AAW #209

The Gujarat government celebrated the state’s foundation day by formally notifying that shops and commercial establishments can remain open all day i.e 24×7. Malls and eateries are expected to make most of it, Team CY looks forward to some art galleries and museums to come forward and use this notification to the advantage of art connoisseur by remaining open beyond the stipulated time of 8 pm. This will be a great move to promote arts and culture in Ahmedabad and give people an option to engage with arts in late night leisure hours. For now let us look at the 209th Ahmedabad Art Weekly, and discover the best events happening in Ahmedabad.

 

Tattva photography exhibition featuring Pratiksha Patel, Jiten Shah and Nisarg Patel is a confluence of art and nature under a single dome. The three nature adorers have selected their best wildlife and nature photos to deliver Amdavadis a delightful experience. People who wish to talk/hear on design, architecture and urban planning with experienced creators of the industry should drop down to ‘The Talk of Towns’ symposium. The list of speakers includes reputed personalities of Ahmedabad’s design fraternity including Ar. Hiren Patel and Ar. Yatin Pandya. Amdavadis who are willing to celebrate the heritage side of the city and would like to delve deeper into the inception stories of the town, should join Nayan Jaiswal to walk in and around the 15th century architectural marvel Sarkhej Roza.

 

We want to congratulate team Apna Open Mic for opening their 11th edition this week. The young minds have been helping regional creators in gaining maximum eyeballs by providing them with a much-deserved platform.  The recently opened gaming arena of Amdavad, Shott, is not just surprising citizens with Gujarat’s most massive go-kart track. The place is also in plans to attract art aficionados of Amdavad by hosting ‘Weekend with The Monologue’ this week where young minds would speak their thoughts out in the form of a poem, story, song or creative monologue.

 

Theatre enthusiasts should buckle up for a bevy of beautiful theatricals. Starting with Harshad Goplani’s experimental play, लिखावट, which is a dramatic life narration of an emotional young woman and her husband and how everything in her jolly functional life changes with a single unanticipated incident. Bold, progressive Gujarati writer Chandrakant Bakshi, who even served as the Sheriff of Mumbai will poetically come to life through the enactment of dexterous recitalist Pratik Gandhi at Hun Chandrakant Bakshi drama. Directed by Manoj Shah, the play has been rendered several times in front of Amdavadi audience, and you can know more about its brilliance by reading our review here. Celebrate the ‘150 Years of Gandhi’ on the lands of Ahmedabad, which was one of the Karma Bhoomi of our father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi by attending Mahatma – An Eternal Spirit. The Aavirbhaav School of Creative Arts has tried balancing music, narrative, visuals and values of Bapu within Sarmistha Sarkar’s one of a kind creation. Young musician Dirgh Suri is all set to play summer melodies live at the event.

 

The inspiration for the 209th Ahmedabad Art Weekly has been borrowed from Jain scholar, and philosopher Sukhlal Sanghvi dotingly recalled as Pandit Sukhlalji. Born in Limli near Surendranagar in 1880 Sanghvi lost his eyesight at the young age of sixteen, however he overcame this handicap and pursued religious education and gradually became proficient in Jainology. Later he served Banaras Hindu University as a professor and rose to scholarly heights through his intellectual work. Paul Dundas, the famous sanskrit scholar calls Sanghvi ‘the most incisive modern interpreters of Jain philosophy’ and he ‘represents what now seems to be a virtually lost scholarly and intellectual world.’ In his lifetime Pandit Sukhlalji has received many laurels like the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Padma Bhushan. His work is wide and vast and includes titles like Panchapratikramana, Devendrasuri’s first four Karma Granthas, Haribhadra Suri’s Yogadarsana and Yogavimshika, Hemacandra’s Pramana-mimamsa, has translated and interpreted Tattvarthasutra and Nyayavatara in Gujarati. Then President of Indis, S Radhakrishnan, a philosopher and an author of great repute has honoured Sukhlalji by saying that his life was that of an ascetic performing Jnanayajna (Worship of Knowledge).

Illustration : Chetan