Shillong Chamber Choir Ajeeb Dastaan Hai… and the Tagore Number Ekla Chalo INAUGURATION of the FESTIVAL Rey…, Aptly Dubbed Walk Alone
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Price Re. 1/- IIC EXPERIENCE: A FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS, 2018 Elsewhere, they contemporised the familiar picks, like Shillong Chamber Choir Ajeeb dastaan hai… and the Tagore number Ekla chalo INAUGURATION OF THE FESTIVAL rey…, aptly dubbed Walk Alone. The tug at the heart came through in their signature rendition of Chhoti si by Shri N. N. Vohra, President, IIC asha… which they have individualised with simple actions, CONCERT by the Shillong Chamber Choir expressive of the sense of fragility the number evokes. Also, the brevity of the written content of their numbers CONDUCTOR: Neil Nongkynrih allowed for improvisation and musical inclusions, turning 27 October 2018 the performance into a true choir rendition. The IIC Experience: A Festival of the Arts, has become a Veering from reinventing an oft heard cache of numbers, landmark in the capital’s cultural calendar. On 27th October was their ‘Indian train journey’ which recounted musically 2018, Shri N. N. Vohra, President, IIC, inaugurated the 15th the mundane side of travel, in ‘railway lingo’ homilies set edition of the festival, which focused on ‘Experiencing the to rhythm with chai…samosa…veg cutlets, bringing on a North East’. The evening opened to a packed audience in smile of recognition. Others, like the salsa number, made the Fountain Lawns, watching an ongoing film featuring for quicksilver changes in mood. But it was their rendition the geography, tribal heritage and lifestyle of the North of Dancing Queen in action-packed intensity that became East, to the accompaniment of a background commentary the lodestar presentation of the evening. On call was the and photographs of the area. background instrumentation accompanying the singing, the astute coordination of individual singing parts, and The evening’s performance was a much-awaited a strong grip on harmonisation that made the choir an concert by the Shillong Chamber Choir, conducted by experience that will keep alive the IIC Experience all Neil Nongkynrih. Living up to their formidable musical year round. reputation, it was befitting that the audience was given a round-up of their top achievements, including their ■ SUBHRA MAZUMDAR performance at Rashtrapati Bhavan before the visiting US President Barack Obama, as also their collaboration with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, among others. Their concert choices of the evening corroborated these honours with the opening number We Will Meet Again, their voices rising to a sensational crescendo, accompanied by a choice of instrumentation that revved up the mood. Other numbers were attention-grabbing, not because of their affiliation with the greats, such as Ustad Zakir Hussain, the tabla maestro, or their tryst with Amitabh Bachhan or Ehsan Loy, but each number was sheer musical genius. The staccato tabla rhythms transformed into a musical persona where the tabla wafted in the backdrop, while the lyricism of the music gripped one’s immediate attention. Shillong Chamber Choir performing at the Inauguration 1 Present, curated by M. K. Pragya Deb Burman, captured Juxtaposing Past and Present much of the spirit of the region. EXHIBITION What was particularly interesting was the juxtaposition of formula and touristy colour photographs of the present Tripura: Time Past and Time Present with the sepia tones of the 19th century: unlike most CURATED by M. K. Pragya Deb Burman states of India, Tripura was particularly lucky in having INAUGURATION: Dr. (Mrs.) Kapila Vatsyayan a maharaja obsessed with photography. As early as the 1850s, Maharaja Bir Chandra Manikya had been taking 27 to 31 October 2018 daguerreotypes, graduating subsequently to the wet collodion process and the glass plate. By the time he It is perhaps a little known fact that the small state of started a Photographic Club in Agartala, and held annual Tripura was once a large and powerful empire. With photography competitions in the palace, Bir Chandra’s Independence, much of its territory went to what was then reputation as a talented photographer was widely known. East Pakistan (Bangladesh), He soon introduced the new invention to the women in the and today, only a single family. As few of these photographs have come into the national highway connects public domain, it was very interesting to see copies of a Tripura to the rest of our number of them displayed in the exhibition. country. Mentioned in If the overall number of images in the entire exhibition and significant religious texts their accompanying texts were at times a bit overwhelming, as well as in the edicts of the viewer had merely to remind herself that the exhibition Emperor Ashoka, the region brought alive a region and its rich culture in a far more is rich in cultural traditions effective manner than the written word ever can. and archaeological sites. A photographic exhibition ■ MALAVIKA KARLEKAR Maharani Prabha Devi from the Exhibition Tripura: Time Past and Time Cultural Chronicle EXHIBITION The Monpas and Their Mountains. An exhibition of photographs on the Monpas of Arunachal Pradesh and the monastic world of Tawang PHOTOGRAPHS by Vinay Sheel Oberoi 27 to 31 October 2018 The Monpas and their Mountains on view at the Quadrangle Garden We hear the word Monpas, and perhaps we feel a yearning images, with intensely detailed captions, were split into for Arunachal Pradesh where this ethnic community, nine broad sections, covering themes such as Dwellings followers of Tibetan Buddhism, resides, and this is probably and Houses, Manifestations of Faith, Traditional as far as our knowledge goes. But through 79 simple Agriculture and Torgya Festival. and effective images, Vinay Sheel Oberoi dispelled this ignorance and introduced us to a confident, compassionate But the exhibition went beyond an aggregation of pixels; people, not quite familiar, but no strangers either. it provided a vital history lesson. The black-and-white image of the Republic Day salute taken in January 1963 The entry point to the exhibition was a clever collage, by an Indian Frontier Administrative officer was a unique the opening scene to photographs of immense authority document in itself. All the photographs were also a that followed: raw primary landscapes, the Tawang sociological homage by a passionate enthusiast to an Monastery, over three centuries old; construction of a underexposed region. Can such exhibitions create any dzong; women wearing yak hair hats; Brokpa herders; intimacy with unknown spaces? Yes, they expand horizons. young monks sparkling with delight; and yes, fluttering Buddhist prayer flags. Well thought out, the large format ■ MANNIKA CHOPRA 2 A Colourful Weaving Tradition EXHIBITION Unbroken Threads, Broadening Narratives CURATED by Sentila T. Yanger INAUGURATION: Shri Ram Muivah 27 to 31 October 2018 Handicrafts and fabrics from the Ao, Khiamniungan, Sumi, Chakhesang and Yimchungru of Nagaland; threads of divine myth from Manipur; heirloom shawls and textiles Display from Unbroken Threads, Broadening Narratives in the of the Mizos; and contemporary textiles and designer Gandhi–King Plaza couture from the North East—all these were on display at variety of fare from textiles, designer-wear garments; this exhibition. bead necklaces of different designs, most of them quite The textile weaving tradition of the region is a very heavy; clay pottery, cane and bamboo furniture; a variety old one, in most parts handed down from generation of bags; even an array of rather comfortable looking to generation, refined and developed over time. In bedroom slippers. Women sat working at looms specific spite of their recognisable character, the fabrics are to their regions. The Puanpuii quilt from Mizoram was a considerably diverse. special attraction, fluffy as woven snowflakes, an essential Natural fibres such as yak wool, nettle and tree barks are item in a bride’s trousseau. utilised where cotton is not grown. Silk attained distinction The choice is difficult—modernise/commercialise and with the earliest reference to the highly sophisticated silk taper these cultures to extinction; or resist, and let of Kamrupa, the ancient name for Assam, according to them thrive spontaneously; anything in-between is only texts from the 3rd century BC. wishful thinking. A colourful and comprehensive display, it showcased a ■ ARUNA BHOWMICK rioting and insurgencies; Plethora of Subjects empowerment of women; EXHIBITION dichotomies and binaries of old versus new; Blurred Perimeters conflicts and ironies INAUGURATION: Dr. (Smt.) Kapila Vatsyayan governing modern-day COLLABORATION: The Raza Foundation societies; etc. 27 to 10 November 2018 Expressed in a variety of forms and mediums including video pro- Contemporary art from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, jection and perfor- Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura, mance, paintings in curated by Waheeda Ahmed, was showcased as ‘Blurred various media, woodcuts Perimeters’ at the Art Gallery, Kamaladevi Complex. on fabric and rice paper, The art, culture and lifestyle of a region anywhere in the even a ring of barbed wire world manifests its geographical and ecological moorings. on a red cushion, and an The gradual introduction of industry creates huge chasms interesting installation Painting from Blurred Perimeters between existing socio-cultural milieus, and inevitable made of objects ancient transitions ushered in by the process of modernisation. and modern, the works stood unburdened by superfluity True to their ilk, the artists covered a plethora of subjects and overstatement. ranging from a sense of collective suppression