AAW #190

Brave the chilled winds and come to experience creativity. Ahmedabad Art Weekly opens its Pandora’s box of events to present you for the 190th time some of Ahmedabad’s most creative happenings.

People looking for arty weekend can come down to Amdavad ni Gufa and watch the solo show of one of Gujarat’s most respected modernist painter Bhanu Shah. Abstracts created by this National Award winning artist have inspired thousands of people across the globe, now in his 80’s, the veteran is still prolific and is presenting his new works in this show. The newly opened Design school in the city, ‘GLS Institute of Design’ is hosting a Arts & Design fest called the Ahmedabad Design Fest 2018. Established personalities of the industry will conduct discourses as well as hands-on activities to present the concept of art to the audience creatively.

International Creative Art Centre is coming to The Ummed Hotel to present various artworks of established painters of India at ‘The Blessings of the Connoisseurs’ exhibition. Curated by philanthropist and art adherent Ravindra Maradia, the show includes fascinating objet d’art by Arzan Khambatta, Prabhakar Kolte, Vinod Sharma and various other creators. Photography lovers will have to reach to the rich Walled City of Ahmedabad to watch some early morning picturesque cultures of our city this week. Photographer Ashish Mehta invites each lensmen and women to walk a few miles in Khadia to experience the real essence of Uttarayan. The visitors will watch the ‘Ghisai’ process of the Uttarayan thread and can relish the famous and age-old Raipur Bhajia during the photo walk.

Foodies of Ahmedabad can treat their taste buds with organic and healthy delicacies as the 16th edition of Sattvik food festival has yet again arrived in Ahmedabad. The festival works as a bridge for urban citizens to experience traditional treats made out of organic materials, and for rural sects, it is an opportunity to earn a little extra remuneration.

Prominent Gandhian Dr Rajendra Khimani, who is serving as the Vice Chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapith, an institute founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920 has been invited to talk on the values of Bapu at ‘On the Lines of Gandhiji’ talk session. And with the similar motive of imbibing Gandhian and inspirational values in the citizens, NGO Manav Sadhna is inviting to watch ‘The Jai Jagat Show’ drama. The musical performance has been produced by 17 slum kids who are supported by the NGO. The show is aimed to invoke the sentiment of humility within us. Acclaimed play ‘Babes in the Wood’ is yet again coming to Ouroboros to celebrate Christmas. The humble plot of this act featuring talented recitalists like Ankit Gajera and Jahnvi Modi talks about a chilly evening of beggars at a Railway Station. Did you know there is a Chamber Choir group in Ahmedabad and they are going to sing at the Natrani Amphitheatre to celebrate Christmas? And did you know that the musical celebration of Natrani has been planned to continue with a performance by the Indian Ocean band this week? Too many creative surprises are lined up Ahmedabad, so stay tuned to Creative Yatra.

This week Ahmedabad, lost an architectural jewel called architect Nimish Patel. The 190th Ahmedabad Art Weekly has given a heartfelt tribute to the person who worked so hard to bring freshness of natural ambience within our lives through his designs. The Ahmedabad based architect of India’s largest passive-cooled building, Torrent Research Centre, which uses no air conditioners, was a graduate from MIT, Cambridge and together with his wife Parul Zaveri, they set up a conservation and planning consulting firm in 1970 titled Abhikram. Some of the noteworthy projects carried out by them include the restoration of Oberoi Udaivilas Palace and of Shambhu Nivas and Shiv Nivas palaces in Udaipur. Patel’s sensibilities are also expressed in the making of Gujarat Vidyapith’s Sabha Khand, Dhirubhai Ambani memorial house in Junagadh and the newly designed Natarani Amphitheatre. Team CY pays rich tributes to the departed soul.