October 2015
The cultural scene is just revving up as October gets more pleasant with each passing day. Newspapers carry announcements for more events. Trying to
catch up with everything along with Diwali shopping is almost impossible. You
try to do your best even as you prepare yourself for November when the culture scene gallops into the final lap as Diwali approaches.
Delhi has two main cultural centres. First is the Mandi House
area that is chock-a-block with iconic places like Triveni Kala Sangam, Rabindra Bhawan,
National School of Drama in the Bahawalpur House, Shriram Centre for Art and
Culture, Sangeet Bharati, LTG Theatre, Kamani Auditorium, Shriram Bhartiya Kala
Kendra. Mandi House is of course the hub of culture where you can immerse
yourself in the atmosphere – theatre, performing arts, art exhibitions, films, Chinese
food vans providing nourishment to ‘theatre kind’ artsy people. And then there
is the Bengali Market serving Delhi’s street food at Bengali Sweet House and
Nathu’s.
The second hub is the Lodhi Road and Lodhi Estate area. Lodhi
Road is where the multi-crore residences on Amrita Shergill Marg coexist in
leafy delight with government housing, and is the place where people of power
go power jogging in Lodhi Gardens. Indian Habitat Centre together with India
International Centre and India Islamic Cultural Centre is confluence of culture
in this part of the city on the edge of Lutyens’ Delhi.
And this is when you have not even started on the international
events held in the cultural centres of Britain (British Council Division), USA
(American Centre), Germany (Max Mueller Bhawan) Italy (Italian Cultural
Centre), Japan (Japan Cultural Centre) France (Alliance Francaise) and many
more dotting the city.
Delhi International Arts Festival at Kamani Auditorium,
Copernicus Marg, New Delhi, 16th to 31st October 2015
DIAF continues to delight and this evening you find yourself in
Kamani Auditorium treating yourself to Jazz & Blues, some Mexican Salsa and
a trio of musicians playing piano, violin and cello.
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| A lively performance of Jazz & Blues by New York's Maya Azucena |
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| Maya Azucena was invited by US Embassy for this gig and is known for her support to Human Rights |
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| Cuatro Amigos of Nacho Sin Salsa group from Mexico |
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| The Senorita tap dancing to Spanish music transports us to Spain of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobaara |
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| Dos Hombres seem to have walked out of a Robert Rodrigues movie - waiting for Salma Hayek to emerge |
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| Members of Collapse - from Cyprus & France |
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| You are watching a live performance playing Piano, Violin and Cello and yes playing these instruments is a huge deal - great performances |
Durga Immersion at Yamuna Ghat, Kalindi Kunj, New Delhi
Durga Maa with her children Ganesh Kartikeya leaves the mortal
world for her home. Devotees throng to bid farewell to the Goddess.
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| Durga Maa immersion in Yamuna at Kalindi Kunj, Delhi |
Festival of Performing Arts (Music, Dance and Drama) at Meghdoot
Theatre Complex, Sangeet Natak Akademi, Rabindra Bhawan, Copernicus Marg, New
Delhi, 24th to 31st October 2015
A friend introduces you to Rabindra Bhawan, another gem
in the Mandi House area. Rabindra Bhawan houses the Sahitya Akademi, Lalit Kala
Sangam and Sangeet Natak Akademi. The place has art galleries, library, book
shops, and museums. The museums of masks and musical instruments are delightful
and deserve a visit.
Now this place is buzzing as Sangeet Natak Akademi is
celebrating the Festival of Performing Arts featuring recipients of the Akademi
Fellowships and Akademi Awards 2014.
The main course for this evening is Nautanki - yes Nautanki! - and dance performances from Haryana and Mizoram set the stage for another surprise.
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| Lalit Kala Akademi at Rabindra Bhawan, Mandi House, New Delhi |
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| The Art Gallery at Lalit Kala Akademi, Rabindra Bhawan |
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| Stage being readied for Festival of Performing Arts at Meghdoot Theatre |
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| Voila - a week later! at Meghdoot Theatre |
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| Meghdoot Theatre Complex |
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| Some Haryanvi Twirl |
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| The lovely Mizo Bamboo Dance |
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| The tiptoe and the clap of bamboos |
Yes this is a month of firsts – now Nautanki and then soon Opera!
Indal Haran (abduction of Indal), the Nautanki play in Hindi is
directed by Ram Dayal Sharma who also plays the role of Udal and the play is
presented by Brij Lok Madhuri, Mathura. Indal Haran is representative late 19th
century Nautanki/Saangit. Authored by the Indraman Akhara of Hathras, the play
is one of the dozens of Nautankis that depict the exploits of the famous 12th
century Banafar/Chandela warrior brothers Alha and Udal. Chitralekha, a
princess who has magical powers, sees Alha’s son Indal at a festival on the
banks of Ganges and falls in love with him. When Indal takes a dip in the
river, she turns him into a parrot and takes him to her kingdom in Central
Asia. What happens next is an amazingly engaging tale of romance and bravery.
(Source: Festival Booklet)
Now Nautanki uses both spoken dialogues and songs are sung live
by the actors accompanied with musical instruments. The nautanki has a very
earthy and hinterland feel and you can imagine the nautanki band going around
the villages entertaining the country folks when there were no cinemas.
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| Indal Haran Nautanki at Sangeet Natak Akademi, Rabindra Bhawan, New Delhi |
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| Nautanki is like a live movie playing out on a stage with dialogues and songs and music |
Jin Zi, A Sichuan Opera at the FICCI Auditorium, 9th Delhi
International Arts Festival, New Delhi, 16th to 31st
October 2015
Curtains come down on the incredible October month with a rousing performance by Chinese Sichuan Opera.
You have never watched an opera before and DIAF is giving you
chances that you cannot pass up. Opera is a drama set to music with singing,
dancing and the dialogues delivered are sung.
Today you are watching the Chinese opera called Jin Zi, a
Sichuan Opera adapted by Chongqing Sichuan Opera Theatre. The heroine or
soprano Shen Tiemei, extolled as the Queen of Sichuan Opera, is also the
chairperson of Sichuan Opera Theatre Chongqing and has been honoured with
several national awards. This opera has won all performing awards in China. Jin
Zi is regarded as a milestone in modern theatres and recognized as the most
important work of Chinese Operas at the end of 20th century.
The performance is brisk and energetic with the performers
singing, thudding around the stage and sometimes diving to the ground.
Something you have never seen in plays is the concept of sword-hiding which is unique
feature of Sichuan Opera – one moment there is a sword and next moment the
sword disappears in the robe leaving no trace. The Chinese story seems typical
Hindi movie like with a wife, husband and mother-in-law and then the lover
making his entry. There is lot of crying, heart-ache and people dying. Of
course Shen Tiemei is the queen as she goes through a gamut of emotions in this
tragic love story.
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| FICCI KK Birla Auditorium with the adjoining National Museum of Natural History |
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| Jin Zi Sichuan Opera at FICCI Auditorium, New Delhi |
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| The Soprano Shen Tiemei in the titular role of Jinzi |
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| Jin Zi with her husband and lover |
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| The cast of Jin Zi, Sichuan Opera at 9th Delhi International Arts Festival October 2015 being felicitated. With Prathibha Prahlad (black saree), the founder of DIAF |
A trip through the cultural kaleidoscope of Delhi has provided you with a dazzling display of our country's myriad colours and people. This is so true for the city of Delhi, a city that has seen over the ages people come from across the country and across the borders, to adopt it and make it their own and which turned it into a microcosm of our country. The culture scene does provide enough clues to what makes the city so diverse and yet so inclusive. Delhi enriched with this fantastic concoction of cultures has continued to thrive through its people even as kingdoms and cities fell with alarming regularity. It is this set of people and their practises, their festivals, their beliefs that constitutes this great city helping it thrive and buzz with vigour and colour.
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