03 January,2017 09:00 AM IST | | Krutika Behrawala
The first edition of a two-day festival brings together a Kannada play, contemporary dance and dhokra art under one roof
An earlier performance of the contemporary dance piece, MeiDhwani
This weekend, if you step into the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), the green-carpeted lawns will greet you with a collection of handicrafts brought in by a dozen organisations like Dastkar Andhra, Kumaun Grameen Udyog (KGU) and Odesh, working with artisans from rural clusters of India. These include dhokra jewellery made by tribal artists from Odisha, handwoven textiles by weavers from Maheshwar and embroidery groups from Gujarat, Kauna crafts by artisans based in Thoubal district of Manipur, agri-based apricot oils and fruit preserves by hill communities of Uttarakhand, and accessories by leather craftsmen from Andhra Pradesh. The showcase is part of the debut edition of Kalapana, a two-day crafts and performing arts festival, curated by Tata Trusts.
A handloom weaver working with the charitable trust, Dastkar Andhra
The performing arts line-up includes a Kannada play by a travelling theatre group from Karnataka, a Dhrupad performance and a contemporary dance showcase. "Hopefully, Kalapana will grow in many ways but in the first event, performing arts and craft are highlighted. The multiplicity of the art forms is apt - it is our intent to reach out to these precarious traditions as well as seek innovative, new forms," says Deepika Sorabjee, head of media, arts and culture portfolio at Tata Trusts.
A stole knitted by artisans involved with Uttarakhand-based NGO Kumaun Grameen Udyog
ON: January 7 and 8, 10.30 am onwards
AT: CSMVS Visitor's Centre and Lawns, MG Road, Fort.
