues to impact generations of South Asians born after it,” she added.
Siddhesh Inamdar, Executive Editor, HarperCollins India, said: “One can argue that the mark of an accomplished contemporary historian is how effectively she can draw links between the past and the present. Aanchal Malhotra fares wonderfully on that test with her new book. Its standout quality is that in it the subcontinent’s history gains a profound resonance: 1947 links forward to 2022, the partitions of the past metamorphosing into the fault lines of the present.
“The book is as much about India’s future as it is about the lessons drawn from the moment of the nation’s origin. At its core are Aanchal’s compassion and empathy as she exhumes silent, fading stories to build a monumental, human history of Partition. This is a book that we at HarperCollins are proud to be publishing as it marks 75 years of Partition and remembers its horrors in a way that treats its survivors across the borders of country, class and religion with respect.”
For the past five years since “Remnants of a Separation”, said Udayan Mitra, Executive Publisher, HarperCollins India, “we’ve been waiting for more because the remnants of Partition, of course, are far from being erased from the present that we inhabit. Malhotra’s new book is not a history of the past; it is a living document for the present”.
Aanchal Malhotra is an oral historian and writer from New Delhi. She is the co-founder of the Museum of Material Memory and writes extensively on the 1947 Partition and its related topics. Her first book, published in South Asia as “Remnants of a Separation” and internationally as “Remnants of Partition”, was shortlisted for the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar, British Academy’s Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize for Global Cultural Understanding, Hindu Lit for Life Non-fiction Prize, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize and the Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize.
The works stand alone as hypnotising, visually pleasing and prompting introspection, but are activated in a certain context of all art explorations that have come before them, by breaking down binaries…reports Asian Lite News
Gallery Art Exposure in Kolkata is showing ‘Memory Leaves’, an exhibition of three emerging artists – Viraag Desai, Radhika Agarwala and Rid Burman – who have created works that embody their idea of the world they inhabit.
Using their art education abroad to define their own journeys, the viewers will sense a direct semblance to the lyricism of poetic nuances and fineness of practice as visual artists. In all their compositions, we can revisit spatial memories that are translated into different mediums; the experience for each viewer will be sensorial as each artist conjures up memories of a not-so-forgotten past into formulations that translate into a visual, contemplative dialogue.
Rid Burman presents ‘photograms’ created in the dynamics of dark room drama in Paris. Colour for Burman is about an evocative mood of emotion. After shooting an array of fashion sequences for elite magazines, his eyes rest on abstract moorings that have about them a dense deepness as well as a connectivity of cohesive patterns that define the universe. Colour and context both take on dispersive dimensions when he plays with multiple possibilities in the charting of abstract notes in earth rhymes.
For Radhika Agrawala, who just returned from Art Dubai, it is about reframing the prism of nature as a confluence of perception as well as feeling for nature and all that is therein. Her work aims to coax the sublime from the subliminal. Her formations are like evocations of the ancient past touched with futuristic possibilities-perhaps a nod to modernism’s different registers. Her vision of forms is distinctly feminine and privileges a subtle harmony with nature over her mastery of intent, as evidenced by the imperceptible transitions.
With works inviting the viewer to open up to a great multiplicity of alternative ideas in sculptural signatures, Viraag Desai loves having a digital dalliance with the essence of form. The works stand alone as hypnotising, visually pleasing and prompting introspection, but are activated in a certain context of all art explorations that have come before them, by breaking down binaries.
Somak Mitra, Director, Gallery Art Exposure, shares: “‘Memory Leaves’ is a coming together of three vibrant contemporary artists, each individual and with disparate distinctive styles who have gathered together to sum up their expressionist journeys through their learning in a novel and explorative way.
“Audiences will be treated to abstract colour and dark patterns in photograms, with distinctive feminine artistic forms that swing between the past and future and the exciting presentation of 3D art where art and science merge in an interesting new dimension allowing audiences to have a taste and feel of new vistas of communication that are both visual and one that can be experienced.” The exhibition is on till June 30.
His figurations thus challenge the well-worn trope of voyeuristic or cultural reportage; instead, Bawa set out to unite disparate limbs or parts by an enchanting centripetal force that imbues symbolism into his curvature…reports Asian Lite News
The Vadehra Art Gallery in the national capital will host late artist Manjit Bawas exhibition from April 26 to June 18.
Titled ‘Kala Bagh’, the exhibition will comprise a series of drawings from across his artistic practice.
Bawa enjoyed spontaneously drawing his compositions without any definition of their utility within the scheme of painting and considered drawing an integral process in his practice. These drawings would naturally evolve into oil paintings.
The artist described his drawings to be “a more effective medium, capturing easily the movement and expression of the subject… While the rough sketches, often just strong lines in charcoal, have a flow about them, the finished work, despite its flowing movements, become formalised and expressive of my style, of what has become synonymous with my art”.
Bawa’s repertoire is replete with imagery of folk theatre, mythic beings cut off from the circulation of existential modernistic concerns and encircled within the enigma of their own being, of experiences and memories of canonical stories and myths.
His figurations thus challenge the well-worn trope of voyeuristic or cultural reportage; instead, Bawa set out to unite disparate limbs or parts by an enchanting centripetal force that imbues symbolism into his curvature.
His playing with form and colour was a hallmark of his painterly practice, yet it is his drawings and preparatory works that reveal the momentum of his thinking. He identified with the Zen genre of creating, devoting oneself to perfecting the representation of a figure, not only in form but also in essence.
maajja is the brainchild of a trio of Canadian entrepreneurs – Noel Kirthiraj, Sen Sachi and Prasana Balachandran – along with Rahman…reports Asian Lite News
YAALL Fest, maajja’s online global festival, is scheduled to be premiered on YouTube and on the popular music channel Vijay Music on April 14 and 15.
The global platform for South Asian artists has brought together over 34 artists that including names from the Tamil film industry alongside up-and-coming Indian and global talent – curated and chosen by co-founder Rahman himself.
The two-day online festival – to be premiered on YouTube for an international audience as well as on the Tamil music channel – is scheduled to be held on April 14 and 15.
maajja is the brainchild of a trio of Canadian entrepreneurs – Noel Kirthiraj, Sen Sachi and Prasana Balachandran – along with Rahman.
Imagined as a premier global music festival, the objective of YAALL is to bring together independent artists from around the world to create a cultural renaissance in South India for independent music, first with a digital edition.
“We are very excited about being able to showcase independent music and artists in a scale and manner not seen before. The idea behind it is to usher in new ideas, a renaissance if you will. This showcase featuring the who’s who and up-and-coming names will introduce super talented musicians and fresh music to the audience, with this upcoming digital edition being a key first step,” says Noel Kirthiraj, CEO and co-founder maajja.
Leading the event will be legendary music directors Rahman and Santhosh Narayanan, singers like Shashaa Tirupati, Pravin Saivi, Sakthi Amaran, Maalavika Sundar, TeeJay, Sathyaprakash, music producers Sean Roldan, Leon James, Tenma, artists Keba Jeremiah, Mugen Rao, Siennor, Aalap Raju, The Casteless Collective and, bands like Oorka and Staccato from Chennai.
Alongside these names will be artists from around the world like Shan Vincent de Paul, Navz-47, Two’s A Company, Cartel Madras, Magisha, Sarika Navanathn, n X t Duo and AllMixedUp (AMU) from Toronto; SATTHIA and Yung Raja from Singapore, R&B songstress Pritt, multi-disciplinary producer, songwriter and artist S.A.M and Tha Mystro from the UK, hip-hop collective FSProd and CLEO VII from Switzerland, superstar performer Mugen Rao and singer RK Arvin from Malaysia, Los-Angeles-based artist Suvi and singer-songwriter Rolex Rasathy from New York as well as critically acclaimed vocalist Ganavya, among others.
YAALL Fest will provide a showcase for these artists, most of whom are either new names for audiences or have always harboured dreams of being an independent artists whilst being part of the Tamil film industry.
There will also be a variety of food stalls, beer & cocktails, 15+ homegrown live bands to set the mood, a kids zone, creative workshops, and a slew of fun activities for both kids and adults…reports Asian Lite News
Boho Bazaar in the Capital features curated pop-ups from across India, offering everything from lifestyle products to home decor, apparel to accessories, pet products to quirky merchandise and food products to gifting.
The shopping carnival features over 200+ brands in addition to a plethora of shopping options, with items being heavily discounted, catering to all budgets and sensibilities. Soul Yard, Saleti, Adawwrably, Tempco Botanicals, Upcycle By Tabi, and Atulyakala are among the many niche brands that visitors can expect to see.
Aside from a thrilling shopping spree, this year’s Bazaar will also bring Gurgaon’s popular Banjara Market to Delhi for the first time ever for only three days during the festival. You can expect a staggering array of home decor items, furniture, and sought-after trinkets at rock-bottom prices.
There will also be a variety of food stalls, beer & cocktails, 15+ homegrown live bands to set the mood, a kids zone, creative workshops, and a slew of fun activities for both kids and adults.
Organiser and Co-Founder of Boho Bazaar, Digant Sharma said, “We’re super pumped to be back after almost 2 years and we can already see a lot of growing excitement and support from all quarters! We have a lot of fun and new elements planned out this time and hence we’ve shifted the venue to a bigger venue than last time, to do justice to our vision. We welcome everyone to come and make merry with their friends and family to make the upcoming weekend a memorable one!
With all of this and more in store its the ideal place to spend your weekend shopping, feasting, and dancing with your friends and loved ones!
When: 8 – 10th April, 2022 (Friday, Saturday & Sunday)
Thukral and Tagra’s book, on the other hand, reflects on various dimensions such as nature, ecosystem, agrarian crisis, debts, suicide, rejection, shrinking employment, and much more…reports Asian Lite News
Thukral and Tagra, an artist duo, are set to debut a new interactive project titled ‘and Archive’ on April 28 at The India Art Fair in New Delhi. The project builds on their game design experience and backgrounds in typography and printing to create a series of game editions and book works. The book and game editions are a means of disseminating knowledge, driven by in-depth research, that further delves into the field of game design, sustainability and self-introspecting themes for all generations to indulge in the practical understanding of knowledge and creativity.
Thukral and Tagra’s game editions reflect on feelings of hopelessness, daily trials and tribulations, and national issues such as climate change. Among the key works is ‘Weeping Farm, 2022’, which follows a group of women from the Indian agrarian community who are burdened with overdue debts, working odd jobs, and attempting to survive in a highly competitive world. The game follows the year-long journey of a female farmer as she struggles to survive against all odds.
By utilising only handcrafted and eco-friendly materials, these games have been carefully designed to ensure sustainability and to promote environmentally conscious products. Following a similar approach, ‘2030 Net Zero, 2022’ is a game that attempts to explore the tonnes of greenhouse gases that are added to our atmosphere each year, with the goal of reducing it to net zero.
Thukral and Tagra’s book, on the other hand, reflects on various dimensions such as nature, ecosystem, agrarian crisis, debts, suicide, rejection, shrinking employment, and much more. The iconic ‘Weeping Farm, 2022’ — a book developed out of explorations and observations made from the Indian agrarian crisis, which pinpoints towards the everyday battles of food insecurity, privatisation, indebtedness, and so on — is one of the key books.
The book contains nine iterations as well as interactive engagements in which the reader can see three aspects of the artists’ practise come together, including a long-standing interest in socio-economics of society, a growing concern for research and lexicon building into current systems, and a desire to recognise the urgency through the metaphorical vocabulary of sports and play as a pedagogical tool.
“Artistic processes are unique, they are honest time-stamps and documents for future reference and retrospect. Archives are humble ledgers, and record transactions of particular time and emotions. An artist’s book should be seen as a key building block of the culture. We have always believed an artist has the potential to experiment, and manifest ideas which question the status quo, and ask for a change. The fact that art can comfort and disrupt them at the same time. We apply our skills and bring knowledge dissemination in various ways such as formats of the game which act as an extension to the book, they sit at the intersection of design and performance,” said Thukral and Tagra.
One of the major and most visible highlights will be the fair facade, which will be transformed into a work of art by the young artist and printmaker Anshuka Mahapatra, celebrating ideas of hope, love, life and togetherness through phrases taken from poems in seven Indian languages…writes Sukant Deepak
From experiencing weekly concerts her grandmother hosted at home in Chennai to her formative education at the Jiddu Krishnamurti School, where her love for art and culture really took off, by the time Jaya Asokan, Director of India Art Fair, scheduled to take from April 28 to May 1 in the Capital, finished school, she went on to study Fine Arts at Stella Marris and Graphic Design at Parsons in New York.
Since then, she has worked broadly in diverse creative roles across design, fashion, jewellery as well as at an auction house and gallery.
“The learning throughout was the value of continuously making bridges across fields, and to work to bring in new ideas and audiences to any creative endeavour. At the India Art Fair too, our hope and mission is to broaden our base of collaborators, collectors and visitors by continually creating exciting content and programmes,” she tells.
Asokan, who took over as Fair Director in April 2021 says it has been a year of learning and experimentation, not just for her, but for the whole team, and that they used as an opportunity to trial and test new ideas to adapt to changing conditions.
“Through the lockdowns and pandemic, we realised the immense potential of art and culture, as entertainment, therapy and an object, which led us to evolve the fair strategy and transition from a 4-day event into a year-round brand with 365 days of presence, whether through pop-up events, programming or editorial.”
Thrilled to return to the physical format in 2022 in partnership with BMW India, the director adds they have expanded our digital activities massively with the goal of becoming a year-round platform championing Indian and South Asian art and artists.
“Our refreshed website with newly commissioned artist films and stories, IAF Parallel exhibitions and events, a Noticeboard section with opportunities for artists and arts-professionals, virtual walkthroughs and workshops around the year will serve as the go-to source for all things Indian and South Asian art,” she says.
However, she feels there’s no greater thing than the magic of a shared experience, and we really look forward to experiencing art in real-time and real space, instead of on screens.
One of the major and most visible highlights will be the fair facade, which will be transformed into a work of art by the young artist and printmaker Anshuka Mahapatra, celebrating ideas of hope, love, life and togetherness through phrases taken from poems in seven Indian languages.
The exhibition halls will welcome some of the most prominent galleries while the fair outdoors will be dotted with monumental art commissions, from the colourful 50-feet long mural titled ‘The Future is Femme’ along the front walkway of the fair created by trans and cis-women artists of Aravani Art Project supported by Saffronart Foundation, and a impressive metal sculpture made of reused silencer pipes evoking optimism in challenging times by the young Kolkata-born and bred Narayan Sinha supported by the Arts Ananda Trust.
Asokan says that besides hosting some of the biggest collectors and art-patrons, we are launching a revamped Young Collectors’ Programme to empower the next generation of collectors with the know-how and confidence to make their first purchases, as well as support artists as patrons.
Talk to her about the fact that Delhi heat in April end might keep many visitors away, and she asserts: “This is the first time that India Art Fair will take place in May, and we look forward to a memorable summer celebration. As always, the fair will ensure the comfort of visitors and will have fully air-conditioned exhibition space and sufficiently shaded outdoor areas.”
With a major focus on inclusivity and accessibility, India Art Fair will be working with ‘Access for All’ so as to create experiences that are welcoming to our diverse audiences. “We are committed to providing similar, if not identical experiences for all visitors participants regardless of their ability and strive for equity, accessibility and inclusion,” she adds.
The exhibition halls will show works of some major artists like Amrita Sher-Gil, V.S. Gaitonde and Nasreen Mohamedi (Chatterjee & Lal), and also contemporary ones Sujith S.N, Faiza Hasan and Subodh Kerkar who will reflect powerfully on climate change and sustainability.
Achia Anzi, Kumar Misal and Baaraan Ijlal for who the personal is political; Tsohil Bhatia, Anupama Alias and Shine Shivan, Suchitra Mattai and Bushra Waqas Khan will make the viewer look at gender and sexuality with new eyes.
After two house-full shows with standing ovation in London and Manchester, Begum Akhtar, The Musical will be coming to Birmingham, Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) soon followed at Storey’s Field Centre, Cambridge on 24th April, reports Rahul Laud
Presented by the renowned Kalakar Arts UK, Begum Akhtar is a live musical based on Ghazal Queen Begum Akhtar’s tragic life and music supported by Arts Council England and iKure. The musical is scripted, directed and performed (as Begum Akhtar) by the Founder and CEO of Kalakar Arts UK, Vidushi Chandra Chakraborty, an eminent Hindustani Classical vocalist hailing from the Kirana Gharana.
Begum Akhtar musical show
‘’This musical is based on the tragic life of Ghazal Queen Begum Akhtar with outstanding acting, dance and of course those unforgettable music that were once performed by Begum Akhtar, said Chandra. Other cast members and musicians include Indrani Datta, Satarupa Ghosh, Maher Ahmed, Anju Roy-Hurst, Sangeeta Srivastav, Natasha Trikha, Dr Imtiaz Ahmed, Aniruddha Bardhan, Shiblu Rahman, Vidhur Prashar, Junaid Ali, Hamit Walia, Aniruddha Mukherjee, Amith Dey, Sourojyoti Basu, Ujjwal Banga, Shantanu Goswami and Kamalbir Singh on violin.
Chandra said, “Kalakar is known for the uniqueness of its shows and so far each show has seen an audience from all over UK, from all communities and cultural backgrounds. There are solo performances by distinguished artists in London but I wanted to stage something different for my audience.’’ Hence, the idea of performing live musicals based on life stories of famous musicians, she added.
Chandra Chakraborty, CEO, Kalakar Arts, UK
Chandra informs that a lot of research work was conducted to write the musical. This was followed by Begum Akhtar’s short form that was performed at Rich Mix (as part of the Bangla Music Festival of Saudha, Society of Poetry and Indian Music in 2018). Before the pandemic the full 2.5 hours musical at Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan and at SOAS (2019 and 2020) was part of Kalakar’s repertoire. ‘’Experiencing a huge demand from the audience, with the support of Arts Council England, we started the UK tour from this year March,’’ Chandra pointed out.
Recently Chandra visited Banaras to carry out some more research work for her upcoming project on ‘Tawaifs’ (courtesans), their music and life. Chandra explains that these visits are part of research ‘’ so that when an audience attend shows, they experience world class music, dance and acting in addition also gain a lot of information about the main characters of the musicals.’’
Audience response has been spell binding, informs Chandra. Repeat audience is a unique experience, said Chandra. Contented over her response , she said , ‘’one member of the regular audience refused to accept a guest pass offered to her saying that the show is so good that she feels honoured by attending and would like to pay for the ticket.”
Indrani Datta dance recital
Kalakar Arts UK is here to stay with more projects in the offing.
