AAW #174

This week, Amdavadis can catch a night of Sufi-Indie Electronic Music or meditate to the tunes of the Jal Tarang. Learn about 21 path-breaking Muslim women who shaped a post-Independence India, or glimpse life in Kutch. Ahmedabad Art Weekly has something for everyone!

The fever left behind by World Photograph Day last weekend is still on, with an excellent photography exhibition by artist Arjan Rasadiya this week that documents the lifestyle and culture of Kutch.

History buffs and curious minds at large can head to the Conflictorium to find out about 21 Muslim women who played a prominent role in building a post-Independence India, at the exhibition Pathbreakers. Or head to Karma Cafe next Wednesday to “talk books, authors and thoughts” at the Literary Meetup. There’s also a talk by author and screenwriter Kajal Oza Vaidya on the subject of relationships.

Indie-electronic music composer Kanishk Seth will be performing a medley of Sufi-Indie Electronic Music alongside classical singer Devashri Manohar this Friday. And if this puts you in the mood for some more classical music, then head to Project Otenga this weekend to listen to a performance on the melodious jal tarang, an instrument comprising of bowls full of water. The Living Waters Museum promises that it will be an evening of meditation.

Or perhaps you’re more in the mood for some popular music? Then Sunday night’s event Thodasa Rumani Ho Jaayen is for you. It’s not a screening of Amol Palekar’s classic film, but a music concert with a host of singers like Sunny Jadhav and Payal Vaidya performing romantic Bollywood songs. Or head for the open mic comedy night Joke Testing 1.0.

This week’s inspiration for our Ahmedabad Art Weekly #174 is the most famous Gujarati poet of the medieval period, Bhalan. Bhalan coined the word Gujarabhasha to describe the Gujarati language. A scholar of Sanskrit literature, he contributed most to the the devotional poetry of Gujarati literature, called ‘Bhakti-kal’. Born in the 15th century, he converted Banabhatta’s Sanskrit prose work Kadambari into an abridged Gujarati version. He also understood the essence of the Puranas and wrote various works about them, like Nalakhyan.