Biennale to host 4-month cultural fest mirroring Muziris heritage

Kochi, Nov 22: The upcoming Kochi Muziris Biennale (KMB) will feature a four-month-long performing-arts festival showcasing the country’s rich heritage across region and centuries, by pooling in 650 artistes and collaborating with 25 cultural groups.

An array of theatre, dance, music, percussion and literary programmes cutting across different cultural aesthetics of India’s south and north from ancient to medieval to modern times will unveil from next week in Ernakulam and Thrissur districts that trace a cultural commonality to the long-lost port of Muziris which currently borders them.

Kochi Biennale Foundation announces details of culture segment of upcoming 2nd edition. Addressing Nov 22 press meet: From left, Director of Programmes Riyas Komu, Curator Jitish Kallat, Culture Segment Curator Keli Ramachandran, mizhavu drummer V K K Hariharan, Nangiarkoothu performer Usha Nangiar, Chavittu Natakam scholar Fr Gilbert Antony Thacheri

Also dotted with seminars and meet-the-artist sessions, the cultural segment of KMB’s second edition will begin with an innovatively conceived thayambaka ensemble on November 29 and dish out a string of art forms ranging from classical to folk to contemporary across central Kerala, North Malabar, Canara and eastern India before culminating in end-March with a theatre festival, the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) said today.

The 108-day KMB starting December 12 will thus, also, host Kathakali, Nangiarkoothu, Chavittu Natakam, ghazals and a Mappila Festival from Kerala besides Yakshagana of Karnataka and Chhau dance from Jharkhand — in 10 venues, top Biennale organisers and performing-arts fete curator ‘Keli’ Ramachandran told a press conference, which was also attended by mizhavu drummer V K K Hariharan, Nangiarkoothu exponent Usha Nangiar and Chavittu Natakam scholar Fr Gilbert Antony Thacheri besides KMB’s Riyas Komu and Jitish Kallat.

A special interactive sequence, titled ‘A Day with the Artist’, will feature both veterans and prodigies in the field of Kathakali (Kalamandalam Gopi), Melam ensemble (Peruvanam Kuttan Marar), Nangiarkoothu (Sarojini Nangiaramma and Usha Nangiar), Thampi Payyappilly (Chavittu Natakam), Sanjana Kapoor (contemporary theatre), V K K Hariharan (mizhavu drum) Payyannur Ramachandran (Theyyam) and Kalamandalam Rammohan (Kathakali makeup and costume) besides child prodigies in the fields of chenda (Anand Marar, Killikkurissimangalam Sreehari, Karthik P Marar), Chavittu Natakam (Jojo John) and Koodiyattam (Sreehari M Chakiar).

Komu, who is KMB Director of Programmes, said the cultural segment this time highlighted festivals as a mirror to tradition than showcasing individual artistry which was the chief feature of a similar endeavour in the 2012 edition of the biennale. “No other biennales of the world give prominence to performing arts as we do at Kochi-Muziris,” he added.

Thrissur-born K Ramachandran, who has been running the ‘Keli’ cultural forum in Mumbai for the past quarter century, said his curation sought to ensure that the upcoming festival presented the essence of each art-form. “Today’s art world often faces dilution in the name of improvisation and fine-tuning. KMB’s cultural segment is a strong check to this trend,” he added.

The inaugural evening at Changampuzha Park in suburban Edappally on November 29 will feature traditional as well as novel ‘kooru’ rhythmic passages in a trio thayambaka show by young chenda artistes Panamanna Sasi, Sukapuram Dileep and Udayan Namboodiri.

The same venue will see a December 8-11 Kathakali festival featuring four slow-paced ‘Kottayam plays’ also known for their weighty choreography. Kalamandalam Gopi (as Arjunan in Kalakeyavadham) will be the star performer at the event which has Bakavadham, Kalyanasougandhikam and Kirmeeravadham as the other stories penned during the 17th century.

Contrastingly, Biblical themes come into deep focus at a festival of Chavittu Natakam stomp drama with roots in the Latin Catholic community of coastal Kerala dating back to the 16th century. The five-day ‘Chuvati’ festival at Gothuruthu near Paravur will start on December 26.

The Mahabharata will again come into focus at a three-day Women’s Classical Theatre Festival beginning January 27 at RLV College, Tripunithura. Draupadi (Usha Nangiar), Gandhari (Dr Indu G) and Subhadra (Kalamandalam Sangeetha) will be the characters presented in Nangiarkoothu that has 1,500 years of antiquity.

South Canara’s pre-classical Yakshagana will find stage in February, courtesy an Udupi-based troupe that will present ‘Chakravyuha’ with Abhimanyu (of the Mahabharata) as the protagonist.

On March 1 will be a show of tribal martial dance Chhau in the Saraikela style by Gopal Dube and team. A week later, KMB will have a Mappila Festival (March 7-8), mirroring and echoing the Islamic aesthetics in Kerala.

‘Goshree Peruma’, which is a permanent KMB feature exploring the cultural anthropology of Kochi, will this time focus on the literary possibilities of the region. The March 13-15 event will also host Chavittu Natakam, Band of Kochi and Ghazals (by Umbai) besides seminars and open interviews.

A March 21-22 theatre festival on veteran Thuppettan (Subrahmanian Namboothiri) will be punctuated with symposia on the contributions of the Malayalam playwright, staging of his plays, screening of a documentary on him besides a face-to-face with the rustic octogenarian.

Kallat, who is KMB 2014 curator, spoke about how the locals and visitors to the biennale could engage with it through a variety of cultural and intellectual platforms beyond the central ‘Whorled Explorations’ exhibition he has curated, featuring the works of 94 artists from 30 countries. “While the cultural segment adds to their reaching out, the shows also ensure reinterpretation of traditional arts in a contemporary context,” he noted.

Mizhavu Hariharan said his scheduled interaction with the biennale audience would strive to alter the general impression that rhythm is all about keeping the time. Usha Nangiar, his wife, spoke about her struggles to conceive and present mythological characters hitherto untested in her millennium-old art.

Doordarshan National’s latest offering – ‘Janmon ka bandhan’

New Delhi, 20th November 2014: Among the brigade of new serials, being scheduled on Doordarshan National to boost their prime-time slot is Janmon ka Bandhan – Insaani rishton ka taana bana; which will premier tomorrow, 21st November at 7:00 pm.

The show is based on the premise of an honest IAS officer, Surender Kapoor fighting against the 

mafia linked with the construction business. While on the family front he is struggling between a 

mentally disturbed son and sudden loss of his wife. Overwhelmed with all problems he eventually reaches a breaking point. It is at this stage that his three daughters come forward and take responsibility to help the family emerge out of the muddle.

The show is being produced & directed by Prem Chopra Wavelength Pictures.  Rajeev Varma, a renowned actor of ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ fame, is playing the lead character of Surender Kapoor.

With this women-centric family fiction drama, Doordarshan National is looking to underscore the inherent strength of women and girl child; in keeping up with the channel’s ideology of  “value addition” in everyday life of the viewers.

Do not forget to catch the serial premiering from tomorrow, 21st November, every Friday to Sunday at 7 pm.

JANMO KA BANDHAN serial is based on of an honest  IAS officer Surender Kapoor,who is posted as a Municipal Commissioner in city. He is very stick,honest and sincere officer towards his work.he is completely against the illegal constructions and he is also against the call the corrupt builder mafia. those are involved in this kind of constructions.

so, naturally of certain builders tries to create lots of problem and difficulty for his carrier and to disturb his personal life as well.

on the other hand, as far as his family is concern  he is very much upset due to mantel health condition of his son,whose life has completely been changed due to sudden death of his mother in car accident. son of sureender kapoor feels himself guilty and culprit at that accident. A day comes Surender kapoor finds himself surrounding with all kind of problems and difficulty in his professional and personal life. A stage comes when he feels complietly broken and depressed, this is a time her three daughters Kashis, Jaanvi and Riya comes forward and take responsibility to make him come over from all types of faces.Not only this all three of them struggle a lot to achieve their professional goals as well.

The USP of the programme that the honesty can not be bought at any cost.

when any women diside to achieve any target no matter how difficultly is world of her but if, their is a hard determination about any think , she can achieve in her life.

Main lead:

one of the reknwon artist Mr. Rajeev Varma is playing as surrender Kapoor. who has done so many 

Bollywood films including Maine Pyar Kiya.another one TV and Film personality Ms. Sadhika Randhawa is playing as Kashis,elder daughter of Surrender Kapoor.

Vivan Sundaram, Geeta Kapur donate Rs 40 lakh for Biennale

Kochi, Nov 20: Renowned artist Vivan Sundaram and his art-historian wife Geeta Kapur have donated Rs. 40 lakh for the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB), three weeks ahead of its second edition starting next month.

The couple’s donation comes at a time when the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) is raising funds for the 108-day event beginning on December 12.

 

Vivan Sundaram

Septuagenarian Sundaram’s 2012 installation using discarded pottery shards from central Kerala’s Pattanam excavations recaptured the mood of the lost port city at the debut Kochi-Muziris Biennale, where Kapur had addressed symposia and extended immense cooperation.

Sundaram, whose installation ‘Black Gold’ was a talking point at the KMB 2012, said one could presume the strain and labor behind putting together an event of the scale of the biennale. “I have been supporting the biennale right from the start,” said Sundaram, while recalling that he had attempted a biennale in the national capital.

Delhi-based Sundaram said his 2012 work at Aspinwall House entailed a personal expenditure of Rs 10 lakh. “For the organisers, financial difficulties are part of the game,” he noted, hailing KBF’s Bose Krishnamachari and Riyas Komu for having succeeded in organising India’s only biennale.

The impact of such a project is “tremendous”, said Sundaram, both in the exhibition and also the cultural outreach. “The public and private sectors are not very generous, but this needs to be done,” said the 71-year-old artist, who is a nephew of celebrated 20th-century painter Amrita Sher-Gil.

Biennale director Bose Krishnamachari said Sundaram’s contribution would set “a great example” of solidarity and shared responsibility from the artistic and cultural community. “Many key people consider the success of this biennale as a coming to fruition of their own dream project,” he added.

It was last week that KBF launched an online fundraising drive to raise funds for 2014 KMB.

Riyas Komu, Director of Programmes, said KBF was grateful to the continued support from the couple.

“Geeta and Vivan have stood with us through our most trying times and their support, now as in then, is instrumental for the biennale,” he noted. “We are humbled by their dedication and support towards the project. This support coming from an artist and an art historian, who understand the poor state of art infrastructure in the country, will have a positive influence on our society.”

The Foundation hopes that the gesture from Kapur and Sundaram will go a long way in convincing people to extend their support towards the Biennale.

KMB ’14, which is being curated by renowned artist Jitish Kallat, will feature the works of 94 artists from 30 countries.

Tattooing moves from Tribal Areas to Tattoo Studios in Urban Markets

New Delhi, Nov 20: A primitive cultural tradition that flourished in the dust bowls of tribal India is now making a fashion statement in the country’s upscale markets: The art of tattooing is witnessing a vigorous revival as an artistic product with young people flaunting their tattoos as a sign of masculinity, cultural pride, empowerment and even rebellion.   

A distinctive mark of identity generally associated with tribals and lower caste people, tattooing has emerged as a New Age symbol of elitism and a lucrative marketable commodity, the just-concluded 23^rd session of Indian Art History Congress (IAHC) at the National Museum here was told.

“From a cultural tradition to a popular art practice, tattoos are being commoditized as a fashionable product in India’s market economy,” Ms Sarah Haq, a Research Scholar at Delhi School of Economics, told the conclave while presenting a research paper.

While tattooing was seen as a tribal and traditional practice of beautification, prevalent in the seasonal fairs or ‘melas’, it has now moved to the category of an elaborate and sophisticated art, which is more nuanced and stylized. The practitioners identify themselves as ‘artists’ instead of ‘traditional tattoo craftsmen’ while tattooing has moved from the state of a temporary, mobile craft in melas to the market and malls.

“In Delhi, tattooists using old methods can be located on the corners of the street outside Hanuman temple and the Palika market subway. However, the tattoo studio is fast emerging to uphold a monopoly in providing access to artistic tattoos with minimum hazard. The parallel presence of both a tattooist on the street and a tattooist in a studio is a reflection of the nascence of tattooing as a market phenomenon in India that is aided by its social acceptance as an urban and elite product,” the researcher explained.   

“Modern woman goes for tattooing to accentuate her femininity and assert her sexuality while a young male finds it as an expression of his masculinity, virility and the macho image,” said Ms Sarah.

Explaining, she said tattooing is now highly popular among the Jat and Punjabi youth, who can be found wearing the image of Lord Shiva -- an amalgamation of masculine toughness and religious symbol. Similarly, tattooing is popular among young tribal women who are migrating to towns and cities carrying their traditional cultural baggage. Tattooing for them signifies a nostalgic artifact and a symbol of their tribe’s heritage.  

The tradition of tattooing has been prevalent among the Bhils and Santhals in central India, the Kanbis and Warlis in Gujarat, the Banjaras of Rajasthan, and Gonds, Pardhans, Kolam and Korku in Maharashtra. Moving southwards, the Malgasy-Nias-Dravidians of the Malabar Coast have been documented to be using ‘medicinal tattoos’ as cures for physical ailments like rheumatism

In the north-east, the Apatanis, Wanchos, the Noctes and the Mijis of Arunachal Pradesh and the Zommi-Chinn tribes and the Meithi clans of the Senapati Hills have an age-old tradition of tattooing.  Each of the seven Meithi clans has traditionally had its own tattoo symbol as the community’s mark of identity.

The tattoo images and motifs hold manifold meanings for the communities involved. The young and old generations of Kanbi and Warli women practice tattooing on the forehead and cheeks as a mark of beautification as well as a totem. The characteristic tattoo symbol for them is the peepal tree or acasia tree, which is of religious significance. Men of these communities get tattooed the figure of Hindu gods Hanuman, Krishna and the motif of ‘Om’.

Amongst the Santhals, tattooing is limited to women, who wear several small tattoo motifs on their wrists, forearm and chest. For the Santhal women, it is a rite of passage heralding her puberty; and a non-tattooed woman is considered unsuitable for marriage.

As a contrast, “the Apatani tribe used to tattoo its womenfolk to make them unattractive to rival tribes in neighbouring districts, who might otherwise abduct their prettiest women. The tattoos were enforced on the young girls of the community at the age of 7-8 years,” Ms Sarah said, adding: “A tattoo was thus a way to protect the identity of various tribes, revealing an eerie intersection of primitive art and violence.”

Compared to traditional tattoos which defined the social position of women in male-dominated social order, contemporary tattoo art for young women in cities signify individualism, self-affirmation and social mobility, she said.

“In the 1960s, Naxalite groups in Manipur used stars as tattoo marks for their group’s identity, marking the politicization of the art. Since the 80s, tattooing appears to have been associated with the influence of rock and grunge music and increasing availability of psychotropic substances in the region. Like the West, here too tattooing had come to be considered as a deviant practice adopted by social outcasts, substance abusers, insurgent groups,” she pointed out. 

Compared to the earlier limited designs, the modern tattoo market is flooded with elaborate catalogues of images and texts as also of custom-designed tattoos -- tribal motifs, animal figures, pin-up images, typographic tattoos that make a public statement about one’s love affiliations, political and religious ideologies. 

Doordarshan National to relaunch with a new look and feel¬¬¬¬¬

New Delhi, 15^th Nov 2014: Doordarshan National will be unfurling its vibrancy in the grand colors of purple and pink with a fresh palette of programming from Monday, 17^thNovember, 2014. The channel will be re-dedicated to the nation with the byline “Doordarshan National – Desh Ka Apna Channel”. The channel will focus on traditional family values – ‘Rishtey’, Nation Before Self – ‘Rashtra Gaurav’ &  Trustworthiness – ‘Dilon Mein Vishwas’.

The fresh look and feel, with which these shows are slotted, is aimed at recreating the legacy of Doordarshan in providing quality Information, Education & Entertainment.

The new programmes that are to be launched on the channel are:-

At 7 pm - ‘Happy Homes’ – Khatte-meethe jeevan ke rang , starting from 17^th November is a light comedy of unity in diversity when people speaking different languages and from different regions live together in a colony.

At 7:30 pm - ‘Khwabon ke darmiyan’ – Sach aur sapno se jhoojhti zindagi, starting 17^th November. This show will highlight the struggle to bridge the gap between dreams and reality for women in changing social context.

At 8 Pm - ‘Khamosh sa afsana’ – Jidd aur armano ka fasana, starting 17^th November. This serial has a fine cast of talented stalwarts like Tom Alter, Roopa Ganguly, M.K. Raina who are the central characters in a story depicting the struggle of a daughter fighting to balance her work and managing her disabled parents.

 At 9pm - ‘Zindagi ek Bhanwar’ – Rajneeti me mahila ka raaj starting 17^th November. This is a political drama which aims at reaching out to the aspirations of society and desiring changes in quality of life. 

At 9:30 pm - ‘Dard Ka Rishta’ – Badalte Sambandhon ki kahani  starting 17^th November. The story revolves around disregard of the senior citizens in today’s urbanized societies. Sushma Seth will make a comeback on Doordarshan National after almost 30 years with this show.

At 10 pm - ‘Jab Jab Bahar Ayee’ – Janmon ka bandhan ya bandhish, starting 17^th November is a serial which touches upon a dilemma of husband and wife trying to keep their family together and finding happiness not withstanding their personal differences.

Doordarshan National is also building their weekend prime-time with two shows ‘Janmon ka Bandhan’ &‘Prakriti’.

 ‘Janmon ka Bandhan’ – Insaani rishton ka tana bana starting 21^st November, airing Friday to Sunday at 7 pm is a women-centric family drama.  

‘Prakriti’ – Kudrat ko bachane ki jung tracks the story of an ideal forest officer who endeavours to save nature. It is set against the backdrop of scenic Jim Corbett Park. It will air from 22^nd November, every Sat & Sun at 8:30 pm.

“In keeping with our vision for providing wholesome entertainment to audiences across the length and breadth of the country with a public service responsibility, Doordarshan National will be coming with a new look and feel and 8 new shows in prime time.”, said Vijayalaxmi Chhabra, Director General, Doordarshan.

Online crowd-funding drive launched for Kochi Muziris Biennale 2014

·         Organisers of India’s biggest art event target Rs 15 crores in 90 days

Kochi, Nov 15: India's biggest contemporary art event, the Kochi Muziris Biennale has launched an online crowdfunding drive to engage the public and raise much-needed funds for the event.

The Biennale’s campaign, the first-of-its-kind in India, is hosted on the crowdfunding platform Catapoolt and targets Rs 15 crores in 90 days. Social media forums—always good at picking up the sense of urgency in matters—are already abuzz with the news. Ardent KMB supporters MP Shashi Tharoor and film maker Aashiq Abu, both with highly followed twitter accounts, have been quick to retweet the crowdfunding news.

The second edition of the Biennale, curated by renowned artist Jitish Kallat, will run for 108 days starting from December 12 and will feature the works of 94 artists from 30 countries.

“An event of this scale needs all the support it can get, but our campaign objective is not just to raise funds; we want to make it participatory, allow people to take ownership of it and feel proud of it,” said Riyas Komu, the Secretary of the KBF.

Kochi Muziris Biennale 2014 has a projected budget of Rs 26 crore and has been pledged some government support and corporate sponsorship. The crowd-funding drive, besides helping meet part of the costs, is expected to raise the profile of the Biennale worldwide.

“We request everyone to take this donation drive seriously. The Biennale makes a major cultural impact and brings valuable international focus to the region,” said Komu, who co-curated the first Biennale and is an accomplished artist based in Mumbai.

The campaign on Catapoolt, which has worked on 35 crowdfunding projects in India, allows people anywhere in the world to make contributions, big or small, and offers rewards for every contribution made. The site is also accessible through KMB’s official website.

Of the projected Rs 26-crore budget, a chunk would go towards shipment of artists’ works from India and abroad. “While the state government, corporates, individual patrons and art lovers have responded positively, the money has been trickling in,” Komu said.

Satish Kataria, managing director of Catapooolt, said he believed that community support can make events like the Biennale bigger. “Also, it can be made more impactful. We can engage art aficionados around the world to be more participative and celebrate what they love to see,” he added.