Are you a lover of arts waiting for a month-long break in a green getaway, amidst interesting souls and a peaceful ambience? Wait till February. Because, that is when Adishakti’s next edition of Remembering Veenapani Festival 2018 will take place. With a line-up of nine performances over three weekends the event is a tribute to its founder Veenapani Chawla. One of the highlights at this edition is Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia’s performance. The organisers have tried to strike a fine balance between theatre, music and dance, says Vinay Kumar, the managing trustee and artistic director of Adishakti.
Classical art forms have always found a place in the festival. “Theatre can embrace everything. It does not have to be puritanically this or that. The festival has always tried to bridge different art forms,” says Kumar. For instance, in the Ramayana festival, they had featured traditional arts. And, it is not surprising because they derive a lot of creative energy from classical art forms such as Koodiyattam . “Veenapani herself was trained in the Dhrupad school of singing. So, we do not find a conflict with traditional arts.”
Plays featured in the festival include international ones. In fact, Chaurasia will be collaborating with a French ensemble, consisting of cello and flute. Another one is a production born out of a Berlin-India collaboration, where the artistes present a dance-theatre piece exploring different kinds of migration. No Rest In The Kingdom by Deepika Arwind questioning gender stereotypes and patriarchy that featured in The Hindu Theatre Fest this year is another highlight.
Shakespeare lovers will get to see a subversive take on Macbeth in Rupesh Tillu’s Madbeth , who will reinvent the classic through a clown act. A contemporary dance presentation by Preeti Athreya rounds off the last weekend, along with an Electro flute presentation by Salim Nair from Kochi. Movement and theatre find their intricate link in Agent Provocateur, a dance-theatre piece from Mumbai.
The festival has been conceptualised keeping the lush green ambience of Adishakti in mind. “However, the work will speak louder than the venue, which has always been the same. But, it is an experience in itself staying on campus. People keep coming back to Adishakti for the performances. February will also be a time when a lot of travellers will drop by the campus to stay over.”
BANGALORE, 28/07/2012: Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia, flautist, performing during 'Barkha Ritu', an annual monsoon-themed concert, at Chowdaiah Hall in Bangalore on July 28, 2012. Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash
The performances are free and open to all. But, they are inviting funds for the festival. The idea is to keep encouraging the performers’ fraternity. Kumar says, “We can manage the infrastructure. However, we need money to ensure the transportation fee and honorary performance fee to be given to each company. All of us as performers need to survive at the end of the day.”
The festival’s journey in the last three years has been an interesting one filled with suggestions from fellow thespians, art lovers and friends, says Kumar. “We started the festival four years ago. It was conceptualised randomly first year. But we received tremendous response. Even now, people ask us if they can come and perform. The artistes are demanding that the festival goes on. We are receiving a lot of enquiries. It has given rise to a special kind of partnership.”
The idea is to form a dialogue and not have an agenda. “While curating content, the idea is to give all kinds of experience. The moment I have an agenda, a certain kind of politics creeps in. It has to correspond with my ideology. We have a lot of friends; we also take into account their suggestions while selecting the performances.”
The festival will be held from February 3 to 18. To donate for the festival, log on to ketto.org/remembering veenapani or do an account transfer via Adishakti’s website. The bank details are available on adishaktitheatrearts.com . For more details, visit the website or follow Adishakti’s Facebook page.
