Rajasthan, Assam and Bengal spoke to each other in the most artsy way at the three-day multidisciplinary festival Anant Samagam, held at Travancore Palace recently. With art, music and fashion coming together, Delhi witnessed a confluence of the three cultures.Rennie Joyy, founder of Aalekh Foundation and organiser of the event, said, “Music, photography, fashion and food, everything is art. Anant Samagam celebrates the confluence of cultures through these mediums. The aim is to keep looking inwards, inspire youth, and be a platform that allows people to collaborate and experience different aspects of the three cultures and regions.”
Rennie Joyy with Bose Krishnamachari
Assam, Bengal and Rajasthan are regions that are connected through trade, textiles, music, and spiritual thought. The idea was to showcase the confluence of the East and West
Rennie Joyy, organiser of the event
Sharon Lowen with Samar Jodha
A tactile experience of culture From Bappaditya Biswas’ indigo-dyed jamdani textiles and Samar Jodha’s multi-media artwork bringing Assam’s mining community to the fore, to Abhishek Hajela’s photographs clicked in Bengal and Rajasthan capturing the mood of the cities – the installations celebrated the three regions in a contemporary way. Anita Horam, founder of The Mighty Muse, the curatorial partner at the event, said, “The artistic curation was contemporary, celebrating the three regions. From conservation and craft revival to shining the light on a community, the curations act as cultural bridges in a modern world.” The festival also saw a series of thought-provoking panel discussions that explored the future of craft, culture as a living continuum, and food as a repository of memory.
Anita Horam, founder, The Mighty Muse
The audiences are today different and need to experience culture in a tactile way
Anita Horam, founder of The Mighty Muse
Pichwai art, metalwork, and heritage textiles come together in Jenjum Gadi’s brass artwork
Highlights included fashion showcases by designers Sonam Dubal, Pallavi Jaipur, Jahnabi Phookan and Bappaditya Biswas
Laila Tyabji
Among live performances were Zuheb Kollective (above), contemporary folk band Fakira, Assamese violinist Sunita Bhuyan and Rajasthani folk music group Raahein Gharana and Manganiar vocalist and percussionist Kutle Khan
Jenjum Gadi with Rachna Aggarwal; Divyaman Singh
