Poetic Justice presented as part of the ongoing Abhivyakti Edition Three at KCG is a significant original contemporary political satire in Gujarati written and directed by a young man Vaishakh Ratanben. The genre that has the potential to be an…

The World Heritage Week (November 19 to 25) brings in some meaningful and enthusiastic observance of the occasion in Apnu Amdavad also, which had some added enthusiasm since the city got the tag of the First Heritage City of India…

Qissa Kothi’s Romeo Ravidas और Juliet Devi, staged at Natarani on Day Two of its Sunday to Sunday Theatre Festival offers a different kind of experience. Pretty engaging in form and the communication it makes, it avoids being theatrical. With a…

Even as Edition 2 of Abhivyakti unfolds further with its events in the second week, it provides a sense that the entire fest is poised to indulge in experimentation; each event demonstrating that dimension in their own right. You see…

The first sense one gets when you arrive at the gallery is it may not be your cup of tea to write about an apparel collection. But when you do end up inside the show that has the Indigo colour…

Scrapyard is a theatrical entity which grew out of the Rangmanal of Pritamnagar Akhada and has remained meaningfully active for some years now from the ‘yard’ like space in Paldi that specifies its name. Besides plays and theatrical readings, it…

National Institute of Design (NID) is one pioneer institution that along with IIM, CEPT and NIFT, Gujarat Forensic University and others makes Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar an educational hub of some standing and repute. While the NID established in 1961 as an autonomous…

The interaction that followed Naomi Ackerman’s 50-minute solo performance Flowers are not Enough at Natarani last Friday as the inaugural presentation in the three-day 40th Vikram Sarabhai International Art Festival was as long as the performance. No one left nearly…

The original copy of the Constitution of India is a handwritten and a hand-drawn document, preserved in the Parliament of India. ‘We, the people’ is a rich display of 42 exquisite pages from the Constitution, brought to life through high-quality…

Last week in Ahmedabad, translator and researcher Yogesh Maitreya explained how Dalit literature is excluded from the mainstream. He advocated for the need to have diverse narratives and spoke about why it’s important to translate works by Dalit writers. As…

13 architects from around India raise their voices in critique, mourn the dying city and reminisce about forgotten beauty in this first-of-its-kind exhibition.   When I heard that an exhibition called the ‘Death of Architecture’ was coming to Mumbai, I…

A month-long art celebration is providing Ahmedabad a kick of creativity. Fresh faces of the city pour life into Sanskar Kendra through their artistic efforts. I couldn’t hold on to my seat when I heard that my neighbourhood heritage site,…

There is not as much poetry in contemporary ghazals as are ghazal writers in number, Rajendra Patel, himself a poet, with rare candour asserted at the Vishwakosh Bhavan while briefly introducing Rajesh Vyas ‘Miskin’, who was to give a talk…

In its pithy communication, the Gita is a matchless piece of literature handed down to us through its ancient oral tradition reflecting on the essence of life. The Mahabharat, Prof Alok Bhalla in his 6th N C Mehta Memorial Lecture at…

Customisable furniture, recycled things and out-of-the-box material combinations, were part of the eclectic display at RAW Collaborative’s exhibition. On September 9th, against the backdrop of Le Corbusier’s masterpiece, the ATMA house, was laid out a true feast for the eyes…

For a feeling to ooze from the mystic source within and form itself into a lyrical expression, the poet needs only to make way for it to flow unhindered and verbally unadorned. The pith of a poet’s expression feels freshly…

Ratilal Borisagar, an expert on the Gujarati classic Bhadrambhadra, explains the origin of humour in literature and shares how the Gujarati novel tackled the orthodoxy of Indian traditions using satirical narratives. Author Ramanlal Nilkanth’s legendary novel Bhadrambhadra (1900)– about a Sanskrit…

Among a couple of muses to Rabindranath Tagore, in the opinion of Ketaki Kusari Dyason, a perceptive translator of the poet, Victoria Ocampo was ‘the closest to him in stature.’ The natural beauty she was endowed with had the glow…

  Senior journalist Ramesh Tanna talked about his experiences as a journalist in search of positive stories, and his endeavour to utilise  journalism as a tool to inspire; the third talk in the Paraspar series turned out to be rich…

If you’re an art lover living in Ahmedabad, then the Kanoria Centre for Arts isn’t foreign to you. Known to be home to artists from various disciplines, the Centre celebrated 33 years this weekend in true artistic style with no…

Bound to be even more charming, day two at TGILF was at THE Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, where we could listen to memorable topics like ‘Digital Media vs. Print Media’ and ‘Are Onliners the Future of our Literature’? The tired…

Amidst plethora of LitFests, there is a festival solely dedicated to celebrating vernacular authors who write in regional languages. Taking place in the royal land of Udaipur until March 4, 2017, its setting amplifies the overall charm of the gathering,…

Why do some people worry about the future of classical dance?  If they go to Kadamb or any of its performances, they would find it pulsating with the passion for Kathak and a bunch of young teachers here, well-grounded in…

The actor/writer spoke at ‘Paraspar’ on how diminishment of pride in the Gujarati language is harming the coming generations and our tradition of storytelling, suggesting simple, doable ways to revive the language and reclaim our pride. In search of ways…

Though Kathak dance and Carnatic music have been at the Saptak Music Festival for quite a few years now, it is in its 37th year that Bharatanatyam makes its maiden performance on its coveted stage. For its authenticity, who could…

Our classical dancers are articulate. ‘On this stage you have seen,’ Maulik Shah initially said at Saptak on Sunday, ‘two Kathak performances – one with gaharaiyaa-n in it, the other the tarvaraat of an emerging young Kathak dancer.‘ ‘We’ll try,’…

Rupanshi Kashyap’s Kathak being the very first recital on Thursday at Saptak, the Kadamb band of musicians chose particularly to present an Uthan for the audience to get warmed up for it. Rupanshi remained on stage, smiling in tune with…

Day 2 at Saptak: Reflection of Brilliance The second day of Saptak festival featured a brilliant sitar recital by Vidushi Smt.Manju Mehta and an enjoyable vocal recital by Smt. Shubha Mudgal. Smt.Manju Mehta belongs to senia mahair ghrana. She is…

Pt Birju Maharaj is perceived by dancers and dance lovers all over the country, irrespective of the form or gharana, as a colossus in classical dance.  At the Saptak Music Festival for many years, he has been along with a…

GLF 2016: Many Hues of Literary Conversations to Remind Us of Our Shared Humanity Unheard stories – poetry from prisoners’ notes, memories from Kasturba’s fictional diary, oral narrations by survivors of terrorism – and glimpses into how writerly instincts navigate…

  On Friday evening, in a much-anticipated debate concerning Gandhi’s alleged racism and casteism, author Rajni Bakshi had let out a clarion call against the flawed search for a “pure hero” that seems to underlie much of our criticism towards…

  On 16th of December in the city of Ahmedabad, book-lovers, recluses, students and curious minds at large came out from under various rocks to witness the coming together of multilingual literary conversations at the Kanoria Centre for Arts. With…

The art world scenario has gone through interesting shifts from time to time – from conventional art to experimental forms and from a handful to a sea of artists. There is a lot that has changed all around and considering…

  Centre for Heritage Management, Ahmedabad University hosted a unique experiential exhibition on November 19, 2016, on the traditional art of Gujarat, ‘Mata ni Pachedi’. The exhibition was held on the first day of the ‘World Heritage Week’ and was…

‘Miracle Men’ by Ram V, Anand Radhakrishnan and Aditya Bidikar The medium of comics holds a sweet spot amongst the varied artistic mediums, as a messenger of both words and images. As a result, comics appeal both to reluctant readers,…

National Institute of Design, country’s leading design institute has mentored some of the world’s most adept designers since its establishment in 1961. One of them was Japanese – American design brainy George Nakashima, who then grew up to be a…

“For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing.”- Simon Wiesenthal The Indian Legal History Museum at Gujarat National Law University has hosted a ground shaking travelling exhibition called “The Courage to Remember”. The exhibition is a…

On the 31st of August, Centre for Heritage Management (CHM), Ahmedabad University(AU) launched a peer-reviewed international Journal of Heritage Management, the first of its kind in the country. The event was held at the AU Auditorium, Central Campus, GICT Building,…

On the eve of Janmashtmi, Amdavad ni Gufa is offering Amdavadis a treat with an exhibition by renowned Pichawai artist Shri Trilok Prakash Soni titled “Darshan: Shrinathji”. The exhibition was inaugurated by Shri Sanjay Lalbhai on the 23rd of August…

Rakshabandhan is a festival of joy and merriment, of happiness and fun. It celebrates the unique bond shared between siblings. The Rakhi plays an important role in the festivities across India. If told to make a correlation between Rakhi and…

It was two in the afternoon and drizzling. The sky turned gray and everyone assembled under the shaded premises, called as a classroom. The lush green campus of MICA did help in uplifting the poetic side of the participants. Team…

An ancient proverb suggests, that to discover the world around, the two best ways are to be a traveller or be a librarian! A book has the potential to ignite the reader’s deepest thoughts, dreams and passions. The technology must…