AAW #193

More than 100 private jets are expected to touch down in Ahmedabad as the Vibrant Gujarat Summit is planned to take place between January 18 to 20, 2019. The hotel rooms have reached sky high prices due to the increased overnight demand and restaurants have already reserved spaces for the visitors of the summit. So amidst all this bustle how and where do you plan to spend this week? Well here’s the solution, and here’s the 193rd Ahmedabad Art Weekly; featuring the city’s most creative, original and aesthetically rich events.

It is raining performing arts this week, starting with three consecutive performances at Natrani Amphitheatre in three days. ‘Jaane Woh Kaise Log The’ starring recitalists RJ Devaki and Abhinay Banker is a play based on the life of legendary Indian writers Saadat Hasan Manto and Ismat Chugtai and their intriguing stories, while Vachikam: ‘Dariyalal’ and Vachikam: ‘Rashmirathee’ are performance storytelling/dramatic readings organised by Fanatika. In Dariyalal performers will narrate historically sound tales of Zanzibar full of tornadoes of human emotions with intriguing narratives and in ‘Rashmirathee’ the artists will perform legendary Hindi poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar’s creations, which somewhere revolves around the world’s current socio-economic conditions. The Kashmirnaama at Project Otenga written by local theatre aficionado Harsh Shodhan is a poetic representation that depicts the contemporary conditions of the Valley through melody, rhymes and dialogues.

Written by famous 20th century Gujarati literati Zaverchand Meghani and contemporarily direct by Rishi Dave, ‘Kalpana Mrityu’ is a stirring play that comes from Meghani’s compilation of short stories. Further more there is ‘Thief Police’ at Ouroborus based on the play by Vijay Tendulkar. ‘Thief Police’ is a satirical thriller featuring famous recitalists like Parmeshwar Sirsikar and Gaurang Anand this week.

Moving towards visual arts, Mumbai based artist Namrata Lodaya is opening her brand new art exhibition called dEFORMATION at the Samara Art Gallery. Her stirring art, which she is presenting until The Republic Day is based on her past and her desires to erase it from the roots.

People looking for a pinch of picturesque nature in life, and want to enthuse themselves with aromatic and vivid floral should reach to the Ahmedabad Flower Show – 2019 at Flower Park Area, Sabarmati Riverfront. The one week long ticketed show is exhibiting around 50 original sculptures made of flowers and plants and hundreds of saplings from more than 12 significant nurseries of India. Photographer Ashish Mehta of ‘Meet me at Khadia’, who stays in the heritage Walled City of Ahmedabad is inviting enthusiasts to celebrate the kite flying festival at his Pol house. Uttarayan in Pol is an authentic celebration where attendees will enjoy Uttarayan special delicacies, music as well as kite fighting.

This week Ahmedabad Art Weekly pays tributes to Padma Shri Kanti Patel. The Gandhian sculptor, philanthropist, teacher and freedom fighter left for the heavenly abode on January 8, 2019, leaving an artistic legacy of more than 800 sculptures for generations to look upon and feel inspired. Born in Indonesia, Patel studied at Gujarat Vidyapith and then at J . J School of Arts and carved his path to sculpting through the painstaking method of self-teaching. With the help of artist Bhaikaka and Kalaguru Ravishankar Raval, Patel reached the footsteps of  Vallabh Vidyanagar and spent his next 19 years carving Sardar Patel, Gandhi and sculptures of Indian freedom fighters. He then came up to Ahmedabad to establish the iconic Shilp Bhavan studio, which, in true Gandhian ideology of trusteeship, he donated Lalitkala Akademi of New Delhi. The Ravi Shankar Raval Award recipient, in his early years had the opportunity to meet Mahatma Gandhi. In his brief interaction he stayed wit Gandhi for 11 days in year 1944. This has had a transnational impact on him. This is evident in the display of ‘trusteeship’ exhibited by him by donating his assets worth 50cr towards the larger cause of betterment of art. May his eternal soul rest in peace.

Illustrations : Nilesh Ramani