Brecht's worldIn his birth centenary year, the department of German of the S.P. College will pay renowned German playwright Bertolt Brecht a tribute through two exhibitions on his life and literature starting January 5. These will be held in the college premises and will include photographs and books on his theatre in English, Marathi and German. Translation of his plays into Marathi and sketches of scenes drawn from his plays by students of the department will also be on display. The exhibition will be open from 9 a.m. to noon and 4 to 7 p.m.Tribal tour de forceIt is a little difficult to recognise the first floor of the Institute of Engineers which usually plays host to book exhibitions. Papier-mache masks, brass figurines, cane furniture and warli paintings jostle for space at the exhibition and sale of tribal handicrafts organised by the Tribal Research and Training Institute (TRTI). Masks of ferocious-looking lions and demons greet one at the stall near the entrance. Artefacts like ships, flower vases and lampshades fashioned out of bamboo are on display. Do not be surprised to see a few bamboo dinosaurs and extra-terrestrials - a concession to modern urban tastes, no doubt! That art can find expression through almost any medium is obvious if you take a look at the beautiful birds and animals made out of bamboo roots. Daintily-made warli paintings are yet another arresting sight. Tribal medicinal remedies, honey and silk are also on display.These exquisite exhibits have been crafted by artisans drawn from the Gond, Bhil, Thaker communities among others and are a result of hours of hard labour and countless difficulties. ``It is difficult for us to find local customers for these tribal handicrafts and just as difficult to get them to urban centres from our remote villages,'' says Keshav Gurnale, who has come from Gadchiroli. Something that exhibitions like this one plan to remedy. Says Uttamrao Sonawane, curator, TRTI, ``This exhibition is an endeavour to bring the tribal artisan to urban customers and almost 52 such artisans have been invited for it''.
