AAW #148

This week, look out for workshops on Indian crafts, and for some stellar performances in theatre and Indian classical music.

India’s first World Heritage City will commemorate its 607th birthday on February 26, 2018, and the city’s favourite cultural portal CreativeYatra.com cannot be happier. While the city authorities will celebrate it in their own way, our 148th Ahmedabad Art Weekly is here to reflect how the citizens of Ahmedabad are commemorating this occasion. This week, Ahmedabadis can attend workshops on Indian crafts like terracotta and zardosi, a storytelling performance, plays, literature gatherings and other unmissable creative events. Celebrate being an Amdavadi this week!

Devotional saint and poet Bhoja Bhagat is this week’s creative inspiration for the 148th Art Weekly. Born in Devkigalol in the 18th century, Bhagat started walking on the path of spirituality at the tender age of 12, when he met his guru. Professionally, Bhagat was a farmer who never studied literature. But under the tutelage of his guru, he drafted satirical poems criticising social inequality. These are fondly called by people as Bhoja Bhagat Na Chabkha (Lashes of Bhoja Bhagat). His more gentle language is evident in his Aartis, Bhajans, Kirtans and Prabhatias , which he wrote under his pen name Bhojal. A few of his famous poems are about separation of the Gopis from Krishna and are still remembered by people, such as Bhaktamala and Chalaiyakhyan. Devotees still flock to his hometown today to pay their respects to the saint.