INTERFACE
Rubaru (Interface)
The Urdu word Rubaru means face to face.
It is a series of talks, presentations, demonstrations, workshops, etc. on
different issues organized by the Aseem Asha Foundation. Following are the major
categories.
Talks
Date: 9th
January 2012
Time: From 5 to 6 PM
Place: Dayar I Mir Taqi Mir, Near
Administrative Block, Jamia Millia Islamia
Theme: Kitsch and Art
Speaker: Dr. Partha Banerjee
Highlights:
He talked about Rabindra Sangeet and Rabindra Artists. He appreciated the work
of the Aseem Asha Foundation by highlighting the difference between art and Kitsch.
He briefly described Bengal Renaissance and said “The real message of Tagore’s
poem and work is the emancipation”. In the contemporary scenario, real art is being
secluded from mainstream media and conversation. The country is overwhelmed by
the Kitsch rather than real art form e.g. if we talk about dance then we could
only imagine Bollywood songs. Youth should understand the difference between
Art and Non-Art since Non-Art is now being imposed on us as an Art that needs
to be addressed immediately. He was amazed by Udaan Community Film Festival at
Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, and had such a wonderful experience talking to
the young students about Tagore and artistic empowerment. He was deeply touched
by organizational prowess, and that too, without any outside financial support.
He was delighted to see the positive response to his discussion on kitsch and
art.
Date: Saturday, 7th May 2016
Time: From 1:30 to 2 PM
Place: Faculty
of Fine Arts, Jamia Millia Islamia
Theme: The most inspiring life
lessons
Speaker: Padma Bhushan Ram V Sutar
Highlights:
After the screening of the film “Teen Kala Premi aur Teen Kalakaar”
based on the works of Ram V Sutar made by Hasan Raza, Mohd Ayaan & Adnan
Ahmad, students of Sanshrey, Aseem Asha Foundation. He talked about the
various obstacles that he faced while becoming a celebrated sculptor. He loves
JMI and wanted to visit sometimes, it was honoring that Aseem Asha could fulfill
his wish and invited him for the talk during Tagore Utsav in collaboration with
Faculty of Fine Art, Jamia Millia Islamia. He firmly advocated that students
need to be very strong to get success in life. Since students were curious to know
about his ongoing work then Sutar described the making process and features of
the world’s largest statue “Statue of Unity” dedicated to Iron man of India
Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. "The
statue is one of my dream projects. It is 522 feet high and weighs around 1,600
tons. The head itself has a dimension of 70 feet. The statue symbolizes unity
in the face of adversity. It is about a man who united India when the country
was on the path of division. It will be completed in two years," says
Sutar. Later he added that nature is his best teacher and he is very much
obliged to it. He motivated participants to never let their dreams die and
keep their imaginations wild.
Date: Monday, 7th May,
2018
Time: From 12:30 to 1:30 PM
Place: Kiran
Nadar Museum of Arts
Theme: Chief Guest Note
Speaker: Dr. Nuzhat Kazmi
Highlights: Dr. Nuzhat Kazmi interacted with students in a very warm & compassionate manner to motivate them. In the beginning she appreciated the efforts of Aseem Asha Foundation for organizing Tagore Utsav and praised participants for expressing their feelings through dance, brush, paints sculpture etc. “Where the mind is without fear is very beautiful line from Tagore’s poem It says you should be free and nobody can keep you unhappy or disappointed” she said. Concludingly she suggested them to study diligently and learn multiple languages for expressions and success besides taking care of your health.
Date: Monday, 8th May 2017
Time: From 12 to 1:45 PM
Place: Faculty
of Fine Arts, Jamia Millia Islamia
Theme: Chief Guest Note
Speaker: Ina Puri
Highlights: She was the chief guest in Tagore Utsav and explained
her experiences from Bengal. She firmly believed that children should remain
connected to the nature in order to get success in life. She was spell bound to
see various artistic activities done by the students of Aseem Asha Foundation
such as dance drama based on Tagore’s stories, paintings made by budding artist
during an Art Competition, Embroidery paintings made by the community
embroiders of Aseem Asha. She was also surprised to see enthusiasm of non-Bengali
students in appreciating the Tagore’s work so much. Lastly, she said “freedom
is very important and never compromise with the dreams that we see”.
Date: Tuesday, 9th May 2017
Time: From 4:30 to 7 PM
Place: Faculty
of Fine Arts, Jamia Millia Islamia
Theme: Chief Guest note: Concluding
Remark
Speaker: Rana Safvi
Highlights:
She had delivered a talk about the importance of history on how right history
helps us to connect with our tradition and inspires to do better in the times
coming ahead. Rana believes and preached
the idea of Ganaga Jamuni Tehzeeb, she said that we should be proud about our
cultural pluralism and take this legacy forward with the same pride.
Rabindranath Tagore is the Almbardar of this cultural heterogenization
hence the birthday celebration of visionaries like Tagore holds a great
importance. At the end, she distributed prizes to the participants and praised
their works as well.
Date:
Tuesday, 8th May 2018
Time: 11:20 AM to 12 PM
Place: Kiran
Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi
Theme: Reminiscing Tagore
Speaker: Padma Vibhushan Dr. Sonal Mansingh
Highlights:
Padma Vibhushan Dr. Sonal Mansingh was the chief guest
of 7th Tagore Utsav, she was very happy to attend the celebration of
Gurudev Tagore's 152nd Birthday at Kiran Nadar Museum of Arts. speaking on the
event she stressed on the importance of knowing and learning Tagore. She was
astonished by the positive energy and clean vibrations emanating from all who
were present at that time. She was also moved by the short films screened as a
part of the 29 Udaan Community film festival and said, "It was a humbling
moment to see the short films scripted, acted, spoken and produced by the
children/ young girls and boys from Aseem Asha & Apne Aap Women Worldwide.
Dr. Mansingh expressed her gratitude by accepting a handmade souvenir made by
the community artists. “Dancers are not limited to dance or musician are not
confined for Music only in fact each artist has a multi-facet personality that we
have to acknowledge and admire and always thrive to learn from the rich
literary heritage of India as it has diversified languages,” She said.
Date: Tuesday, 8th May
2018
Time: From 4:45 to 5 PM
Place: Kiran
Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi
Theme: Tagore’s home and its women
Speaker: Aruna Chakravarti
Highlights:
Aruna Chakravarti discussed about the Tagore’s home
and its women with reference to her books “Jorasanko 2013” & “Daughters of
Jorasanko 2016”. She also talked about the thought process and research work
that she did while writing her two books. She had never visited to Kolkata yet
she chose to write a book influenced with Kolkata’s culture. She lived a
traditional Bengali Life like eating food, clothing, music, reading stories etc.
She was saddened to know that people are unaware about such a legendry woman
from Tagore’s family. “Tagore’s wife Mrinalini Devi helped Tagore a lot in his
difficult times and she is considered to be the founder of Shanti Niketan as
Tagore had no money when he thought about it so she gave her all jewelry for
the same. She used to cook food for the boys, wash their clothes, nurse them
and take care of everything. Owing to handling such huge responsibilities and
burden she become ill and died at the young age of 28 or 30” Aruna added.
In the
first book she evoked high politics, romance, tragedy and the little things
that make up a family life in Jorasanko, Kolkata - the family home of the
Tagores. Jorasanko was right at the hub of the Bengal Renaissance, with the
family at the forefront of the movement, and its women playing a pivotal role. Aruna
Chakravarti provided a fascinating account of how the Tagore women influenced
and were int urn influenced by their illustrious male counterparts, the times
they lived in and the family they belonged to. She painted memorable portraits
of women like Digambari, Dwarkanath's strong-willed wife who refused to accept
her husband's dalliance with alcohol and Western ways; Sarada Sundari, the
obese, indolent but devoted wife of Debendranath, who was appalled to see the
old-world order slipping by. There were also the young daughters and
daughters-in-law. The tough, resourceful Jnanadanandini who gave the women of
Bengal a new way of wearing the sari and initiated the concept of 'nuclear
family'; Swarnakumari, universally acknowledged as a pioneer of women's writing
in India. Jorasanko reflected the hopes and fears, triumphs and defeats that
the women of the Tagore household experienced in their intricate interpersonal
relationships, as well as the adjustments they were continually called upon to
make as daughters and daughters-in-law of one of the most eminent families of
the land. In the second book “Daughters of Jorasanko” which is a sequel to the
bestselling novel Jorasanko explores Rabindranath Tagore’s engagement with the
freedom movement and his vision for holistic education, brings alive his
latter-day muses Ranu Adhikari and Victoria Ocampo and maps the histories of
the Tagore women.
Date: Tuesday, 8th May
2018
Time: From 12 to 12:15 PM
Place: Kiran
Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi
Theme: Documentaries are the
real-life portraits
Speaker: Aruna Vasudev
Highlights:
Aruna Vasudev had an informal talk about the films made by students of Aseem
Asha Foundation that were screened during 29 Udaan Community Film
Festival. She focused on how documentaries play an important role in our life
and also emphasized the documentation of original art forms through visuals and
sounds that usually being neglected by the mainstream media. “One should
refrain from fiction cinema and focused on real life documentaries” she said.
Aruna also, praised community film makers saying “I am very thankful to such
budding and enthusiastic film makers who showed me those issues and places
which were unheard and unseen” .She was impressed by the use of technology by
these amateur film makers in very lucid manner to come with such remarkable
films that highlight the magnitude of problems in such intensity.
Date: Monday, 8th May,
2017
Time: From 3 to 3:45 PM
Place: Jamia Millia Islamia
Theme: Flaws in the education system
of India
Presenter: Vikramjeet Singh Rooprai
Highlights: Although being a
heritage activist Vikram highlighted the flaws in Indian education system
explaining the reasons behind the downfall of students in spite of attending
schools. There are many evident drawbacks in the Indian educational
system. Students lose interest in a subject as the teaching methodology
and pedagogy is ineffective and uninteresting. Practical knowledge and
application of whatever they learn within the confines of a classroom is
absolutely necessary, this is another factor that is overlooked in the
educational system. Moreover, there is also a severe dearth of classes on life
skills, mental health, financial literacy, sex education which are
indispensable. Even at the most basic levels, addressing these topics are
absolutely necessary, especially in country like India where there are so many
taboos, stigmas and stereotypes attached to them. Another major shortcoming in
the Indian education system is how it puts an unhealthy amount of emphasis on
marks and grades. Most teachers and parents believe that students thrive under
pressure only. There is a lack of interest in explaining the reasons behind the
things we do that discourages students’ rational capacity. Further Vikram also
suggested some ways to improve the quality education such as the funds are
allocated to the educational sector must be increased and steady implementation
of the Right to Education (RTE) Act should be promoted.
Date: Tuesday, 9th May,
2017
Time: From 2 to 2:45 PM
Place: Jamia Millia Islamia
Theme: Fashion as an Art Form
Presenter: Jatin Kochchar
Highlights: “If you want to do big things in your life then start doing small
things properly by yourselves” Jattin started his conversion with these
inspirational words and talked with students on fashion as an art form.
Historically, fashion has rarely been elevated to the same stature as painting,
music, sculpture or architecture. But fashion is one of the purest expressions
of art because it is art lived on a daily basis. He also
underlined on how to become a successful fashion designer by citing his
struggle for the same and said “You must have the inherent talent because when
you go to the institute to study, they only teach the technicality, they only
teach you to cut a stitch but how you wish to apply that knowledge that ability
has to be within you that they cannot teach you”. During the session he
motivated students to have a demo fashion walk and explained the technicalities
of it such as how to look confident while ramp walk, how to dress yourself,
expressions and poses etc. Further, he discussed about the knowledge, creativity,
concept, understanding required to become a designer as only designing and
wearing clothes doesn’t make a designer in fact its beyond that. He also
reinforced attendees to take fashion sincerely as other careers and said “I
will strongly recommend that make your foundation really strong, stop
complaining about too much work, it’s your choice, so just keep on working. If
you are unhappy of doing something then you are doing wrong things. Only if you
are happy then you can function and do something productive.” Besides it
Kochar also stressed on causes of misery i.e. Expectation and Comparison hence
once should always refrain form these things to be at peace. Fashion is a
manifestation of human art and communication. The art we wear and live
with is the art we become, every art reflects who we are and who
we aspire to be.
Interviews
Date: Sunday, 8th May 2016
Time: From 3 to 4 PM
Place: Jamia Millia Islamia
Interviewer:
Aseem Usman
Interviewee: Harsh Mayar
Aseem Asha
Usman: With a PG in Development Communication from AJK MCRC, Jamia University,
Aseem Asha Usman, a trained filmmaker, focuses his creative skills to
highlight the issues of marginalized communities. Funded by UNESCO, QUT
(Adelaide, Australia), and UNDP, he developed a project called “Finding a
Voice”. He steadfastly believes in the use of various art forms to bring about
positive social development and cultural promotion. Inspired by Tagore’s love
for nature and its beauty, he indulges in writing and composing Sufi
poetry. Aseem has been instrumental in
promoting global peace and brotherhood through making short films on local as
well as celebrated artists with the help of his creative group (Sanshrey).
Aseem has worked extensively on various issues such as health,
education, environment, trafficking, domestic violence, peace, art &
culture, etc. Aseem is the recipient of Global Indian ‘KARMAVEER PURASKAR’ which
was given to him in December 2011 for his creative peace initiatives.
Theme: An Interview with Bollywood
Star
Highlights:
“I call myself a Joker,” said Bollywood actor Harsh Mayar during an interview
session led by Aseem Usman on his film journey. A huge gathering of college and
school students caught sight of the interview and enjoyed the demonstration of
his self-composed rap song. During the session, Harsh recalled the initial stage
of his career and said “I gave around 200 auditions for singing, dancing, and
acting, before ‘I Am Kalam’ director Nila Madhab Panda picked me for the role”.
He shared some sweet and sour experiences while shooting for the I am Kalam movie.
At the request of audience, Harsh did mimicry of some Bollywood stars such as
Amitabh Bachchan, Nana Patekar, Shahrukh Khan & Raj Kumar, they enjoyed it
a lot. Further, he elucidated his struggle for new films saying that he was
growing up, his looks also changed hence people didn’t recognize him anymore. He
had to start from scratch to re-establish himself and he did 5 films after I am
Kalam which went unnoticed. While struggling with his career in Bollywood he
got a break in Hollywood as well with the constant support of people from the film
industry of India and abroad. He also met eminent personalities like APJ Abdul
Kalam Azad & Amitabh Bachchan. Towards the end of the interview he added “No
matter how big an actor I become in the future, I will always like to be known by
the name Kalam, a name that changed many lives and mine too”.
Date: Tuesday, 8th May 2018
Time: From 2:30 to 3:30 PM
Place: Kiran Nadar Museum of Art
Interviewer:
Iqra Raza
Interviewee: Indira Varma
Iqra Raza is a third-year literature student at Zakir
Husain Delhi College, University of Delhi. An avid reader, a debater, and a
writer, she has been the editor of her college magazine for three years now.
Her poems have been published in various journals and anthologies; and she was
also awarded the silver prize in the International Writing Competition in 2014,
organized by The Royal Commonwealth Society.
Theme: Rendezvous
with Indira Varma
Highlights:
Iqra Raza began the interview session with noted poet
Indira Varma with some of the glimpses from her childhood as she mentioned that
she hails from a very humble and privileged family but due to partition she moved
to Delhi from Peshawar. During the childhood she loved to listen poetries of
legendary Urdu poets and recited a couplet of Allama Iqbal “Girte hain
shahsawar hi maidaan-e-jung mei Woh tifl kya girenge jo ghutno ke bal chale”.
“Poor got a new status called the refugees. No house no food no school. I
turned 7 in independent India” Indira added while speaking the influence of
partition on her poetry. She got the privileged to be the disciple of poets
like Zehra Nigah and Faiz Saab. She feels a deep connection with poetry and
expressed her feelings saying “I am never lonely. I smile with poetry, cry with
poetry, express my sadness or happiness whatever it maybe at that moment.”
Indira Varma also a founding member of Shame Ghazal a platform for poets
and artist with her Guru Kaokub Durry in association with India International
Center in 1968. During her visits to different parts of India and Pakistan
usually Bengali groups hosted her who used to sing Tagore’s song in a sweet
voice for hours. “I felt akin with his subdued way of expression.” She said on
getting inspired from Tagore. Later she shared with the audience that in one of
the most famous Pak serials on Partition “Ek Safar” her Nazam was
made into a theme song.
“Kabi murh
ke phir usi raah par na to aaye tum na to aaye hum
Kabhi faaslon
ko samait kar na to aaye tum na to aaye hum”
This theme song depicts
remorse between our two Countries and our two Nationalities instead of two
persons. Further Indira stressed on the theme and range of poetry and said “Poetry
is like the soul or the Birds of peace it transcends all barriers for peace and
Love. It needs no visa”. She has clothed several poems of Tagore in the
many-splendored robes that only a language as seductively sweet as Urdu can
provide. For instance, a poem such as Aami chini go chini tomare that is
brimful with an aching love for a distant beloved has been translated as:
Tum se shanasa dil hua, us paar ke sanam Sagar ke paar rehte ho us paar ke
sanam
(I know you, know you, O lady from foreign land You
live across the ocean, O lady from foreign land).
At the end
of the interview, she also recited some more poems from her book “Romancing
Tagore” such as “Garmi Ki wo Thehri Hui Raat” “Chupke Chupke”
“Tumse Shanasa” etc.
Workshops
Date: Saturday, 7th May,
2016
Time: From 2 to 3 PM
Place: Jamia Millia Islamia
Trainer: Mariyam Karim Ahlawat
Theme: Poetry Appreciation
Highlights:
During the workshop, Mariyam taught various things to students about poems and
short stories. She discussed the techniques, forms, genre, elements &
ornamentation of poetry. Almost 25-30 students took part in the workshop. She
encompassed & highlighted key poetic terms and devices in poetry by
reciting some curated poems including her own compositions with background
human voices to give them a real feel and focused on rhyming words such as
boom, boom, boom; zoom, zoom, zoom. Later, Mariyam encouraged participants to
write new poem drafts from a selected number of prompts. She said, “Think about
the cartoon characters that you see in your daily lives and form your own one
inspired by nature such as Trees, Plants, Stones Mountains, etc.” Throughout the
workshop participants had the opportunity to get feedback on work for more
polished poems.
Date: Monday, 9th May 2016
Time: From 9 to 11 PM
Place: Jamia Millia Islamia
Trainer: Inku Kumar
Theme: Creative Calligraphy
Highlights:
The workshop was attended by students from different public, private and
government schools. By describing the dichotomy between normal writing and
calligraphy he demonstrated his works based on various techniques such as Brush
pen calligraphy, flash nib calligraphy, Italic Roman calligraphy, Water Brush
calligraphy, Devanagari Hindi calligraphy, Experimental calligraphy etc. Inku
is passionate about art and demonstrated his skills by writing “Tagore Utsav”
in Roman Hindi language, participants gazed at it and tried their hands-on
different techniques mentioned by him. He appreciated the work of attendees and
motivated them to practice it regularly in order to become acquainted with it.
Date: Tuesday, 9th May 2017
Time: From 10 AM to 12 PM
Place: Jamia Millia Islamia
Trainers: Mahua Shankar & Nupur Shankar
Nupur Shankar hails from a family of
reputed performing artists. Both her parents, Late. Shri Pradeep Shankar and
Shrimati Rekha Shankar were disciples of Kathak Maestro Padma Vibhushan Pandit Birju
Maharaj. She took her basic training in vocals from Late. Padmadevi Mudgal and
has been training in Thumri under the tutelage of Pandit Birju Maharaj. Along
with vocals, Nupur Shankar has also done professional acting (dramatics) under
the guidance of eminent theatre personalities of the National School of Drama.
Nupur has earned heady acclaim for her contribution to classical art forms.
Theme: Kathak
Highlights:
The workshop based on Indian classical dance form Kathak was attended by
students of Public, Private, Government schools and the Aseem Asha Foundation.
Trainers commenced the session by describing Kathak and its importance in
Indian classical dance forms. Mahua talked about various beginner concepts such
as how to perform Kathak in a graceful manner and transform it into
choreography with ease, Guru Shishya Parampara, Guru Vandana, observational
abilities, etc. Afterward, they demonstrated basic steps in traditional Kathak
such as Padamyaas or Tatkar (Footwork), Ras (Expression), Hasth
Mudra (Palm gestures), and many more. At the end of the workshop trainers
motivated participants to perform a piece of Kathak, they encouraged their
participation and proposed improvement wherever required.
Date: Sunday, 7th May 2017
Time: From 10 AM to 12 PM
Place: Jamia Millia Islamia
Trainer: Rohit Suri
Theme: Photography
Highlights:
Rohit Suri initiated the workshop by describing basic elements and technical
terms in photography. He talked about various parts of DSLR camera, photography
skills and aesthetics, Posing and portraiture, sensors, exposure, principles of
compositions and shot framing etc. He also mentioned different lighting
situation to create drama in photos using several types of lights such Flat light,
Broad light, Short light, Split light, Butterfly light,
Loop light etc. Students of Aseem Asha Foundation & Government, Public
and Private schools participated in this workshop. Budding photographers
learned a lot from him, they captured the photos during the session and got
valuable feedbacks from Rohit.
Date & Time: 7th
May 2016
Trainer: Mir Imtiyaz
Theme: Sculpting
Highlights:
Initially Mir Imtiyaz interacted with attendees and defined two most important elements
of sculpture—mass and space, they are separable only in thought.
All sculpture is made of a material substance that has mass and exists
in three-dimensional space. Mir and his
students demonstrated how to make small pieces of sculpture with different
techniques such as molding, modeling, carving, aching, moquette, relief etc.
They taught how to form basic shapes and combine them into completed finished
sculptures besides demonstrating the use of sculpting tools to refine surfaces
and add details. They focused on refining the student’s ability to work with
sculpting tools & techniques. Participants learnt how to design their
own projects, using references for inspiration such as Tagore’s head, flowers,
jewelries, animals, toys, basket, kitchen utensils etc. Further Mir emphasized on
benefits of sculpting e.g. it awakens creativity, helps to develop
visualization and interpretive abilities, sharpens hand-eye coordination
and motor skills, builds confidence and many more. Members received one-on-one
guidance through every step of their learning during workshop having familiarization
with the materials and tools.
Master
Classes
Date and Time: 8th
May 2016 from 4 to 5 PM
Place: Jamia Millia Islamia
Theme: Pictorial Calligraphy:
Becoming Friends with Pen and Alphabet
Presenter: Qamar Dagar
Highlights:
Firstly, Qamar Dagar showed her work and discussed about basic essence of
pictorial calligraphy. She explained the way to become friend with alphabets in
which pen plays a very vital role and motivated students to notice the image or
symbol whenever they say or hear any word such as “Zaeef”. She selects
words like Khaas (special), Silsila (continuity), Jashn
(celebration) or Noor (eternal light) and interpret them as she
understands their meaning and spirit through calligraphy. Qamar had detailed
discussion on her work “Jashn” with students and said “I usually mix
Hindi and Urdu scripts to make a piece of work”. The journey from one stroke
to many is a natural process of evolution where the creator, the
artist and the created expressions are evolving alike. She is fascinated and
moved by the fact that a few strokes or sometimes one stroke can create a
lifelike image. Participants got an idea of unique form of art that combines
words and pictures. “If you hurry, the ink will dry faster and the stroke will
turn prosaic. Go slow, let the stroke take its time to begin and end. Like
life, there is a beginning and an end, how you use the pen will decide the fate
of the letter. Think of calligraphy as if you were living a lifetime in the
moment,” Qamar taught in her mellifluous voice. Lastly, students attempted to
do some pictorial calligraphy that were appreciated by Qamar, she provided
improvisation ideas as well.
Panel Discussions
Date and Time: 8th
May, 2016
Time: from 12 to 3 PM
Place: Jamia Millia Islamia
Theme: The history of Indian Cinema
Panelists: Aruna
Vasudev & Manoj Srivastav
Moderator: Yaseen Anwar
Manoj
Srivastava is an ex-CEO, Entertainment Society of Goa & pioneer of MSM
Worldwide, who headed the International Film Festival of India, for the Goa
Government and headed National Film Awards for eight years at the Directorate
of Film Festivals, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.
Having served on international film festival juries, he was appointed an
Observer at the Berlin Film Festival (Berlinale), European Film Market in the
years 2012 and 2013. He has delivered lectures in several institutions such as
IIT Delhi, IIM Ahmedabad, FTII Pune, Amity University to name a few. He writes
extensively on Indian and Foreign Cinema and has completed a book on the
history of Indian Cinema, Wide Angle: History of Indian Cinema etc.
Yaseen
Anwar is a polyglot Indian poet. He founded "Kaafiya: The Poetry Festival'
in the year 2015, and is festival Director for the same. Felicitated with Young
Poet Award 2012 by the Indian Poetry Society, his translated work can be found
and read in Chinese, Portuguese, Hindi, and a few other languages. As a
literary benefactor, he has chaired several sessions as a speaker/feature
poet/moderator/guest speaker/ guest poet at premier educational
institutions and literary festivals.
Highlights: The panelists presented the facts about the Indian Cinema. Aruna Vasudev expressed her views saying that films give audiences a chance to understand so many things one takes for granted. It opens one’s mind and brings to life so much that is happening around us and the incredible talents that exist that we have not even been aware of. She had briefly talked about the History of Indian Cinema from Raja Harishchand till the date and how these films were composed and what were the objection raised on them. She criticized the Censorship in a very subtle manner that was imposed at very early stage of Cinema. Talking about community films Vasudev said, “I would like to congratulate the Aseem Asha Foundation which focusses on uprising communities through films. There are so many community, regional & local films that you cannot see in cinema halls. These films help you rediscover diversity in India, provoke thinking, promote local cultures and also look within yourself.” Further she also highlighted the importance of small theatre shows that played a huge role in French Revolution.
Manoj Srivastava
briefly talked about the nature of films with reference to his book “Wide
Angle: History of Indian Cinema” which is a highly respected work on
Cinema. He discussed some peculiar questions pertaining to Indian cinema such
as Why does Indian Cinema look different, sound different and is so lengthy?
Are we a society that is exactly like our Cinema? Have you ever called your
spouse ‘Sajni or Sajna’ or ‘Saiyan’ or ‘Balam’?
Perhaps no, then why does our Cinema use these words? Initially Manoj shared
that in 1896, India was first exposed to motion pictures when the
Lumiere Brothers' Cinematographer showed six soundless short films on
July 7 in Bombay. The audience were thrilled and wanted to have some more
films from India as well. “The film show was attended by Britishers only as
Indians were not allowed” Aruna added. Parsi theater shows were very popular
then which were around 3hour long having multiple songs, hence in order to
compete with them Indian cinema adapted the concept consequently Bollywood
films are lengthy now and have many songs. The attendees were overwhelmed by
the facts presented to them. The discussion was attended by film personalities
including actor Harsh Mayar.
Date and Time: 8th
May 2017 from 1 to 1:45 PM
Place: Jamia Millia Islamia
Themes: The Art Forms
Panelists: Padma
Shree Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar, Ina Puri, Sukrita Paul Kumar, Bhai Chand Patel
& Sadhna Srivastava
Moderator: Yaseen Anwar
Sukrita Paul Kumar is a
well-known poet and critic. She held the Aruna Asaf Ali Chair at Delhi
University till recently. Formerly, a Fellow of the Indian Institute of
Advanced Study, Shimla, she is also Fellow of the International Writing
Programme, Iowa (USA) & Hong Kong Baptist University. Honorary faculty,
Durrell Centre at Corfu (Greece), she has been a recipient of many prestigious
fellowships and residencies. Also, a known translator and an artist she has
published several poetry collections and many critical books. Dream Catcher,
Untitled and Poems Come Home (with Hindustani translations of her
poems by Gulzar) are her most recent collections of poems. Many of her poems
come out of her experience of working with the homeless, the street children
and Tsunami victims. Her poems have been translated into many languages in India
and abroad.
Sadhna Shrivastav started her career with Doordarshan when
electronic media landed on the Indian shores. A multifaceted personality, she
has contributed to the media and the field of culture in the roles of a
consultant and coordinator of international and national festivals, television
anchor, stage compere, and director of documentaries and serials. The
International Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed in 2009, by the International
Congress of Women, and Award for Outstanding Contribution from the Govt. of
Poland, 2011 are acknowledgments of her perseverance and dedication to the
cause of cultural and creative vocation.
Bhaichand Patel is the author of four books, Chasing the Good
Life, Happy Hours; Penguin Book of Cocktails, Bollywood’s Top Twenty;
Superstars of Indian Cinema and his first novel, Mothers, Lovers and Other
Strangers. The novel has been translated and published in Hindi under the
title, Haath Ki Lakeeren. Mr.
Patel, a Fiji national, lives in New Delhi and writes for various newspapers
and magazines. He has served on juries at various international film festivals.
He practiced as a barrister in Bombay High Court until 1971 when he joined the
United Nations Secretariat in New York. In February this year the Government of
Fiji awarded him the country’s highest award, the Order of Fiji.
Renowned Dhrupad
Singer Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar represents the twentieth unbroken
generation of musicians of the Dagar family. He is the nephew and son of Dagar
Brothers (Ustad N.Zahiruddin Dagar and Ustad N.Faiyazuddin Dagar). His
rendition of dhrupad is a unique blend of his uncle’s training, his father’s
quality of voice and temperament, his own personality and his in-depth
knowledge of the characteristic styles of his elders. Typically, in his alap,
he fills every note with space and colour; he travels extensively and easily
across three octaves delineating the personality of the raga in all clarity. He
brought Dhrupad to the world music scene with his CD recorded for UNESCO, which
is included in the list of World Intangible Heritage. In 2010 the Government of
India conferred the Padma Shree upon him for his contribution to Dhrupad.
Roobina
Karode is the Director and Chief Curator of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art
(KNMA). She has the rare combination of two distinct post-graduate
specializations in Fine Arts (Art History) and Education. Roobina has taught
Western and Indian Art History for over fifteen years at various universities/
institutions including College of Art, the National Museum Institute, Jamia
Millia Islamia and the School of Art & Aesthetics at Jawaharlal Nehru
University in New Delhi. She has curated more than 18 major exhibitions at the
KNMA
Yaseen
Anwar is a polyglot Indian poet. He founded "Kaafiya: The Poetry Festival'
in the year 2015, and is festival Director for the same. Felicitated with Young
Poet Award 2012 by the Indian Poetry Society, his translated work can be found
and read in Chinese, Portuguese, Hindi, and a few other languages. As a
literary benefactor, he has chaired several sessions as a speaker / feature
poet / moderator / guest speaker/ guest poet at premier educational
institutions and literary festivals.
Highlights:
This panel discussion was the convergence of artists from the wide range of
Arts. Music is generally perceived as the most universal of all art forms.
Dhrupad Exponent Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar talks about the dhrupad as an art form.
He said that Dhrupad is the most ancient style of Hindustani classical music
that has survived until today in its original form. The nature of Dhrupad music
is spiritual. seeking not to entertain, but to induce feelings of peace and
contemplation in the listener. The word Dhrupad is derived from DHRUVA the
steadfast evening star that moves through our galaxy and PADA meaning poetry. Bhai
Chand Patel explains his art form with reference to writings. He emphasized
that we should develop the habit of reading in order to take forward the legacy
of literature. He also inspired audience to read books and write some short
pieces in order to be connected with their roots. “It (Literature) can sell
only if it is exceptionally well-written, peppered with enough true-life
anecdotes to hold the readers’ interest” Bhai added.
Sadhna
Srivastava talked about anchoring as an Art form and explained how the common
conversation could be beautify that people would love to listen it. She also
shared the experience of being an anchor in Doordarshan and said “Entry into
Doordarshan was not easy, even though I had taken the whole process casually.
From the 10,000 applications received, 300 were auditioned, 100 qualified for
the written test and 25 appeared for a camera test. I attended the camera test
in a torn jeans and T-shirt and was the only one selected by a panel that
included the baap of All India Radio, Devaki Nandan Pandey,”. Poet, Sukrita
Paul expressed her views on the importance of poetry as an art form. She
elucidated the poetic art in her work and said “I don’t follow a set pattern,
but I do look at intrinsic rhythm. I find that many times when I go look at my
poem again, I edit it, the idea behind the editing is that the poem has to
become as small as possible, and as intense as possible. I don’t want to dilute
the intensity. Extra words dilute the poem. When I go back to the poem I become
more of a reader, and see it from that perspective”. Ina Puri spoke about the
artistic sense that begins from home and said “My home is an extension of my
personality”. She surrounds herself with her favorite artworks
and artefacts which highlights that Art curation & art collection are
very important art forms.
Date: Sunday, 8th May 2017
Time: From 3:30 to 4:30 PM
Place: Kiran Nadar Museum of Art
Themes: Where the mind is without fear
Panelists: Alka
Raghuvanshi, Arpana Caur, Robina Karode, Rana Siddiqui Zaman & Ustad
Wasifuddin Dagar
Moderator: Anahita Mir
Renowned Dhrupad
Singer Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar represents the twentieth unbroken
generation of musicians of the Dagar family. He is the nephew and son of Dagar
Brothers (Ustad N. Zahiruddin Dagar and Ustad N.Faiyazuddin Dagar). His
rendition of dhrupad is a unique blend of his uncle’s training, his father’s
quality of voice and temperament, his own personality and his in-depth
knowledge of the characteristic styles of his elders. Typically, in his alap,
he fills every note with space and colour; he travels extensively and easily
across three octaves delineating the personality of the raga in all clarity. He
brought Dhrupad to the world music scene with his CD recorded for UNESCO, which
is included in the list of World Intangible Heritage. In 2010 the Government of
India conferred the Padma Shree upon him for his contribution to Dhrupad.
Arpana Caur, born in 1954, has exhibited her work across the globe since
1974. Her solos apart from Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Bangalore and Chennai, have
been held in galleries in London, Glasgow, Berlin, Amsterdam, Singapore,
Munich, New York and in Stockholm and Copenhagen National Museum. Her
retrospective of 40 years was held in National Gallery of Modern Art Bangalore
in 2016. She was awarded a gold medal in
VIth International Triennele 1986 in Delhi. She has a concern for environment,
time, spirituality, condition of women and growing violence in the world,
rooted in the language of ancient Indian Sculptures and Miniatures.
Rana Siddiqui Zaman is a senior journalist, documentary filmmaker,
author and speaker at various fora. In her career span of 23 years, she has
been associated with prestigious newspapers such as the Hindu and the
Tribune. An occasional poet, Ms. Zaman’s
short stories have been among the top rankers in the Chicken Soup Series
published by the US in collaboration with India. Currently, she is writing two
books on the Hindi Film Industry and unknown masters in abstract art. She also
indulges in curating art shows and occasionally pens art catalogues.
Anahita Mir hails from the state of Jammu and Kashmir and currently
working as a fellow with Apne Aap Women Worldwide, a grassroot anti-trafficking
organization working in Delhi, Bihar and Kolkata. She is an alumnus of the
Department of Political Science, Jamia Millia Islamia, having completed her
Master’s in 2017. She is an avid reader, a food enthusiast and a twitter
addict.
Highlights:
The panel discussion was based on Tagore’s poem “Where
the mind is without fear” and its relevance to the contemporary times. Many
noted personalities form music., art and literature quenched the theme. Rana
Siddqui Zaman put forward her views by highlighting the backdrop of writing
this poem. It was a prayer composed by Tagore that shows the true freedom for
the country. Rana also stressed the importance of poetic freedom and its
sustenance as she mentioned some instances where many writers and poets got
devasted due to expression of their thoughts and freedom. Art community is very
helpless now a days, there is a meagre increase in the budget of cultural
ministry for artists since independence. She said if soft power of our nation
such as art, literature, music, drama etc. are vanished then the world will
perish too.
Robina
Karode mostly tried to explain the influence of Tagore’s poem on her life and
how she manifests it in different arenas. She said “Where the mind is without
fear, is just a line, though it encompassed a lot of wisdom and knowledge”. In
order to realize the importance of freedom we should become a good human being
first. To spark the curiosity of audience she asked “where is the mind in our
body?” they replied an obvious answer “head”. However, she believes that mind
is unoccupied virtue in body which is Aseem (Infinity) or limitless, free mind
promotes the creative energy within us which mutates itself in the form of
gestures, painting, dance, evolution etc.
Arpana Caur
explained the idea behind the formation of Shanti Niketan as each and every
part of it speaks for freedoms like freedom to take breath in open air, freedom
to learn form nature, freedom to express thing in your own ways etc. “Artists
should not be bound or humiliated for their freedom in arts as it is the only
gift they have” Arpana said.
Ustad
Wasifuddin Dagar shared his thoughts saying “If the oppressors try to dominate
the artists, they will rise again and again with invincible powers, intensities
& ideas”. Talking about the great importance of artists he mentioned that
artists can see the unforeseen and express it through different forms of arts.
It’s the inner wisdom that guides the artists creation rather than tangible
factors. Dagar believes that fear is necessary to maintain order in society
such as fear of administration, law, spirituality etc. Further, he recited a
couplet of Ameer Qazalbash saying “one should never lose the hope to speak for
the freedom”. “mire junūñ kā natīja zarūr niklegā isī siyāh samundar se nuur niklegā”
Alka
Raghuvanshi emphasized on dynamic nature of this poem which adapt itself as per
the time and need. For instance, during young age freedom means enjoying life
and cultural identity but later this meaning manifests into broader notions.
“Artistic freedom ends where other’s freedom starts. One should take the
experience of everything in order to know about the arts and its varieties as
well” she added. In the conclusion Alka urged the participants and artistic
community to learn the subtle art for communicating their thoughts and ideas
which should not hurt others.
Presentations
Date: Sunday, 8th May 2016
Time: From 12 to 1 PM
Place: Jamia Millia Islamia
Theme: Ghazal-Architecture-Image
Presenter: Inder Salim
Highlights:
Inder Salim initially interacted with students and discussed about the inner
self which promotes the change in life. In order to become successful, one need
to come out of from the comfort of their legacy. He tried to explain how we can
present ghazals in the form of Image which was attended by almost all the
students from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Jamia Millia Islamia & Aseem Asha
Foundation.
The ‘idea’
behind this power point presentation is a brief but simultaneous engagement
with three mountain size words/disciplines – Ghazal, Architecture and Image.
Salim explores the abstract conceptual shifts that occur at the very edges and
at the heart of a Ghazal primarily at the level of its form, the art of making
urban and pre-modern architectural spaces, and the refractive qualities of the
'Image'. He said “In art we think about those things which usually got ignored
or unnoticed. Each and every architecture has some sounds and music even when
we buy painting then we think about the spaces where it would be put up.
Building is a form of Art and not just a piece if bricks.”
Date: Sunday, 8th
May, 2016
Time: From 4 to 5 PM
Place: Jamia Millia Islamia
Theme: Freedom in Tagore’s Painting
Presenter: Dr. Geeti Sen
Highlights:
Dr. Geeti Sen highlighted on how Tagore advocated the idea of freedom so
naturally through his painitngs. Rabindranath Tagore is widely known as
lyricist and composer, dramatist and essayist, but very few recognizes him as
painter although his paintings and drawings outnumber the songs composed by
him. Geeti presents a portrait of the woman whose poignant face haunted Tagore
through his life, whom he painted again and again in different versions. She
also explained the Tagore’s painting and its stark images of man and nature. These
paintings are not limited to norms of art but are instead expressions of
freedom. This presentation was made for the senior students of Fine Art
Faculties and Aseem Asha Foundation. Tagore used to link human appearance with
an inner human essence. His painted faces are varied in appearance and
social stature but each one encapsulates within its small compass the
lineaments of a massive human experience.
Date and Time: Monday, 9th
May, 2016
Time: From 12 to 1 PM
Place: Jamia Millia Islamia
Theme: Enterprises as an outlook:
Enhancing its sense with art
Presenter: Raj Liberhan
Highlights: Scherdin and Zander argued that in arts,
entrepreneurship is about the discovery and pursuit of new art ideas, using a
multitude of artistic expressions and organizational forms as vehicles by which
to express and convey these ideas to the public. Raj Liberhan’s discussion
revolved around making one’s art sellable using various marketing strategies so
that it could be their source of livelihood. He suggested participants keep
the essence of democracy, liberty, equality, fraternity, economic growth &
spirituality in their entrepreneur journey, and refrain from cutthroat competition
to make it an inclusive realm for all human beings. Before getting involved in
any entrepreneurship or business one should do mind planning first. He said
that the passion for something is the only guiding force for your success hence
do not forget your passion. In business think from the point of view of the
person who uses your product. “Enterprise
is bi-product of multiple things including Skills, Expectation, Capitals,
Demand, Communication, Ethics, Ability to set standards, Arithmetic aptitude”
he added.
Date: Monday, 8th
May 2017
Time: From 12 to 1 PM
Place: Jamia Millia Islamia
Theme: The role of Education from
Tagore’s perspective
Presenter: Dr. Trina Bhattacharya
Highlights: Jorasanko provided Tagore a lifelong conviction concerning the importance of freedom in education. He also appreciated in a profound manner the importance of the arts for developing empathy and sensitivity, and the necessity for an intimate relationship with one’s cultural and natural environment. He saw education as a vehicle for admiring the richest aspects of other cultures, while maintaining one’s own cultural specificity; he wrote: “I was brought up in an atmosphere of aspiration, aspiration for the expansion of the human spirit. We in our home sought freedom of power in our language, freedom of imagination in our literature, freedom of soul in our religious creeds and that of mind in our social environment.” Trina focused on Tagore’s Shantiniketan that have ever lasting impact on education system. Tagore urged students to explore intellectual self-reliance and freedom. He believed that true freedom in the acquisition of knowledge and experience could not be gained by “possessing other people’s ideas but by forming one’s own standards of judgment and producing one’s own thoughts.” Tagore claimed that the existing school and university have been operating like “educational factories”, and that classroom schooling resembles “parrot’s training”, where a bird is caged and force-fed textbook pages. Knowledge reproduction via classroom learning is dissociated from social contexts; students lack interest or else time to explore ideas, and are instead confined to doing homework and taking tests. In his opinion, education has “divorced from the streams of life and confined within the four walls of the classroom becomes artificial and losses its value”. By fostering a close affinity with nature, students would be able to realize that there is no barrier between their lives and the life of nature. This feeling of oneness with nature would eventually help in developing sympathy and the ability to connect with the outside world.
Performances
Date and Time: 8th
May 2016 from 2 to 3 PM
Place: Jamia Millia Islamia
Theme: Demonstration of Dhrupad
Singing
Presenter: Padma Shree Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar
Highlights: Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar had a short conversation with participants on Dhrupad followed by his performance. Dhrupad was innovated in the 11th century and is a compound from Dhruva (North Star in the heavens) and Pada (a musical composition). Dhrupad has influenced almost all forms of vocal music such as Thumari, Tappa, Khayaal etc. Wasifuddin Dagar demonstrated three major parts of Dhrupad music in his performance i.e. alap, jor-jhala, and composition. The singer attempted to emphasize the purity and clarity of each note, with perfect pitch. He presented an example of alap set pattern. This elaborated alap, was performed with Pakhawaj and gradually developing into an accelerating rhythmic pulse, that sets this genre apart from other Indian styles. The alap was followed by the jor, a raga that developed a steady beat that was non-cyclical, and then continued into a faster paced jhala. The song concluded with the Dhrupad composition, which was in a set of different beats. After the demonstration Dagar said “I call the mind ‘the restless beast’ – music, whether performing it or listening to it, calms this beast for a while and it’s important.”
Date: Monday, 9th May 2016
Time: From 3:30 to 4:30 PM
Place: Jamia Millia Islamia
Theme: Tagore Music
Presenter: Musical Group “Gaaner Tori”
Highlights: The choir “Gaaner Tori” started their performance with a brief introduction to Tagore’s songs. They said that Tagore weaves music and songs into a beautiful necklace; these songs are set under multiple backdrops and have been colloquialized with different and unique narratives. His songs exemplify sensitivity, happiness, agony and life experience which depicts his real self. The choir presented almost 10 songs of Tagore and shared their background as well.
Sarla Devi
who was the niece of Tagore and his great disciple as well used to present
songs to Tagore from different varieties. Tagore and Sarla would
sing some songs together out of which one was presented by the group. “Ami
Chini Go Chini Tomare Ogo Bideshini, Tumi Thako Sindhupare Ogo Bideshini, (I
know you. I do. O’ stranger from the distant lands! Your home is across the
seas. O’ stranger from the distant lands!)
Dr. Dwijendranath Moitra, the founder of the Bengal Social Service League, was affectionate to Rabindranath. He had accompanied Rabindranath on his way to America from Europe in 1912. He had shared his experience of listening to this song that was rendered by the troop as well – Ei-je tomar prem, ogo hridayoharono, Ei-je paatay aalo naache sonar barono. (Yes, I know, this is nothing but thy love, O beloved of my heart---this golden light that dances upon the leaves).
Later they
presented the song Praano bhoriye trisha horiye More aaro aaro aaro daao praan
(Vitality you offer, quench my desire. Imbue more and more vigor). This song was
composed in 1912 while Tagore was travelling on ‘City of Glasgow’, a ship
sailing across the Red sea. It was a composition influenced by the beauty of
the sky and the sea embracing each other. Rabindranath had delivered a speech
with heading ‘Message of the forest’ at the Berlin University. At that time, he
sang the song Mor bina otthe kon sure baaji kon nabo chanchalo chhande. (To
which tune my lute starts ringing to which restless rhythm) in the last part of
his speech the same song was replicated by Gaaner Tori towards the end. The
audience was flooded with euphoria.
Date: Monday, 8th May 2017
Time: From 2 to 2:30 PM
Place: Jamia Millia Islamia
Theme: Tagore and Sufi Song
Presenter: Indira Naik
Highlights: Indira Nayak sang two prominent Sufi songs in her
mellow voice. Firstly, Bahut Kathin Hai Dagar Panghat Ki (The road to
the river bank is treacherous) that was a rendition of Khusro’s poem which is
dedicated to Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. It is notable for central theme of a
woman trying to fetch water with his own philosophical dialogues about life’s quest
for meaning. Secondly, Dama Dam Mast Qalandar, which is in the
honor of Sufi mystic 'Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar'. Every word of his name has
a meaning - he was known as Hazrat (prophet of GOD), Lal (he wore red robes or
mothers fondly call their kids as Lal), Shahbaz (Shah – King), and finally
Qalandar (a qalandari - a sufi saint, poet, mystic, noble man). Audience were swinging
in the joy while listening to songs. Indira created the Sama during performance
with her voice and only accompaniment of guitarist, audience felt as if the
divine light of heaven has been poured upon them. “A
composition has to have soul and it transcends the barrier of language” she
said.
Date and Time: 9th
May 2017 from 5 to 6:30 PM
Place: Jamia Millia Islamia
Theme: Tagore and Bollywood love
songs
Presenter: Namrata Natarajan
Highlights: Namrata Natrajan
presented various songs of Tagore and replicated some from Bollywood as well. Rabindra
Sangeet is the form of music which was pioneered by Tagore, draw on the pure
Indian classical as well as traditional folk-music sources, including the Baul
singing genre. They exert a powerful influence in Bengali cultural life. It is
characterised by its distinctive rendition while singing which includes a
significant amount of ornamentation like meend, murki etc. and is filled
with expressions of romanticism. She began her performance with a heart-warming
recital of Tagore composition followed by another most prominent song “Jodi
Tor Dak Shune Keu Na Ase Tobe Ekla Cholo Re ("If no one responds
to your call, then go your own way alone) having bilingual essence. This is a
patriotic song which exhorts the listener to continue their journey, despite
abandonment or lack of support from others. Further she also hummed the
song of AR Rahman “Kinna Sona”, Amaal Malik “Soch Na Sake” & Pritak
Chakraborty “Bulleya”.
Date: Tuesday, 8th May 2018
Time: From 5 to 5:30 PM
Place: Kiran Nadar Museum of Arts
Theme: Kathak
Presenter: Astha Dixit
Highlights:
Astha Dixit shared her Sufi journey of Kathak while being a part of Jahan E
Khurau and got an opportunity to learn from Rumi. She could understand this
transcendent bond of spirituality through that festival. She had an informal
conversation with audience on classical dance form “Kathak” and its fusion with
spiritual bond of love “Sufism”. During the Tagore Utsav she also shared the
influence of Sufism on Tagore’s poetry. In the last decade of his life Tagore
read many Sufi compositions of great Persian poets including Hafez Shirazi
& Amir Khusrau. He was deeply inspired by the concept of “love” in Sufism
which is boundless. Further she also elucidated on Khusro's compositions that
are rooted in the theme of separation from the Beloved. It is a metaphor for
the God within his verses bring out the intense Sufi longing to merge into this
state of mind. His Qawwali music touches that inner space in every listener,
transporting him to a different dimension beyond the outer world of duality
"Thou hast taken away my identity by a single glance, By making me drink
from the cup of love, thou hast intoxicated me by a single glance" sang
Khusro and to this day the song is part of every significant Qawwali or presentation.
She demonstrated her own acquired and honed skills on Sufi love poetry through
her performance saying “A flower is blossom in body when I dance. A Late night
is a symbol of joy for beloved”.
Recitations
Date: Monday, 9th May 2016
Time: From 2 to 3 PM
Place: Jamia Millia Islamia
Theme: Tagore Poems and Recitation
Presenter: Sampa Das (In Bengali) & Sukhangshu Chatterjee (Translated into English & Hindi)
Highlights:
Sampa Das had recited many poems & songs written
by Tagore in Bangali language based upon different themes such as Love,
Patriotism, Communal Harmony, Childhood, Freedom, etc. that were translated
into Hindi & English by Sugkhangshu Chatterjee with commentary. He
initially talked with students about Tagore and his life and said that Tagore
had never been to school, he was home taught and at the age of 14 he wrote many
poems in the form of book. That shows true wisdom comes from within not from
structured classroom learnings. Sampa started her recitation with poems from
Tagore’s first book “Bhanusimha Thakurer Padabali” or the Songs of “Bhanushingho
Thakur” which is a collection
of Vaishnava lyrics
composed in Brajabuli published in 1884. The Bhanusimha poem's
chronicle depicts the romance between Radha and Krishna which
is a traditional theme of Indian poetry. The poet sought connection with
divinity through appeal to nature and the emotional interplay of human drama.
Next, she
recited a patriotic song “Banglar Mati Banglar Jol” (Soil of
Bengal, Water of Bengal). It was composed in 1905 to support the "Bangabhanga
Rodh Movement" in Bengal. Tagore started "Raksha Bandhan Utsav" on 16
October 1905 to reunite Hindu and Muslim Bengalis protesting
the Partition of Bengal (1905) and on
that day, this song was the motto of the movement. Sukangshu informed audience
that Tagore wrote many poems against the colonial rules in fact he returned the
title of “Knight” to protest against Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. Tagore is the
only poet who contributed in making of National Anthem for three countries i.e.
India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Sampa recited the most influential poem of
Tagore “Where the mind is without fear” too.
Date and Time: 8th
May, 2017 from 2 to 2:45 PM
Place: Jamia Millia Islamia
Theme: Tagore Poems: Recitation of
Urdu Translations
Presenter: Dr. Suhail Ahmad Farooqi
Highlights: “My delight is playing with languages just like others
have interest in games, sports, music, arts etc. I am fond of language” Suhail
opined his session with these words. He described about his translation works
among Arabic, Persian, English, and Urdu. Suhail presented some key points
related to Tagore’s poetry from his paper and admired the recitation style of
Bengali poetry very much. He said a good poem must be in Tarannum (Rhythm)
by citing a line from Allam Iqbal’s composition “Lab Pe Aati Hai Dua Ban Ke
Tamnna Meri, Zindagi Shamma Ki Surat Ho Khudaya Meri”. Under the project of
Cultural Ministry, he translated English version of Geenjali into Urdu.
He mentioned two most basic things that he took care of while translating it
i.e. Cadence (Aahang) and flow. The reader should enjoy the sweetness of poetry
without losing the original essence and should not feel any fundamental
disturbance while reciting them. Later, Suhail recited some poems of Geenjali
as well.
Date: Monday, 8th May 2017
Time: From 4:30 to 5:30 PM
Place: Jamia Millia Islamia
Theme: Tagore Story Reading
Presenter: Sukhangshu Chatterjee
Highlights: Sukhangshu
started his session by explaining the views of Tagore on education policy in his stories. He believed the
education should be free and aims to make students a global citizen. Tagore was
against the examination system and emphasized on the promotion of children’s
inherent talent that could make them extraordinary in their career. Sukhangshu read
“Tota” story by Tagore loudly and taught students, how to read the
stories keeping the speech modulation & theatrical element as per its
expression. During the recitation Sukhangshu motivated students
to recite few lines whenever prompted i.e.
Ek Tota Tha
Ek Tota Tha, Wo Dhamachokdi Karta Tha
Wo Bilkul
Bhi Na Sota Tha, Ek Tota Tha Ek Tota Tha
The story describes how the concerned king
and the entire royal machinery dedicated their days and nights to
"educate" the dumb bird. How they meticulously crafted the entire
education system just so that the little bird could be taught something.
Date: Monday, 8th May 2017
Time: From 5:45 to 6:30 PM
Place: Jamia Millia Islamia
Theme: Urdu poem recitation
Presenter: Dr. Saif Mahmood
Highlights: Initially Saif has expressed about the depth of Urdu
literature in general and Poetry in particular by highlighting its role in
cultural activism. Next, he defined the intersectionality among various
languages in poetry genre by citing an anecdote of Harivansh Rai Bachchan. He
is known for his noted book “Madhushala” when one of his colleagues asked him
how he could write such tremendous book being a professor of English, Harivansh
recited the following lines that were added in his book later.
मैं कायस्थ कुलोदभव मेरे पुरखों ने इतना ढ़ाला, मेरे तन के लोहू में है 75% प्रतिशत हाला,
पुश्तैनी अधिकार मुझे है मदिरालय के आँगन पर, मेरे दादों परदादों के हाथ बिकी थी मधुशाला।
Saif presented the background of almost all the
couplets or poems in a very humorous and creative manner. While talking about
Tagore he said, “Tagore is relevant in each and every field of life whether Art,
Music, Education, Culture or Heritage”. He recited
one couplet written by Sagar Khayyami that beautifully described the
intricateness of two cultures.
Dil Lute, Jaan Ko Mite, Khasa Zamana Ho Gaya
Khatm Dunia Se Mohabbat Ka Fasana Ho Gaya
Jhuk Kar Kaha Ye Kaan Mein, Iqbal Ne Tagore K
Ilu Ilu Hind Ka Qaumi Tarana Ho Gaya
In the end, he recited “Muhasra” by Ahmad Faraz following one of his couplets.
Sunā
Hai Log Use Aañkh Bhar Ke Dekhte Haiñ So
Us Ke Shahr Meñ Kuchh Din Thahar Ke Dekhte Haiñ
Sunā Hai Bole To Bātoñ Se Phuul Jhaḍte Haiñ, Ye Baat Hai To Chalo Baat Kar Ke
Dekhte Haiñ
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