AAW #234

Happy Diwali and a very Happy New Year to all our viewers! We know we are a little late with the wishes but we hope that your New Year be full of exuberance and makes your life brighter than the Northern Star. Without any further ado, we present you this Gujarati New Year’s first and our 234^th edition of Ahmedabad Art Weekly.

First up, we have two amazing exhibitions lined up for you. ‘Euphoria’ by Muskaan Darshan is an exhibition that showcases the artist’s bold attempt at using newer mediums and expressing her love for nature using colours. Secondly, CEPT is organizing an exhibition titled ‘The Perpetual Project’ which documents the metamorphosis and physical transformation of CEPT over the decades through the changes the campus underwent in contemporary times under the guidance of Campus Architect – Dilip Patel.

For the theatre buffs, Tushar Dalvi brings us two amazing plays that are poles apart as a part of the Weekend Theatre Festival by Rangaai Theatre Company. The first play titled ‘Untitled’ is a play that narrates 4 true stories about the horrors of rape & sexual abuse and the true representation of the darker side of the society we live in. And then we have ‘The Proposal’, Tushar’s magnum opus which brings to you the big fat wedding of the season.

This weekend marks as the beginning of Natarani’s ‘The Sunday to Sunday Theatre Festival’ which also marks the 25^th anniversary of the theatre. And to kick off the event, Natarani has organized a concert by the legendary band, Indian Ocean. Excited, much?

On the 3^rd day of the festival, Adishakti presents an incredible play ‘Bali’ that concentrates on an intriguing moment in the Ramayan. The play will entice questions like what is right and wrong and to determine whether gods are exempt from such questions of justice as prevailing, narrow views of myth might assert.

Join Anil Relia in a talk show titled ‘Gajagamini’ where he shares his experience working with M.F.Hussain with an audio-visual presentation. India Heritage Walks is back again with an exciting ‘Culinary Trail’ which will take you through the lip-smacking platters and street food of Ahmedabad. Join them as they rediscover the untold stories of these narrow lanes over some saras tea and snacks.

Last month witnessed the demise of a great personality and drama critic. Utpal Bhayani. He passed away on 16^th October at the age of sixty-six. He was well-known playwright and critic and his contribution to Gujarati theatre is immeasurable. We dedicate the 234th edition of Ahmedabad Art Weekly to Utpal Bhayani. Chartered Accountant by profession, he was always fond of theatre and he found his way into the industry through hardwork. He wrote in the Gujarat magazine ‘Janmabhoomi’ for 41 years; his columns were widely appreciated and awaited by the fraternity and theatre lovers. He diligently compiled a book of his reviews (of plays in Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi and English) every year and in 1994 he edited a collection of stageable Gujarati one-act plays, `Aadhunik Gujarati Ekankio’. Utpal Bhayani will continue to live in the memories of his readers and theatre lovers forever.