Saree ka Gunijan Khana: The Adda of the Saree Enthusiasts
Saree ka Gunijan Khana, the theoretical and performance component of Red Earth’s The Saree Festival hopes to bring together various voices and ideas around the Saree, in a multidisciplinary approach to celebrate the wondrous swirl of the Saree.
The Gunijan Khana, literally the house of learned figures, will weave in talks, discussions, and presentations highlighting varied Saree awakenings, introduced to us by practitioners from diverse practices like art, social sciences, film, design and other artistic disciplines.
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2015 Edition
Saturday 2 May; 6 – 9 pm
Sunday 3 May; 10 am – 1 pm
Auditorium, Alliance Francaise De Delhi
72 Lodhi Estate, New Delhi 110003
Contact himanshu@redearthindia.com / 41671100
Schedule at a Glance: http://2015.thesareefestival.com/?page_id=35
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PROGRAM
Saturday 2 May, 2015 / 6 pm to 9 pm
6 – 7 pm: The Saree in Indian Fashion; A talk by Shefalee Vasudev
Negotiating through an unresolved territorial battle between the purist sari and the “concept sari”, Indian fashion has found its most popular new subject through a traditional construct.
Followed by a discussion with Varun Rana (Harper’s Bazaar) & others.
Shefalee Vasudev is a New Delhi based author and journalist. In her journalistic career spanning 20 years, she has worked for several leading publications and currently works as a writing consultant with Mint. Her work explores fashion and style through an anthropological and behavioural lens. She is the author of Powder Room, The Untold Story of Indian Fashion.
7 – 7.30 pm: Dressing up Rai Hridi Haran; A talk by Samrat Banerji
Samrat Banerji presents a talk on the shringaar sewa offered to his beloved Krishna deity, Rai Hridi Haran. Banerji dresses up Hridi Haran in the most exquisite of textiles, often adapted from Sarees, and his talk dwells on the intricate ways in which he offers this service to his Saree-loving Krishna.
7.30 – 7.45 pm: Tea break
7.45 – 8.15 pm: Film: The Man and his Saree; Dir: Shatabdi Chakrabarti (Colour, 05.29 mins, English)
The Man and his Saree is a short film approached as a study on questioning notions of identity. An arts curator, Himanshu Verma has been on a journey of re-inventing the Saree as a male garment. Through his work and his practice of wearing the Saree, Himanshu constantly questions the norms that bind us. This is a short video diary of Himanshu- the artist, the subject, the man and his Saree. The screening will be followed by a discussion with the director.
Concept and Direction: Shatabdi Chakrabarti; Produced by Black Ticket Films
Shatabdi Chakrabarti is a Delhi based photographer and a filmmaker who has worked with several leading production houses in various capacities. Currently she works independently, and is working on a full-length documentary on tattoos and body art, besides other arts-related projects.
8.15 – 8.45 pm: Radio Rani meets Queen of Hearts; An informal banter with Sneh Nihalani and Deepa Mehta
Deepa Mehta (Queen of Hearts) and Sneh Nihalani (Radio Rani), both designers from Mumbai, showcasing at the Saree Festival, discuss their highly original, contemporary, bold, quirky, even eccentric Saree vocabularies.
Sunday 3 May, 2015 / 10 am to 1 pm
10 am-11 am: Love Saree: Men and the Saree: A panel featuring Justin McCarthy, Vinay Narkar, Samrat Banerji, Yulia Kissel Banerji, Anubhav Nath, Amurto Basu Ray & others
The Love Saree panel, an annual feature at the festival aims to uncover diverse aspects of Saree love. This edition focuses on Men and the Saree; presenting voices that foreground how men too share an intimate relationship with the Saree. Designers, Saree-store owners, Saree-shoppers, dhoti-wearers, dancers, and a Saree loving couple reveal their secrets, stories, anecdotes and Saree love gossip.
11 am – 11.15 am: Tea break
11.15 am – 12.45 pm: Film: Natale Tumchyasathi: Behind the adorned veil; Dir: Savitri Medhatul; (Colour, 60 mins, Marathi with English subtitles)
Lavani as a performing art has been popular in the state of Maharashtra since centuries. However, little is known of the women who have made Lavani their lives. The film tells the stories of Lavani dancers – stories of love, pain, power, seduction, survival, expectations, dreams, and ultimately – segregation from society. It presents a fascinating glimpse into the world of Lavani, with a number of spectacular performances recorded live. The screening will be followed by a discussion with the director.
Executive Producer: Bhushan Korgaonkar
Savitri Medhatul is a Mumbai based documentary filmmaker, who has worked on various national and international projects. Her work touches upon varied topics: the Lavani performance tradition, farmer suicides, water distribution in Mumbai, the Bene Israeli Jewish community and more. She has also worked with leading theatre directors, and has designed a production of the tradition of Lavani.