Filter coffee with Draupadi decoded

Music,dance,theatre,cinema,photography,visual art and poetry fill the menu at the fifth edition of the Delhi International Arts Festival (DIAF),which began recently. Musicians from Shantiniketan,West Bengal,performed Tagore songs at a tribute concert for the Nobel Laureate,to kick-start the festival. “We had a lot of interesting artistes this year so we extended the duration of the festival from 10 days in previous years to 15 days this time,” says Bharatanatyam dancer and DIAF director Pratibha Prahalad.

Every year,the most attended section of the festival is the bands’ performance. The present line-up includes Indian names such as the Mumbai-based Filter Coffee and the Delhi-based Mrigya. “I have been a part of DIAF as an individual performer in the past. This is the first time the band will be playing there. The best thing about Delhi is the audience. They are encouraging and know our music,” says Swarupa Ananth,lead vocalist of Filter Coffee that infuses folk music with electronica.

International names at the festival include The Rhythm Road,a jazz band from New York,a dance-and-poetry recital called Ocean Of Love from South Africa and a repeat of a popular element of the festival,the Mawlawyiah Dervish Dance from Egypt. Japanese choreographer Hiroshi Miyamoto will present a collaborative piece titled Mango-Cherry Mix with Delhi-based dancer Navtej Johar.

Preeta Mathur,the lead actor of the play Prashna Panchali,is looking forward to narrating Draupadi’s trauma during the Cheer Haran episode of the Mahabharata. “Draupadi’s anguish was universal,and her angst relevant even today,” says Mathur. The festival also includes films like Anwar Jamal’s Dilli ki Basti Mein,about the walled city,and Michele Placido’s Journey Called Love,about the scandalous life of 20th century poet Sibilla Aleramo. The festival will conclude on November 15 with an Italian opera performance.