Recently, furtive lovers who are a staple presence at the quaint Upvan lake in Thane reached it to find a dramatically different scene. The private moments they sought to steal would have to be found elsewhere because Upvan's vast periphery had been swept clean and spruced up with ornamental lights; and instead of the sprinkling of hawkers, curiously there stood scores of pristine stalls and stages.
As many as 350,000 visitors, including families, students and artists, thronged the venue between January 10 and 12 for the city's first-ever art festival. With walk-ins from Kalyan-Dombivali, Navi Mumbai and even parts of Mumbai, the three-day event generated enough interest to ensure its recurrence in coming years, and the establishment of Thane as a growing hub for culture. Mumbai's smaller neighbour - known for its lakes and patronage of Marathi theatre and natya sangeet - was treated to rare international acts, performances by Indian classical music stalwarts such as Zakir Hussain and L Subramaniam, contemporary art and experimental street theatre.
Venue: Thane Kala Bhavan and Art Vista Gallery
As approach roads began to choke with cars, people parked them hurriedly and walked to the lake. Attendance was high even for programmes starting at 6.30 am. Less expensive localities like Thane are developing into residential hotspots for young families and professionals, who display a thirst for forms of recreation other than malls, movies and restaurants. This had prompted the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) to build a large art gallery and an auditorium in the last few years. In February, Navi Mumbai too will act as an alternate space to Mumbai by hosting its first film festival.
"People from Thane travel to Kala Ghoda for the annual art festival, so there is definitely an audience. We need to make art accessible for those who may not be able to make trips to Mumbai," says Thane-based Rucha Mehta, who led the visual arts segment of the festival that included works of Akbar Padamsee and Bhupen Khakhar. "It was heartening to see visitors queuing up patiently to look at the pieces." Sharmilaa Iyer, founder of the local Nitai Gauras art gallery who has also curated displays at the Thane Kala Bhavan, agrees, "People are eager to learn from even small exhibitions."
Awareness about visual art in these parts is still low, adds Iyer, who plans to introduce appreciation courses in local schools. Figurative paintings are received well in comparison with contemporary works. "People tend to classify everything they don't understand as 'modern' art. Somewhere, we, as art practitioners, have gone wrong by not reaching out to them," says Sharmila Samant, whose works have been included in international biennales.
"Many artists live in far-flung suburbs but most dissemination of art happens in Mumbai's Colaba or Fort," observes Samant, adding that there is a need to decentralise art. Curator Mehta concurs, saying art in India, unlike in Europe or South America, is largely an elitist pursuit. That is why Thane has excited resident artists such as the contemporary great Sudhir Patwardhan, as well as emerging talents in the city. "Even artists from Pune or interior Maharashtra prefer to display here since it is hard for them to book South Mumbai galleries," says Iyer.
Change is brewing in the realm of performing arts as well. Auditoriums like the famed Gadkari Rangayatan and its newer rival Kashinath Ghanekar Natyagruha, have on the odd occasion played host to Thane-bred Marathi and Hindi rock bands. Two fully-equipped jam rooms, something that earlier led bands to commute to Bandra, have come up in the city recently. Beside local groups like Moksha and Paradigm Shift, Thane has also hosted Mumbai-based death metal bands Orion and Demonic Resurrection.
The relative availability of space and time has helped Thane's cause, say international artists. "In Mumbai, it wasn't possible to screen in a public space, like (we did) in the Upvan art festival," says Sylvia Grom of A Wall is a Screen, a German group that shows films outside conventional locations. "Mega cities normally have such a big range of events that it sometimes seems more difficult to attract people there," she adds. Artists from New York and the Japanese taiko player Leonard Eto, who initially had doubts about coming to the city, even extended their stay by a few days, says festival convener Sandeep Karnavat.
The greatest challenge, say organisers of the festival, was raising funds. "Since this was the first year of the event, many corporations had apprehensions," says Karnavat. "But everyone who participated this time has promised to return. We want Thane to be known not just as the city of lakes but as the city of art."
As many as 350,000 visitors, including families, students and artists, thronged the venue between January 10 and 12 for the city's first-ever art festival. With walk-ins from Kalyan-Dombivali, Navi Mumbai and even parts of Mumbai, the three-day event generated enough interest to ensure its recurrence in coming years, and the establishment of Thane as a growing hub for culture. Mumbai's smaller neighbour - known for its lakes and patronage of Marathi theatre and natya sangeet - was treated to rare international acts, performances by Indian classical music stalwarts such as Zakir Hussain and L Subramaniam, contemporary art and experimental street theatre.
| THANE BECKONS |
| Some upcoming events January 19: Aamhi Sou Kumud Prabhakar Aapte, a Marathi play starring Aishwarya Narkar and Pratiksha Lonkar, about two women who discover they are married to the same man. More From This SectionJanuary 19: Proposal, a play in the form of a conversation between the only two commuters in the last local train from CST to Karjat. Venue: Gadkari Rangayatan hall February 9: Rock show featuring, among other Indian bands, Sceptre, Trivandrum-based Chaos, Pune’s Halahkuh and Kolkata bands Armament and Deadbolt Venue: Orbit, United 21 Hotel February: ‘Woodscapes’ by Rajendra Chaudhary, a photography exhibition, and an event with 100 Thane-based artists will dot the art calendar in February. For details, contact sharmilaaiyer@gmail.com |
As approach roads began to choke with cars, people parked them hurriedly and walked to the lake. Attendance was high even for programmes starting at 6.30 am. Less expensive localities like Thane are developing into residential hotspots for young families and professionals, who display a thirst for forms of recreation other than malls, movies and restaurants. This had prompted the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) to build a large art gallery and an auditorium in the last few years. In February, Navi Mumbai too will act as an alternate space to Mumbai by hosting its first film festival.
"People from Thane travel to Kala Ghoda for the annual art festival, so there is definitely an audience. We need to make art accessible for those who may not be able to make trips to Mumbai," says Thane-based Rucha Mehta, who led the visual arts segment of the festival that included works of Akbar Padamsee and Bhupen Khakhar. "It was heartening to see visitors queuing up patiently to look at the pieces." Sharmilaa Iyer, founder of the local Nitai Gauras art gallery who has also curated displays at the Thane Kala Bhavan, agrees, "People are eager to learn from even small exhibitions."
Awareness about visual art in these parts is still low, adds Iyer, who plans to introduce appreciation courses in local schools. Figurative paintings are received well in comparison with contemporary works. "People tend to classify everything they don't understand as 'modern' art. Somewhere, we, as art practitioners, have gone wrong by not reaching out to them," says Sharmila Samant, whose works have been included in international biennales.
"Many artists live in far-flung suburbs but most dissemination of art happens in Mumbai's Colaba or Fort," observes Samant, adding that there is a need to decentralise art. Curator Mehta concurs, saying art in India, unlike in Europe or South America, is largely an elitist pursuit. That is why Thane has excited resident artists such as the contemporary great Sudhir Patwardhan, as well as emerging talents in the city. "Even artists from Pune or interior Maharashtra prefer to display here since it is hard for them to book South Mumbai galleries," says Iyer.
Change is brewing in the realm of performing arts as well. Auditoriums like the famed Gadkari Rangayatan and its newer rival Kashinath Ghanekar Natyagruha, have on the odd occasion played host to Thane-bred Marathi and Hindi rock bands. Two fully-equipped jam rooms, something that earlier led bands to commute to Bandra, have come up in the city recently. Beside local groups like Moksha and Paradigm Shift, Thane has also hosted Mumbai-based death metal bands Orion and Demonic Resurrection.
The relative availability of space and time has helped Thane's cause, say international artists. "In Mumbai, it wasn't possible to screen in a public space, like (we did) in the Upvan art festival," says Sylvia Grom of A Wall is a Screen, a German group that shows films outside conventional locations. "Mega cities normally have such a big range of events that it sometimes seems more difficult to attract people there," she adds. Artists from New York and the Japanese taiko player Leonard Eto, who initially had doubts about coming to the city, even extended their stay by a few days, says festival convener Sandeep Karnavat.
The greatest challenge, say organisers of the festival, was raising funds. "Since this was the first year of the event, many corporations had apprehensions," says Karnavat. "But everyone who participated this time has promised to return. We want Thane to be known not just as the city of lakes but as the city of art."