OF PUPPET SHOWS, TEMPLES & MUSEUMS... OUR GRATITUDE TO... Temples and museums, st�eet Our heartfelt gratitude to the following donors for shopping and puppet shows - donating their paintings and photographs to our Indonesia leaves you in awe of museum: it from the star�. The Friends Sujatha Sankar Kumar, Ramesh of DakshinaChit�a (FOD) t�ip Kannan K, Nupur Chatterjee, S. to this beautif�l count�� gives Govindarajan, G.D. Paul Raj & a glimpse of its rich histor� & heritage. The 11-member Sheeba Paul and Deborah Thiagarajan. A Photograph donated g�oup visited various temples and monuments built by successive by Sujatha Sankar Kumar Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic and Dutch r�lers. During their 10-day t�avel they visited the cities of Jakar�a, Bali and Yog�akar�a. The Our sincere thanks to the count�� is famed for Batik printing and silver or�aments. following donors for their valuable donations to Their first stop was the Indonesian National Museum in Jakar�a at our library collections: A contemporary painting donated Merdeka square. Built in the 19th cent�r�, it houses many cult�ral by G.D. Paul Raj & Sheeba Paul t�easures. There is also a room with beautif�l ceramics, bronze Vaishnavi Ramanathan - Old music books sculpt�res of deities & Kreis daggers that show the link bet�een India and Indonesia. The visit to Taman Mini Indonesia, which has life size R.M. Palaniappan - Contemporary catalogues houses built in characteristic st�les of various ethnic g�oups in Dr. K.V Raman - Aavanam journal Indonesia, was fascinating. It was also interesting for them to see the Sunda Kelapa Harbor in Old Jakar�a and the Kraton Palace in Yog�akar�a, the capital of Java. The GWK park in Bali is an iconic space for large gatherings. A halt at the pict�resque Ubud village was wonderf�l as it had paddy fields and a variet� of st�eet shops with native handicraſts.

The distinctive architect�ral st�les seen in various temples such as the DakshinaChitra ON WEEKENDS Muttukadu, East Coast Road, Borobudur, Parambanan and Mendut were par�icularly captivating. Kanchipuram district, WE ARE OPEN The Mendut temple has only one shrine with three st�nning stat�es - 603 112 Tel: 2747 2603 TILL 7 PM inside. One of Lord Buddha and t�o are of Boddhisat�as Vajrapani www.dakshinachitra.net and Avalakotiswara. Borobudur is considered the world’s largest For further information, contact Buddhist temple. The Sukuh & Ceto temples in Surkar�a and Tanah Sarojha: +91 - 9841436149 Lot, Royal Meng�i, and Ulun Dana & Tir�ha Empul temples were Madras Craft Foundation DakshinaChitra is open daily If undelivered, please return to equally breathtaking. from 10 am to 6 pm Closed on Tuesdays. Weekends : 10 am to 7 pm Madras Craft Foundation The t�aditional perfor�ances were one of the highlights of the t�ip. G3 Madhuram Flats The Javanese Shadow Puppet Show or Wayang Kulit in Yog�akar�a & DakshinaChitra is the project of 6 Urur Olcott Road Madras Craft Foundation. Besant Nagar Kecak Fire in Bali were a t�eat to the eyes with the gamelan Chennai - 600 090 orchest�al accompaniment & elaborately cost�med singers. Design and Content : Tel: 2491 8943 / 2446 2435 - Summarised based on the account of Ramesan, FOD member e Phoenix Company Email: [email protected] NEWS AND EVENTS - JANUARY TO MARCH, 2018

WORKSHOPS FOR ADULTS (Timings: 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) Flower Veni W O R K S H O P S March 11 for children Hand made soap Fee: Rs. 3,000/- (The fee for each workshop is inclusive of material & Crème making Resource person: Lalitha and transportation only. Timings: 10.30 a.m. to Januar� 7 4.30 p.m.; Age group: 8 to 14 years). For further Fee: Rs. 3,500/- details, contact Lakshmi: +91- 9841777779. Resource person: Kanchana Kalamkari Warli printing (Fig�rative st�le) on T-shir� March 17 & 18 Januar� 6 Photog�aphy Fee: Rs. 2,000/- Fee: Rs. 800/- Januar� 27 & 28 Resource person: Vijaya Kumar Resource person: Prabhu Fee: Rs. 3,000/- Resource person: CERAMIC WORKSHOPS Poochi Venkat Wheel potter� Januar� 27 Fee: Rs. 800/- Macrame - Wall Resource person: Palani hanging / Bag Febr�ar� 10 & 11 Miniat�re fridge Ceramic Bonsai Miniat�re Model Glazed Mural mag�et making Fee: Rs. 2,500/- Pots Sculpt�re painting on tile Age g�oup: 10 - 14 years Resource person: N. Kantha Januar� 6, 7 & 13 Febr�ar� 3, 4 & 10 March 3, 4 & 10 Febr�ar� 17 Fee: Rs. 4,000/- Fee: Rs. 4,000/- Fee: Rs. 3,000/- Fee: Rs. 1,000/- For f�r�her details and queries, contact our in-house Resource person: Rekha Homemade cookie making ceramist Pot�arasan : +91 - 9840672154. Febr�ar� 18 JAN 24 - MAR 28: VASANTHA VIZHA Decoupage Fee: Rs. 3,000/- Step out of the classroom and March 10 Resource person: Lalitha enter the world of art & craft at Fee: Rs. 800/- DakshinaChitra. Be a part of Resource person: Lakshmi Vasantha Vizha, a fun-filled mela specially organised for COVER DESIGN ART Smocking - cushion making school children. Students will get to watch folk The photograph on the cover page is of a , puppet shows, magic shows and even March 3 & 4 Therukoothu artist. Therukoothu is a form of folk go on a bumpy bullock cart ride! They can see theatre. It is also an integral component of our Fee: Rs. 4,000/- live demonstrations of different crafts including Utsavam festival in March this year. Resource person: Kanchana glass - blowing & weaving. GREETINGS FROM DAKSHINACHITRA JAN 17 - 21: PATTADA KUNITHA, KARNATAKA : FEB 17 - FEB 18 : THE DAM FESTIVAL It has been an eventful year at DakshinaChitra, Performed primarily by men, using tall bamboo Creativity is at the heart of especially because of the 20th year celebrations, poles, the show will be staged by Daiah Janapada this two-day DAM (Design, Kalavidaru from Karnataka. and the energy only goes up further with the new Art & Music) festival. The year. From garden shows to a thought-provoking theme for this year is ‘What JAN 24 - 28 : DAPPU NRITYAM, ANDHRA PRADESH: should I do with my life?’. Let symposium on various art forms, enthralling Performed by Sri Bharathi Kala Samithi, the dance dance performances to art & music festivals, we your imagination run wild as involves beating a tambourine-like drum, creating a you express yourself by participating in our poster bring you a plethora of events in the coming rhythm softened by ankle bells worn by the dancers. year. Read on to find out more... designing, photography & drawing/painting JAN 14 & 15: FOOD & GARDEN FESTIVAL competitions which are open to all upto the age A DASH OF TRADITION TO BEGIN THE NEW YEAR... of 29. From art workshops to community art This annual festival organised installations & discussions on sustainable art, the The new year comes by the Friends of festival is the ideal platform for young artistic with new beginnings Dakshinachitra(FOD) is an minds to showcase their talents. There will also be and promises. But if eagerly anticipated event for a design bazaar apart from food stalls. With there’s one thing that our regular visitors.Traditional breathtaking light installations and movie lives through the sands mouth watering street food screenings, you know you can’t miss this festival! of time, it is tradition. delicacies from the southern Keeping in line with our states prepared by authentic chefs will be FEB 24 - MAR 4 : GOA FESTIVAL mission, we invite you to an energetic served. The garden show will display a variety of Thappattam performance on New Year (January There’s more to Goa than ornamental plants, bonsai, cacti, succulents, its beaches, churches and 1) by Ramki & Troupe from Thiruvannamalai. herbs and medicinal plants. Vegetable & Thappattam is known as one of the oldest food. Delve into its culture flowering plants, seeds & saplings will also be on through our festival which traditional dances of Tamil Nadu where the artists sale besides organic pesticides, manure and beat the Parai(drum) and dance to its rhythm. will recreate the magic of gardening equipment. its traditional folk dances DEC 27 - JAN 28 : VILLAGE FESTIVAL MARCH 3 & 4 : UTSAVAM like Jagaar, Mussal and The month-long festival which began in Utsavam, the annual Dhangar. The performances will be by the December continues in full swing. We promise festival of Shantadurga Vijayate Kala Mandal from Goa. you a heavy dose of entertainment as you get to DakshinaChitra, is a Each performance is unique. The festival will also witness a unique spectacle depicting ancient symposium of music, have an exhibition and sale of crafts made of traditions through mesmerising folk dance and theatre of coconut shell & terracotta, pottery and lacquer performances. From dance to music and even South India. This year's ware among others. drama, there’s a lot to look forward too. Take a theme looks at the MAR 7 - 11: UGADI UTSAV look at our schedule & block those dates! synergy between rural and urban creativity with The five-day long Ugadi JAN 3 - 7 : THIRA POOTHAN, a focus on the arts, particularly on music. The first celebrations will bring to KERALA: A ritualistic art form day will have performances, talks and performed by Raman discussions apart from the launch of our book, life the culture of Andhra Smaraka Poothan Thira Kali 'Tamil Nadu: Mannin Marubu', the first of a series Pradesh with the Sangam. of books planned on the four southern states. traditional Lambadi and The book is sponsored by Rane Foundation and Madhuri dance forms. The JAN 10 - 15 (PONGAL) : TAMIL NADU FOLK DANCES: published by Madras Craft Foundation. The performances will be by the Abhinaya Sudha Dance forms such as Karagattam, Poikal and second day will include a performance of Kala Varadi from Telangana. There will also be a will be performed by Thanjai G.Raju & Kattaikuttu and a talk on its techniques. display and sale of native crafts from Andhra Troupe. (contd...) Pradesh.

KADAMBARI GALLERY DANCING TO THE TUNE OF THE FOLK BEAT... At a time when wester� and VARIJA GALLERY JAN 7 - JAN 31 : contemporar� dance for�s are fast ArtArt BeatBeat gaining popularit�, it takes an ‘Chettinad Thilai Vaasal’ An exhibition of immense effor� to ensure the DEC 23 - JAN 31 : line drawings by impor�ance of native folk dances ‘Crystal Dreams’- K.G.Narendra Babu isn’t lost. Working towards this end An exhibition of artworks for decades now is Thir�. Kannan Kumar, a professional folk dancer by Olaf Van Cleef K.G.Narendra Babu from the Zamin Kodangipatti village of Thoothukudi. Age isn’t a bar�ier MAR 16 – APR 15 : for this 71-year-old who continues to t�ain school children in Chennai in Olaf Van Cleef An exhibition and seminar on the t�aditional folk dances of Tamil Nadu like Devarattam, , ‘Madras Checks: RMHK’ as Karagattam, Thappattam, and Kolattam and mar�ial ar�s like FEB 1 – FEB 10 : part of the CSR funding Silambam. He also teaches them folk music & inst��ments like Tavil, ‘Introspection’- An art initiative by Cholamandalam Ur�mi & Thappu. Thir�. Kumar says that his life changed aſter he was exhibition curated by Investments & Finance approached by the Madras Craſt Foundation to teach folk dances in cit� Neeta Omprakash Company Limited. schools. This was in the 1990s when awareness on these dances was low. showcasing the work of 20 Having found an organisation that shared his passion to sustain these artists from Goa and MAR 17: ‘VIRUDHU’ AWARD FUNCTION dances, he took up the offer. Thir�. Kumar soon settled in Chennai, Odisha joined DakshinaChit�a in 1996 and began teaching here over the The ‘DakshinaChit�a Vir�dhu’ is an annual award instit�ted by weekends. Friends of DakshinaChit�a (FOD) to honour folk perfor�ing FEB 16 - FEB 28 : ar�ists and g�oups for their skill & effor�s to sustain & promote the He recollects how things have changed with time. Initially, these dances ‘Impressions d’encre : field of perfor�ing ar�s. The recommendations for t�oupes from weren’t given much impor�ance. Even in the village, they were perfor�ed From Paris to Chennai’ the four souther� states comes from ex�er�s in the fields and are only during celebrations and were never considered a means of - A group exhibition by then vetted by a jur�. R. Muthukkannamal, a Sadhir dancer from livelihood. It was only aſter the arduous effor�s of organisations like MCF French artists from the Viralimalai, Tamil Nadu, is the recipient of the award for 2018. to include these dances in mainst�eam education that it has received school of Versailles, Sadhir is a pre-colonial in Tamil Nadu. Sadhir was France showcasing due recog�ition. He reminisces how he lear�t the dances from his t�ansfor�ed into Bharatanat�am, a dance for� which later parents as a little boy of 10. There was no for�al t�aining available then. contemporary and traditional styles of printmaking. became acclaimed as one of India’s classical dances. Bor� in a The artists who will be exhibiting their work include dance-proficient family, Mutthukkannammal had been a Thir�. Kumar has t�ained many st�dents Carole Forges, Laurence Bourcier, Mary Faure, KIM Devaradiyar who t�ained under her Natt�vanar father including the inter�s in the CSR-f�nded Myoung Nam, Catherine Lenoir, Diane de and g�andmother. In spite of the diminishing Chamborant, Joëlle Dumont, Nicole Parent, DAK-IMM prog�amme of DakshinaChit�a, pat�onage of the temples and royalt�, she who gave a perfor�ance in December. He Catherine Schvartz and Herman Steins. continued to perfor� in the characteristic st�le ex�lains that lear�ing folk dances keeps you of Sadhir, where the perfor�er dances and sings at the same time, as against the fit and inculcates respect towards t�aditional MAR 4 - MAR 31 : cult�re. While many people these days replace one or more elements in ‘Infinity’- An moder� demarcation. the dance, he st�esses that if t�aditional music, inst��ments & exhibition of paintings by Reji For details about various prog�ammes, log on to our page on choreog�aphy are not followed, the authenticit� of the dance is lost. Facebook : DakshinaChit�a, Chennai, Mutt�kaduor our website: George Visit us over the weekends & watch Thir�. Kumar teach youngsters and Reji George www.dakshinachit�a.net. You can also send us your feedback at dakmcf@g�ail.com visitors the nuances of folk dance.