There will be music, dance, plays, painting and elocution along with a mushaira, poetry slam and nukkad natak. And while students will groove to peppy dance beats, the performance line-up for the three-day festival includes a presentation by staff members of the institute’s canteens
The students perform in a flash mob prior to the festival
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There will be music, dance, plays, painting and elocution along with a mushaira, poetry slam and nukkad natak. And while students will groove to peppy dance beats, the performance line-up for the three-day festival includes a presentation by staff members of the institute’s canteens. The eighth edition of Quintissence, the annual cultural and literary festival of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, begins tomorrow. And much like the institute, which has been working towards bringing about social justice through academics and fieldwork since its inception, the inter-college festival has woven various social causes into its theme, Art for Resistance.
A Bhangra performance at an earlier edition of the festival
"In a space and time where the act of questioning authority is being challenged, people’s struggles need a different kind of strategisation. We believe that art can provide the perfect platform to paint alternative narratives and to speak up as dissenting voices," say the festival’s organisers, who aim to create a meaningful dialogue drawing from the various events planned for the three days.
Kathak dancer Sanjukta Wagh
Inviting a few big names from the film industry has been de rigueur for college festivals in the city for some time. "The influence of Bollywood is palpable in many college fests. We wanted to keep away from that," shares Jibin Jose, cultural secretary of Quintissence, which has its own list of star performances. Well-known Kathak dancer, Sanjukta Wagh, will be performing Rage and Beyond: Irawati’s Gandhari, which is her response to the character of Gandhari as it appears in Irawati Karve’s reinterpretation of the Mahabharata in Yuganta. Trained in Carnatic Classical music, choral music and abhangs for over 20 years, Shruthi Vishwanath’s concert at the fest will encompass several mystic poets in India, where she will also talk about the diversity and range of the mystics. Critically acclaimed Indian classical vocalist Abhishruti Bezbaruah will perform as well.
The line-up includes a performance by Swaradhar, an initiative that provides a dignified platform to artistes performing in areas such as railway stations.
"I am glad that there are spaces for alternatives to emerge, especially in the college spaces. It’s important for college campuses to be the hub of creativity, alternative thinking, and resistance," says Vishwanath.
The Deonar campus will host a flea market for all three days, where NGOs and street vendors whom the students work with throughout the year, will exhibit and sell their handmade products. A panel discussion on corporate social responsibility has been organised as well.
While the festival will provide a platform for dialogue and showcasing talent to the 20 participating colleges, the organising team of over 130 student volunteers already seems like an army of social entrepreneurs in the making.
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