Serendipity Arts Festival 2022 Held On December 19 Highlights

The fifth day of the Festival, and the enthusiasm is riding high! It is heartening to see people queuing up to see theatrical productions, enjoy music, stare pensively at art installations, learn some history and tips for cooking and culinary activities, and embrace all forms of art and culture.     

Organised for nine days and spread across 14+ venues with over 120+ programs, the festival is being held in association with GMR and supported by the Government of Goa, the Corporation of The City of Panaji, the Directorate of Art and Culture, Goa, the Entertainment Society of Goa, the Goa Tourism Department, and the Goa Forest Department, along with Technology partner Microsoft and Logistics Partner Delhivery.

Highlights of the Day included:

Ee Gida, Aa Mara

Old GMC; The Foundry

Curated by Quasar Thakore Padamsee, directed by Sananda Mukhopadhyaya, and presented by Ranga Shankara’s “AHA!“ Theatre for Children, this production was about creating a world of seeds, leaves, & gentle sounds, aiming to help toddlers collect experiences that may help them to make sense of the world around them. 

Naachiyar Next

Old GMC; The Theatre

Curated by Geeta Chandran, danseuse Dr. Anita Ratnam celebrated the Bhakti saint Andal with a Bharatnatyam performance that explored female desire, devotion, and modes of transgression, rooting from a life, saturated with emotion, passion, and poetry, lived over 1000 years ago, when women were forbidden the landscapes of devotion and personal worship. Andal remains an enigma and a beloved icon in the Tamil imagination. In ‘Naachiyar Next’, globally acclaimed choreographer Dr Anita Ratnam revisits her 2013 classic production ‘Naachiyar’ with an ensemble of 18 artists. It was a surreal experience watching the performance.

Abha

Old GMC; The Theatre

This was an incredible performance set in the margam format of Bharatnatyam, drawing inspiration from Devdutt Pattanaik’s Sita, which compiled the numerous regional variations of the Ramayana.

The Future of Storytelling

The ESG Auditorium

In collaboration with Svasa Life Magazine and moderated by Mehir Nath Chopra, the panel discussion pondered on the future of storytelling and its evolution, touching upon how art has evolved through the ages with the amalgamation of music, technology, and moving images. The panelists comprised Anand Gandhi, Zain Memon. The discussion was captivated the audience and was followed by a interactive session with questions.

Rumiyana

The Arena At Nagalli Hills Ground

Curated by Geeta Chandran, directed by Dadi Pudumjee, and presented by Ishara Puppet Theatre, Rumiyana was a musical puppet theatre performance based on the works of the great Sufi mystic, poet, and philosopher Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, whose influence transcends all conceivable borders and unites people across categories of race, nationality, and gender

This production synergises puppets, actors, and dancers, to create a multimedia performance with music, animations, and digital projections. Using the metaphors of soul, body, and shadow, the performance explores the idea of the true self in consonance with the concepts of pluralism and the unity of all existence as One. Enacted by two artists essaying the roles of master and student, with the student being in present-day attire and the master evoking the Sufi saint Shams, the show celebrates love, unity, harmony, and diversity, safe in the knowledge that there are as many paths to the divine as there are seekers.

Serendipity Soundscapes// Dil ki Baatein: Affairs of the Heart in Song

The Arena At Nagalli Hills Ground

Serendipity Soundscapes is a unique initiative by Serendipity Arts Festival. Curated by Aneesh Pradhan for Serendipity Arts Festival, with a selection of Hindi poems set to tune specially for this performance brought to the listener a variety of expressions of love that have found place in poetry. It was a melodious presentation by Smt Shubha Mudgal Ji, with lyrics by Amir Khusrau, Gulzar, Prasoon Joshi, Aalok Shrivastav, and Shubha Mudgal and compositions by Aneesh Pradhan, Shubha Mudgal, and Shantanu Moitra.

Gopal Dutt presented the program with a selection of Hindi poems set to tune specially for the performance Dil Ki Baatein: Affairs of the Heart in Song.

Sanjay Mondal and the Street Drummers

Old GMC; The Courtyard

Curated by Bickram Ghosh, it was an unbelievably beautiful experience when a group of children from diverse backgrounds led by Sanjay Mondal, created music through instruments made from everyday objects—discarded utensils, bottle caps, thermocol pads, and metal pipes. There beats were the pulse of the evening at GMC Courtyard.

The History of Pizza Spanning 5000 Years

Old GMC; The Food Lab

Curated by Prahlad Sukhtankar and facilitated by Abhijit Choksi the workshop traced the fascinating history from ancient Sumeria to modern Goa! 

(Bija Swaraj): Seed Sovereignty

Old GMC; The Food Lab

Curated by Prahlad Sukhtankar and facilitated by OOO Farms, the workshop illustrated the sovereignty of indigenous seeds and seed protection for Adivasi communities.

The Island That Never Gets Flooded

Municipal Gardens (Jardim Garcia de Orta) 

Artist Amche Mollem ahowcased a series of interactive art engagements to emphasise citizen participation, that is the driving force of the Amche Mollem movement.

The Rum n Colas

Art Park

Curated by Shyamant Behal

In the day there was tight set by ‘The Rum n Colas’ and the band captured the hearts of locals and tourists alike with their unique blend of Jazz, Calypso, and Swing, and tonight was no exception.

Expressive Arts Workshops

Excise Building

Led by Pavitra Chari it was a workshop of curated activities to explore self-awareness, expression and creativity.

The official hashtag for the festival is #MeetMeAtSerendipity.

For additional information on programming  visit www.serendipityartsfestival.com