In the hustle and bustle of daily lives, we often forget to keep in touch with friends from school, college, etc. There were panel discussions on identity with panellists such as Navadeep, Moses Tulasi, Bharat Jayaram and more and also an exhibition by artist-architect Maitri Dore whose stirring visuals and drawings on contemporary topics regarding sexuality and the state ranged from the humorous to the tragic, while taking on issues like Section 377, social stigma and stereotypes.ĥ) I got a chance to catch up with old friends! This year, the Hyderabad Literary Festival was designed as a platform to showcase socially relevant causes, one of the prominent ones being giving a voice to the typically sidelined LGBT Community. They were kind enough to write out my kids names in a beautiful Devnagri script which I plan to frame and showcase in my home prominently!Ĥ) I got an idea of what “all-inclusiveness” was really all about. This workshop, titled “Sulekhan” was conducted by noted calligraphers B.G.Limaye and Parameshwar Raju, who created calligraphy in Marathi language and interacted with all of the viewers to try their hands as well. From “The Story of Light: A Spectacle” that questioned the relationship between the human civilization and light using installations in a specially designed dark room, to the “Rocked City”- an installation and photo exhibit that was based on the beauty and destruction of the rockscapes of Hyderabad by the Save the Rocks Society to the “Fractals” workshop and exhibit by the very talented Takbir Fatima that spoke of the fractals in nature and gave us an idea of how it could be used to make a large formation with a life of its own, there was ingenuity unabashedly on display everywhere!ģ) I got an insight into the beautiful written works of our past and the wondrous scripts which were responsible for our great epics. There was so much to see, and mind boggling levels of creativity that really shook me out of comfortable rut. Given blank boxes and an wide array of colouring and craft materials, we got to unleash our inner artists, get downright messy and have some fun while at it!Ģ) I marvelled at all the creativity on display at the various venues of the festival. Called “Self Boxed’, we were mentored by Artist Koeli Mukherjee who is an art historian from Santiniketan. There was a fun art making workshop for the creative and also the non-so creatively inclined people where we got a chance to dabble in art. So here’s what I did at the Hyderabad Literary Festival which made all the events super fun for me! All these hobbies somehow take a backseat when the “mom” in me comes calling, and the three days of this Lit Fest were a wonderful way of rekindling my passion for all my hobbies and reminding me that it is possible to find a balance between my duties as a mother and my other pursuits as an individual. I love reading, making friends, taking pictures, watching movies, admiring socially relevant art, etc. Not that that’s not my most important role as of now, but I often realize that I have to push myself into remembering that I do have a life beyond my kids also.
Sometimes, as moms, we often forget that we have lives outside of parenting our kids.
The stunning venue of the festival was the Hyderabad Public School, right in the heart of the city, and its presence a stone’s throw from my house made it even more convenient for me to attend the literary extravaganza. This year, I got the chance to be a part of the fest up close and personal, and attended the various talks, workshops, panel discussions, book launches and cultural events with great enthusiasm and love for all things good. Making toys out of cow dung while listening to beautiful, soul stirring poetry, getting your name carved on black slate while watching Marathi films par excellence, opening your thoughts and ideas to new ideas and thoughts while soaking in new cultures- ALL this and much more happened at the Hyderabad Literary Festival 2016, held here in the city from January 7th to 10th.
0 kommentar(er)
