| INDIA TODAY | CURRENT ISSUE APRIL 17, 2006 | | | | YOUR WEEK: ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT |  | | | | ARCHIVAL MUSIC | | Preserved Tunes | | | Shriram Shankarlal
Music Festival At a music, concert there are times when you feel the urge to capture the intricacies of sound, like a difficult taan, a scintillating jhala or the echo of a thumri. Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra, which has recorded musical renditions at the Shriram Shankarlal Music Festival, has fulfilled just this wish of the connoisseurs through this limited edition series. "There is something magical in archival recordings," says Shobha Deepak Singh, director of the Kendra, who has conceptualised the series. "They help you compare the current with the old," he adds. The lineup of artists is rather impressive: Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur, Pandit Balasaheb Pochwale, Mukul Shivputra (vocals); Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma (santoor) and Biswajit Roy Chowdhury (sarod). Mansur, who belongs to the Atrauli-Jaipur gharana, has sung a rare raga, Kakub Bilawal (which is wrongly identified as Rakubh Bilawal in the inlay card), and Lachari Todi. His rendition of Mian-ki-Todi in the compositions Baaje re mohamad, and Kutubuddin kutu bahara simply moves you to tears. The other musician who has music literally running in his blood is the reclusive Shivputra. He has sung ragas Bhimpalas, Dhani and Hameer. As for Chowdhury, he has made the sarod sing. One of his memorable recitals is his rendition of raga Chhayanat. This year, the festival was dedicated to the late tabla maestro Shafaat Ahmed. A collection of three CDs-Ahmed's last appearance at the festival in 2005-has been released as a homage to him. -By S. Sahaya Ranjit |
| | FESTIVAL | | Namaste Germany | | |  | | PICTURE SPEAK | |  | | A scene from the play Midnight's Children | | DELHI When the Jaipur Kawa Brass Band strikes up a tune on May 13, the "Biennale Bonn: India 2006" festival will be officially ready to wow the city's Indophiles. And maybe more. The biennale was designed to focus on the multicultural diversity of a particular city or country and this year's edition will span all forms of artistic expression, from films to fine arts, theatre to literature. Running until May 21, Biennale Bonn will present 12 theatre companies, five dance performances, an opera, readings by Pankaj Mishra and Vikram Seth, five exhibitions in collaboration with museums in Bonn and documentary and feature films. Among the highlights is Midnight's Children, stage adaptation by the National School of Drama (NSD) of Salman Rushdie's Booker-winning novel of the same name. Directed by NSD teacher Abhilash Pillai, it brings to life the protagonist Salim Sinai and his supernatural powers. In a move as experimental as the book itself, Pillai has cast as many as 14 actors in the role of Sinai, each of whom uses a different Indian language. Starring opposite the many Sinais is NSD final year student Rashika Aghashe, who plays Padma. There will also be live performances by Midival Punditz and the German band Mannmannmannmanns with the Jaipur Kawa Brass Band. -By Gaurav Rajkhowa |
| | EXHIBITION | | Intuitive Strokes | | | | DELHI "Epiphany in Forms" is an exhibition of charcoal and acrylic works by Nilanjan Das. Known for his expertise with the digital media, India Today senior art director Das's canvases depict a whole gamut of human emotions. There are traces of spiritualism in Finding God where gold and charcoal have been brought together on a stark white canvas to convey the existence of a higher truth. Waiting is all about longing for love, anticipation of the beloved and a hope that life, despite its complexities, will bring fulfilment. Das's bent towards minimalism is clear in the choice of monochromatic shades in all his works. In a move away from the established norms of artistry, he has creatively used his nails, fingers, combs, cloth and other items of daily use to create interesting patterns. At Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, from April 11 to 13. Das has won several awards, including the 2006 IFRA International Graphic Award and the International Digital Art Award, Melbourne. -By Newly Paul |
| | RECOMMENDATIONS | | Paper Work | | | | MUMBAI The works of German artist Ingrid Pitzer, on display at the Tao Art Gallery till April 15, are like poetry cast in paper with different textures, shapes and surfaces. Inspired by her travels through Rajasthan and Delhi, Pitzer has recreated wall surfaces, windows, keyholes and plantain leaves in paper. A striking creation of hers is a staircase, which looks like being delicately suspended in the air. Pitzer's surfaces include long lasting fibres like banana, mulberry and kozo and her medium of expression is paper pulp from mills or prepared pulp from trees. MUMBAI Pancham Nishad, a firm formed in 1996 to popularise Indian classical music, introduced the bi-monthly concert series Surabhi earlier this year to attract the younger generation towards its culture and heritage. Surabhi offers a platform to a range of classical musicians. The second concert will feature Mohan Veena creator and Grammy Award winner Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt on April 15 at the Y.B. Chavan Auditorium, Nariman Point. The opening presentation on the same day will be by upcoming vocalist Devaki Pandit. |
| | PAINTING | | Social Canvas | | MUMBAI In a bid to elevate the everyday in western society, French artist Elzévir presents his collection of works titled "Ordinary People". This exhibition, at Alliance Francaise from April 3 to 25, comprises 15 paintings in all. All the works are identical in size (210/105 cm), representing larger than life characters split into two panels. While two basic colours make the background, the figure is the focus in all the paintings. Elzévir claims that his works are a social study of his environment. In fact, his previous creations too were his interpretations of the society. He tries to highlight how the west views a man in relation to his body (one reason the paintings are composed of two panels). From young women to body-builders, from the affluent to the fashion-conscious, the series puts together different personalities with their typical styles. -By Vanita Singh |
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