| | INDIA TODAY | CURRENT ISSUE OCTOBER 30, 2006 | | | | YOUR WEEK: ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT |  | | DANCE | | Divine Rhythm | | |  | | PICTURE SPEAK | |  | | TRADITION UNBOUND: Swapna-sundari in Vilasini Natyam | | DELHI: The temple dancer or the devadasi (also the secular tawaif of north India) has been an enigmatic and critical figure in the continuum of Indian culture. Neither a saint nor a common whore, she was an independent and cultured woman-who was educated, often very talented and certainly very well trained in the arts of music, dance and poetry-who lived life on her own terms. That, in the patriarchal system such as ours, was her greatest sin. Called saani in Telugu and dasi in Tamil, the original nautch girl as the British named her, was a vital artistic presence and played a key role in religious, social and artistic activities in Indian society. Curiously, she was banned from performing in the temples and practising her art-not in colonial British India, but just after Independence in 1948. What was the relationship between the devadasi and the society of her times? How much of her art has managed to survive? How did the regional forms, which emerged out of earlier traditions, adapt to the proscenium stage and when were they identified as classical? Does the artistic tradition of the temple-dancer lineage deserve to be kept alive at all? Do such forms still exist? If these questions come to your mind then you can find answers to them next week. Eminent dancer Swapnasundari has been studying and practising the art of the Andhra devadasis for well over a decade now. She has been passionately campaigning for the preservation and propagation of their art at various fora, especially through her Kuchipudi Dance Centre (KDC) and the annual Vilasini festival that she organises to showcase the art of the Andhra saanis. Vilasini '06 is a tightly-packed three-day event comprising ritual and ceremonial performances, exhibition of photographs, films and a seminar jointly presented by the KDC and the India International Centre (IIC) over from October 27-29 at the IIC auditorium. A must-witness event for dance and music lovers as also sociologists and cultural historians. -By S. Kalidas |
| | MUSIC | | Sit And Listen | | | | | PICTURE SPEAK | |  | | Parween Sultana in concert | | DELHI: Twenty years back, baithaks were informal occasions organised by musicians or music lovers, which would draw to a close with inspired vocal or instrumental music. Though the tradition still continues, baithaks have now moved to public parks so that a larger audience is able to participate in the experience. The Music in the Park series of concerts organised by spicmacay and NDMC has a good mix of artistes-both legends and the generation next. On October 28, Bahudin Dagar will play the ancient rudra veena, followed by performances by eminent vocalist Girija Devi and tabla maestro Kishan Maharaj. On November 11, Venkatesh Kumar, a lesser-known vocalist from Dharwad, and santoor maestro Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma will regale audiences. The series will go on till March 2007. The artistes featured include Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Shubha Mudgal (vocal), Parween Sultana (vocal), Master Shashank (flute) and Balamurali Krishna (vocal). Unwind with music amidst nature at the Nehru Park, Chanakyapuri. -By S. Sahaya Ranjit |
| | PAINTING | | Sight and Sound | | | | | PICTURE SPEAK | |  | | A work by Shamshad Hussain | | DELHI: "Arts in Art" is an exhibition curated by noted critic and poet Vinod Bharadwaj for the gallery Art Indus. As a tribute to the late shehnai nawaz Ustad Bismillah Khan, the show underlines the often understated connection between the visual arts and poetry, music or dance. With an impressive line-up of artists, from Arpita Singh and A. Ramachandran to the younger Iranna and Manish Pushkale, this interesting exhibition will be on view at the Shridharani Art Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, from October 24 to 31.
-By S. Kalidas |
| | ART EXHIBITION | | In Black and White | | | PICTURE SPEAK | |  | | A work from the collection | | MUMBAI: Experience a world devoid of colour at B/W, an exhibition of paintings by 42 artists who have painted the world in shades of black and white. The collection of remarkable works includes prints, watercolour on paper and oil on canvas and acrylic. "When you take colour away, artists have to show their true self in black and white," says Kanchi Mehta, consultant at Tao Art Gallery, where the collection is being displayed. Participating in this exhibition are mid-career as well as established artists including Akbar Padamsee, Badri Narayan, Jehangir Jani, Jogen Chowdhary, S.H. Raza, Venkatesh Pate and Krishen Khanna, among others. Some striking works in the collection are portraits by Jagdish Chander, a 5-by-3-ft landscape by Manu Parekh and a painting by S.H. Raza. On display at the Tao Art Gallery till October 31. -By Aditi Pai |
| | ART EXHIBITION | | Mixed Impressions |  KOLKATA: Variety is the flavour at Akar Prakar's third anniversary show. Its Synchrome-3 showcases over 100 pieces of modern and contemporary art by 70 artists. The works come in all possible media and sizes. A small 1982 watercolour by F.N. Souza and old pen-and-inks by Jamini Roy share space with works by young bloods Chhattrapati Datta and S.K. Shahjahan. There are early works by J. Swaminathan, an oil on canvas by N.S. Bendre and a large oil from the 1990s by Reddeppa Naidu. Works of legends such as Ramkinkar Baij, Paritosh Sen, K.G. Subramanyan and Akbar Padamsee are featured here as well. You find Jogen Chowdhury's charcoal drawing, Ganesh Haloi's gouache, Amitabh Banerji's ink and watercolours, Sanat Kar's tempera, and Jayashri Chakravarty's mixed media. The new generation has been represented by Tapas Konar, Pooja Iranna, Santana Gohain, Eleena Banik, Chandana Hore, Debraj Goswami, Debnath Basu, to name a few. Finding harmony in all the variety is not easy, but Akar Prakar has managed to do that with élan. At Akar Prakar, till October 28. -By Swagata Sen |
| | THEATRE | | Vernacular Delight | | | PICTURE SPEAK | |  | | A scene from Karnad's play | | BANGALORE: English theatre meets the vernacular this season, with a presentation from the Karnataka Nataka Academy aptly titled Kannada Rangabhoomi-Namskara. Six plays by leading Kannada playwrights will be translated into stage performances by leading English theatre groups in Bangalore. The idea is to share thought processes among theatre of various languages. Put together by Kappanna, chairman of the Nataka Academy, and Arundhati Raja of the Artistes Repertory Theatre, the festival will feature plays like Girish Karnad's Yayati, P. Lankesh's Nanna Tangidondu Gandu Kodi (a groom for my sister), Kuvempu's Smashana Kurukshetra, Sriranga's Kattale Belaku and Kambar's Mahamayi. From October 24 to 29 at Ravindra Kalakshetra. -By Nirmala Ravindran |
| | RECOMMENDATIONS | | An Early Tune | | Some children are born gifted. They merely have to work on that gift to become prodigies. This was the case with Pushkar Lele. When he was in kindergarten, his aunt gifted him a beautiful toy harmonium, on which he would play nursery rhymes and the National Anthem. He would not rest until he got the tune right. His mother noticed this rare blend of talent and craving for perfection at a tender age, and got him to train in classical music under a guru. "Thus began my tryst with music." says Lele. Since then, there has been no looking back. His latest album, Srujan, by Rainbow Music, is a vibrant garland of bandishes by Chaitanya Kunte. The variety in the content is immense-there is khayal, tappa, chatarang and tarana. Pushkar's gayaki has evolved from an intense and deep study of the unique singing styles and musical ideology of the late Pandit Kumar Gandharva. Guided by his guru Pandit Vijay Sardeshmukh, he has developed a deep understanding of the spirituality and the musical intricacies of this gayaki. -By S. Sahaya Ranjit |
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