New Delhi, June 2

Close friends, fans and fellow artists will remember Maqbool Fida Husain, one of India’s greatest contemporary artists, on his first death anniversary June 9 with a commemorative programme, ‘Remembering Husain’, at the India International Centre (IIC) in the capital.

The artist died in exile in London. He was 96.

The tribute will bring to light another lesser known art of Husain – calligraphy – that he had mastered. While painting mythological compositions from the epics Ramayana and the Mahabharata at the home of art connoisseur Badrivishal Pitti in Hyderabad, he penned his thoughts and all that he felt in an elaborate painted calligraphic diary which he named, ‘Harf va Naksh’.

‘It was published by Pitti in Hyderabad. Times were different and it was not meant for mass production. Somehow, we rediscovered it. It is an important discovery because it is another aspect of Husain,’ artist Manish Pushkale, who spotted the book in writer Krishna Baldev Vaid’s collection, told IANS.

Vaid owned the book for 40 years.

Artist Krishen Khanna, who was a member of the Progressive Artists’ Group in Mumbai that Husain was associated with briefly – will read excerpts from the book in English, Vaid in Urdu and art critic Prayag Shukla in Hindi at the memorial service.

The service will be hosted by the Raza Foundation, a non-profit arts and culture promotion body, set up by the oldest of the surviving progressive artists, S.H. Raza.

Historians say Husain learnt the art of calligraphy early in life and practised the ‘Kulfic Khat’, a form of stylised calligraphy with its geometric form. He learnt to write poetry in a madrassa in Baroda, where he stayed with his uncle. Poetry stayed with him all through his life.

The book contains jottings in English, Urdu and Hindi calligraphy and drawings.

The Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT), a progressive cultural organisation in the capital which was working with the artist to preserve his legacy, is planning a ‘mount a street van exhibition of reproductions of Husain’s work, along with the lanterns and umbrellas – Husian’s aesthetic icons’, said Ram Rahman, a senior functionary of the organisation.

‘SAHMAT had made several lanterns and umbrellas last year as Husain souvenirs. The mobile exhibition would be like a bioscope complete with Husain’s films, but on a large scale,’ Rahman told IANS.

The Tao Art Gallery in Mumbai will open a tribute exhibition, ‘Imagining A Legend’, June 9 exhibiting photographs of Husain shot by leading lensmen of his time.

The exhibition has been curated by Nitayee Shinde and Fazwan Husain.

‘It feels pretty much the same as it felt a year ago. There is a sense of regret that he had to live outside the country, died outside and was buried outside India,’ Rahman said remembering his old friend at whose home Rahman was a frequent visitor.

Husain’s family will also remember the ‘patriarch’ with a private memorial ceremony.

IANS

source: http://www.india.nydailynews.com / Home> News> Desi / Saturday, June 02nd, 2012

Sri Sri Sahitya Samalochana, Edited by Dr. Diwakarla Rajeswari, Ambika Ananth.

Like other Indian languages, Telugu too has been imbibing, from time to time, various trends and ideologies emanating from across the world, particularly in relation to European countries.

Dissemination of English language during the British rule facilitated easy access in this. A section of young poets looked for new modes to give vent to their poetic spirit in the altered context.

In the post-war period Impressionism, Dadaism, Imagism, Cubism, Symbolism, Futurism, Realism, Surrealism and the like fascinated them. Developments in Russia and the International Labour Movement expounding the cause of working class operated as a source of major inspiration for them . Further, Marxist philosophy attracted them . They started writing poetry with a new outlook called Progressivism, relegating Romanticism to the background.

Srirangam Srinivasa Rao, popularly known as Sri Sri, was the pioneer in this direction and was acclaimed as an epoch maker. Sri Sri- Sahitya Samalochana is a compilation of 20 research papers presented by noted scholars, at the National Seminar conducted under the joint auspices of Telugu Vignana Samithi, Bangalore and Central Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi in December 2009, to mark Sri Sri’s birth centenary.

Four more articles are included in a booklet as an appendage. As the title indicates, the writers deliberate on the works of Sri Sri with much diligence and comprehension. Addepalli Ramamohana Rao gives an enlightening analysis of Sri Sri’s Magnum Opus ‘Mahaprasthanam, with particular reference to the element of reality perceived from different angles. S.V. Satyanarayana aptly calls the work a progressive epic, which, he says, is a poetic interpretation of Marxism.

In his article on ‘Prabhava’, Kasala Nagabhushanam traces in detail Sri Sri’s transformation into a progressive poet, with ample quotations. Dwa.Na.Sastry, while assessing Sri Sri’s ‘Siprali’ dwells on the humorous ingredient of the poems and attributes of his parodies.

Unique features of Sri Sri’s radio plays are well presented by C.Mrinalini. Ambika Ananth in her appraisal of ‘Three Cheers for Man’ cites, inter alia, Sri Sri’s English translation of some of his own poems and makes a prudent suggestion that a translation workshop may be organised for translating his works. Kopparthi Venkataramana Murty observes that ‘Anantham’ though penned as a sort of novel, embedding autobiography, reflects the ‘soul’ of history of his period. Diwakarla Rajeswari states that Sri Sri’s essays are in a way innovative writings exploiting prose to the optimum extent. Sri Sri’s original and translated stories demonstrate his command over the genre, contends Ampasayya Naveen. ‘Khadga Srushti’ is replete with thematic diversity keeping the common man at the centre stage.

Yet another aspect of Sri Sri’s writing — his film lyrics — are surveyed by Rasaraju, who avers that every piece carries his stamp. G. S. Mohan writing on Sri Sri’s prefaces and reviews reveals that they are quite spirited, thoughtful and analytical.

In her paper on Sri Sri’s letters, K. Asajyothi proves how they are embellished with discussions on literature. Channapragada Jayalakshmi feels that Sri Sri’s ‘Pra-Ja’ (Questions and Answers) amply bears out his inscrutable nature. Markudapuram Srinivasa shares his experiences during the course of his Kannada translation of ‘Maha Prasthanam’. The other articles are equally educative. Inclusion of selectpoems of Sri Sri to the book is a welcome addition.

By all counts, this is a work of immense interest to innumerable admirers of Sri Sri. The publishers should have paid greater attention to its format, as it highly deserves a proper structure of a well bound treatise, rather than an adhoc souvenir that it seems now. A chronogical list of Sri Sri’s work would also be a useful annexureif and when the book goes into a reprint.

Sri Sri Sahitya Samalochana

Edited by Dr. Diwakarla Rajeswari, Ambika Ananth.

For copies: Visalandhra Book House

Price: Rs.200.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> Arts> Books / by Govindaraju RamaKrishna Rao / May 31st, 2012

Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s Gitanjali has been translated into Telugu by many poets. The one by Rallabandi Kavitha Prasad is romantic poetry at its best — with a visual flow that got reflected in a dance (Kuchipudi) presentation. Following the Kuchipudi tradition to a certain extent, choreographer/nattuvanaar and guru Usha Gayatri Maddali, made use of group sutradhars for narration and a solo dancer to communicate the philosophy of Tagore’s verses. The Telugu version of the verses was lucid, lyrical and lofty all at once. Vempati Srivalli Sarma’s vocals enriched the bhava of these verses with the stresses rightly laid out. The artistic handling of a profound philosophy was indeed laudable as it stuck to the original in word and deed. The quest of the atma for its origin, that is the Paramatma or Brahman forms the crux of these verses. The poetic romanticism lies in personifying the atma or inner self as a woman and that too a dancer who is in search of her spotlessly pure beloved.

The group of six, an auspicious number in Hindu philosophy, dressed in symbolic white costume (not the traditional Kuchipudi one) with a hairdo to match, commenced the show with a salutation to our national flag through dance with minimal footwork. As such, the flow of the song was more through mime and gestures (natyabhinaya) than dance. But to the credit of the choreographer, she tried her best to ensure some elemental footwork at least in the form of jatis, to underline the structure of Kuchipudi.

The verses of in Telugu were undertaken in solo (by Abhirami) who was able to portray pangs of lost love, reminiscences of good times with her beloved and then the pursuit of her inner self for everlasting happiness with him. The linesNenoka chiru venuvunai… are all about nature and the joy it bestows on a yearning soul. The physical has to be interpreted in terms of the metaphysical which is manifested as rain, sunshine, blossoms, lively rivulets, unending ocean, etc. The digitalised screening of the moon and later the sun, gave the desired effect. Abhirami’s moves and expressions for paadamani koraga… were aesthetic. The crisp jati to swaram gave the apt impetus though it could have extended a little longer for an impact. The soliloquy (through recitation and not song) wherein she hears the un-manifested divinity questioning her search when He is within herself (in atma), was a piece of rich, meaningful poetry.

The muktaimpu was however rather flippant. The bonds that have shackled the dancer (the self) have to be torn asunder if the union with the Parabrahman is desired-this is the crux of Gitanjali as we saw it on stage. This freedom from the world leads to ultimate reality and that is the truth. The dancer was able to convey this to the audience with clarity despite some unwarranted preening around in the name of Kuchipudi which of late, seems to be the order of the day. The conclusion was a well-drawn thanksgiving to the universe after an understanding of the ultimate reality. The voice-overs (Baladitya and Usha Gayatri) for the vaachikabhinayam were an added attraction.

Venkatesh on the flute made his presence felt while Anil Kolanka on the violin, Sridharacharya on the mridangam, Srikanth on the tabla and Raju on the keyboard made for a creditable orchestra. The ballet was part of the three-day ‘Telugu Vennela’ poetry fest organised under the aegis of Kinnera Arts at Ravindra Bharathi.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> Arts> Dance / by Ranee Kumar / May 31st, 2012

The city saw a one of its kind event this weekend that dared to step away from the tried and tested cultural events. Hyderabad Shuffle, which yoked together Jazz music and contemporary dance, held a lot of promise.

Hyderabad Shuffle’s aim was to provide a platform to performers with an edge. “Usually we see newbies opening for established performers. But in Hyderabad Shuffle, we reversed it to give more emphasis to the newcomers,” said Rumana Sinha Sehgal, the producer. Rumana, a techie, got into events first through her son’s school programmes. As she gradually started attending more events, what struck her was the cultural scene in Hyderabad was monotonous. She was disheartened.

“We need to break the stereotypes of how Hyderabad just fosters classical artistes. We also need to create awareness to break the image that Hyderabad lags behind Bengaluru and Mumbai in terms of young experimental artforms,” she added.

The idea behind Hyderabad Shuffle was to provide support to newer forms. “In Hyderabad, there is an audience, but venues are lacking. There are right people if you want to put across a show like this,” Rumana pointed out. Rumana now plans to take Hyderabad Shuffle to other cities while retaining the same name. This means that there would be a Hyderabad Shuffle across India featuring different art forms with new talent. “I would love to take Hyderabad Shuffle to the popular Kala Ghoda festival in Mumbai,” she enthused while speaking about future plans.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Tabloid> Potpurri / by Samyuktha K. / May 21st, 2012

Hyderabad:

The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation has decided to introduce a South India tour by non-Air Conditioned coach to lure the not-so-affluent sections of society.

At present, the corporation is offering a package of journey by a Volvo climatizer coach and AC accommodation at destinations across south India.

The 14-day tour, organised twice a month on demand from Hyderabad, on 1st and 16th of every month, covers Bengaluru, Srirangapatanam, Mysore, Sravanabelagola, Halebidu, Belur, Guruvayoor, Kochi, Thiruvanantapuram, Suchindram, Kanyakumari, Madurai, Rameswaram, Tiruchi Srirangam, Tanjavur, Kumbakonam, Puducherry, Mahabalipuram, Kanchi, Star temple, Tiruttani and Tirupati.

“This is a very successful package and we have been receiving requests for opening an economy package in the same tour. So we have plans to start the same tour in non-AC segment too,” said a  spokesman.

And when quizzed about the rising temperatures and the inconvenience that might be caused to the travellers, he said, “the summer is almost over and rains are expected by the first week of June. This should not be a concern.”

Further information can be obtained over phone 09848007028/ 040 23450444, 23455999.

source: http://www.expressbuzz.com / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / Express News Service / May 15th, 2012

It’s easy to mistake Dr Y.K. Swapna for an artist.

For her home at Nishath Bagh, Begumpet, makes you believe just that, even as the gynaecologist clears the air about her profession.

Decked with tribal paintings, antique knick-knacks and artifacts picked up during her official trips around the world, her three-storey residence is nothing short of a collector’s haven.

Interestingly, there is no corner in the house – inhabited by her doctor parents, her doctor husband and their two children — that is free of accessories; not even the flight of spiral staircase and the small indoor garden of shrubs.

Built in an eco-friendly way and partly topped by skylights, the house lets in a lot of sunlight during the day. While the fountain next to the staircase lets out a jet of moisture, the shaft running to the top lifts up the cooler air and circulates it. There is also a centralised cooler duct on the top floor housing the guest room, study and kitchen.

The top floor also has over 30 idols of Lord Ganesha in different forms. Dr Swapna, who runs the Swapna Nursing Home nearby along with her mother Dr Y. Savitha Devi, has a fetish for Buddha as well. “I have acquired these artifacts over the years; from street stalls and amateur artists. Many have been passed down by my grandmother, who was a house-proud woman herself,” she says.

Though the walls are largely white, colours have been added through an array of accessories and upholstery. Adding a contemporary touch to the home are tulip downlights in the drawing room, lotus-fretwork on cupboard handles and textured walls and futons in the media room where the family gets together.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Tablokd> DC Estate / by Barkha Kumari / DC, Hyderabad / May 12th, 2012