Moored to the Pamba

“What struck me about Kerala was the unity and adherence to traditional customs, where one expects to find a divided society. One hears of aggressive politics, different religions and communities, migration and literacy as characteristic of the State. These have their place, but at one point the people all stand togethe, forget all their personal ideologies and participate in the village traditions whole-heartedly,”says Mumbai-based Mathews.

On the occasion of Onam, a ten-day festival, the inhabitants of 28 villages along the river Pamba celebrate a unique and symbolic boat race on the second-last day of the festival. “The race is neither a competitive sports event like the Nehru Cup in August, which was instituted to keep the sport alive, nor is it a commercial exercise,” asserts Mathews.

Each village possesses a boat which is used only once a year on this occasion. The beautifully carved, snake-boats are made using old carpentry skills, which have no real utility value. “Each boat is preserved just for this race, which is not run by practiced rowers but by the 125 speedy oarsmen of the villages,” explains Mathews. The women contribute by putting together a magnificent feast, which every visitor can avail of -for free.

In the film, the village tailor, the temple priest and the NRI who has returned clarify what makes them unite and support these customs – childhood memories, old boat songs, a sense of community and an emotional attachment to the river all a part of the ancient heritage.

Mathews has had a long association with film-making – with Doordarshan in the 1980s, then with advertising agency Hindustan Thompson Associates, Zee TV. She finally decided to launch her own Mantra Magic Films. “While making a documentary there is a personal element and the script remains flexible, while advertising films are completely market-oriented,” she says, obviously enjoying her adventure as a documentary film-maker.

For the kids
On a bright sunny November morn in 1998 (Children’s Day to be exact), a throng of young school children gathered for an art competition at the Chitaranjan Vatika on Hare Krishna Mandir Path in Model Colony. The camaraderie and gaiety was all too evident.

The event was organised by Child Relief and You (CRY), well-known for its art-related charitable work. CRY, launched in Mumbai in 1979, is still a fledgling organisation in Pune. It only began in May last year.

Since then, it has concentrated on youth activities to create awareness. And not just any kind of awareness, but “the workshops are aimed at bringing about interaction between the well-off children and the underprivileged,” says Manisha Kulkarni, who looked after the Pune operations till now. CRY is also synonymous with greeting cards. The cards feature works by various artists, who either donate their works or slides to the organisation. Come Diwali and New Year, the popular CRY cards flood the market. The proceeds from the sales are channelised into child welfare. “The cards are usually designed in Mumbai and distributed by other centres. The cell decides on a particular theme every year and most paintings are chosen accordingly,” says Ira Dodee, another CRY worker. At present, Pune-based artist Ravi Paranjpe is in the midst of choosing the paintings which he will be donating to CRY this year.

Cause concern
Remember Concern India Foundation’s art exhibition and sale that saw more than 40 city painters exhibit their work last year in July, at Hotel Holiday Inn’s Inn Galleria?. An exhibition and sale of bonsai by the Kalpataru Bonsai Study Group was organised in October at the Hotel Pride. At a repeat performance in mid-July this year, about 46 artists will exhibit their paintings.

Bipin Kasegaonkar, the branch manager for Pune, says, “We have organised events for institutions like Dynana Devi, SAMPARC, Swadhar who work for slum children, destitute and orphaned children, women in distress respectively. Concern cards are also an artistic endeavour.” The Pune artists who are part of the repertoire are Murli Lahoti, Milind Phadke, Dhananjay Sastakar and Sarbani Sen. Concern also has a competition lined up for this year. Paintings are invited from three categories of people professional artists, school children and children below 15, to be submitted by early August. The school children are allowed to paint only in blue and white, which makes the competition all the more interesting.

Music beckons
A&M events is another fledgling fraternity which works for cultural awareness. Established by Atul Kulkarni, the public trust has already organised art expositions and brought renowned musicians to Pune, in tandem with its objective of promoting quality art and music to the masses at affordable prices. It is also committed to help non-profit organisations working for a social cause.

“It was the love for music and the fact that Pune is a cultural centre which got me interested in starting A&M,” says Kulkarni, who is a civil engineering consultant, running the agency from his home-cum-office in Model Colony.

And over time, they have roped in musicians to perform in the city, the latest being Hariprasad Chaurasia who performed at Tilak Smarak Mandir in January. In March, the Poona Club hosted a painting exhibition of 17 artists, that was favourably received. “We had some great works by artists like Maruti Patil, Siddharth Parasnis, Murli Lahoti, Ranjana Joshi, Milind Mullick which were appreciated. Next on the agenda is a Shivkumar Sharma fund-raiser concert at the Le Meridien next month in aid of the Kargil soldiers.” And Kulkarni has many more artistic ideas up his sleeve.

With such organisations opening the doors to cultural activities of distinction, one can certainly hope for a boost to art scene.