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Journalism of Courage
Shridharani could have well been the second name of Triveni Kala Sangam,one of Delhis important art addresses. The story of this institution,a launchpad for many an artiste,is also the story of the feisty,graceful yet reticent Sundari Shridharani,its founding director,who passed away recently.
Clad in crisp cotton or silk saris,Shridharani would take her place at her desk at 10 am sharp everyday. Surrounded by paintings,including one by MF Husain,she would go about her daily work. For the first time in decades,on April 7,Shridharanis staff found her chair vacant. She had passed away in her sleep. She was 93.
Triveni is a place I grew up with. My mother,Indrani Rahman,would go there for her dance practice for more than two decades, says artist Ram Rahman,who had his first photography exhibition here in the 1970s. Triveni still reflects Shridharanis artistic concerns,chiefly dance.
Born in Hyderabad,Sind (now in Pakistan),Shridharani migrated to India after the Partition and founded Triveni as a two-room establishment in Connaught Place in 1950. Jawaharlal Nehru allotted her land for the present institution. It was designed by the renowned architect Joseph Allen Stein, says Kavita,her California-based daughter.
The institution became popular in the 1970s and 1980s as a confluence for art and artists. The Triveni Tea Terrace added to its special ambience. Shridharani rarely listened to the staff who argued for raising the prices of the food served here. My mother wouldnt hear of it. Shed say that the prices had to be affordable for struggling artists, says her son Amar.
A number of awards recognised her service to arts in India,among them a Padma Shri and later the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2011.
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