Events of the week

Maestros of ghazal

What: Ghazal fans in the city, block your date for an evening that will enthrall and leave you with a greater appreciation and insight into the beautiful world of ghazals. Husn-e-Ghazal features celebrated Ghazal artiste Shakeel Ahmed — who will talk about the importance of matching a poem with a mood- appropriate raag without losing essence of the literary quotient. He will touch upon the intricacies of how a poem is blended into a raga’s structure, to bring out its best, merging effortlessly yet retaining meaning, creating a mesmerising effect. Ahmed will demonstrate the elements needed for successful ghazal gaayaki as he weaves his vocal skills and artistry with great poetry. Complementing this there will also be a piquant narrative by Shri Laxmi Shankar Bajpai and DR Khalid Alvi, in conversation with Dr Mridula Tandon to elucidate on the “Husn” inherent in the Ghazal’s ashaar.

When: August 31 (6pm)

Where: India International Centre, Lodhi Garden

Colombian tunes  

What: To commemorate 60 years of diplomatic relations between Colombia and India, here’s a concert by Cimarrón — a 2004 Grammy nominated group from Colombia who perform joropo music. Bringing music from the plains of the Orinoco River with a global and contemporary sound, their powerful scenic force achieves a unique blend of Andalusian, Indigenous American and African roots, with an impetuous and deep ethnic singing, amazing stomp dance and fierce instrumental virtuosity of strings and percussions. Their music includes four-stringed cuatro, harp, maracas and also Peruvian-flamenco cajón, Brazilian surdo, Afro-Colombian tambora, a stomp dance as a percussion component and tribal indigenous whistles never seen before outside of Latin America

When: September 4 (6:30 pm onwards)

Where: India International Centre, Lodhi Garden

Cultural hotspot

What: Featuring selected works by young artists from Kala Bhavana, an upcoming exhibition of Janus Art Gallery will display around 40 works including sculptures of those artists from the institution whose art seeks a language of ingenuity. Titled ‘Kala Bhavana: The Legacy of Ingenuity’ the exhibition commemorates 100 years of Kala Bhavana, which brought modern Indian art into the limelight. The art practised here under the leadership of Nandalal Bose and Rabindranath Tagore was modern and at the same time very much Indian. Tagore’s idea of art was not limited to nationalism. That is why he saw art universally and nurtured Kala Bhavana as a meeting point of different ideas, practices, cultures and trends. This exhibition primarily attempts to highlight recent practices of Kala Bhavana, displaying varied genres, mediums and styles.

When: September 2- 10 (11am – 8pm)

Where: Triveni Kala Sangam, 205, Tansen Marg