Sacred tunes to fill the air on concluding day of the fifth edition of Ahmedabad International Arts Fest
Taking spiritual wisdom through modern dance form to the youth is one of the prime goals of Ahmedabad International Arts Festival. Jain Katha by Seema Mehta and Rina Mehta is a unique show celebrating the rich traditions of Jainism through the north Indian classical dance form of Kathak. For the first time, stories and shlokas from Jain scriptures come alive through this dynamic art form. The show brings forth the cornerstones of Jainism.
Disciples of Kathak maestro Pt Chitresh Das in San Francisco, Seema Mehta from Mumbai and Rina Mehta from Los Angeles are to perform a 75-minute dance composition. It narrates the story of Chandal Bala, a sadhvi who lived a life of an ascetic with faith and courage tolerating injustice and violence. Rina says, “Taking the Jain values of endurance and tolerance further, we have come up with a special dance performance which will be a first in the city.” She says that peace and salvation — values that ancient stories uphold that are relevant today to the modern proscenium stage.
The final day of the fest will open with Celebrating the Divine, a solo concert of sacred music by Ami Mathur from Lucknow.
During the day, Matrubhasha Abhiyan, TransIndus Foundation and Fanatika will present Prithivivallabh Vachikam (dramatic reading) directed by Bhargav Purohit, while Goethe-Zentrum Ahmedabad and MMB Mumbai will present a film festival titled Celebrating Cultures at Alliance Française d’Ahmedabad.
The write up appeared in Ahmedabad Mirror on Sept 29, 2013
