Triveni Kala Sangam celebrates 75 years with exhibitions, performances

New Delhi, Feb 28 (PTI) The arts and education centre Triveni Kala Sangam is marking its 75th year and celebrating its cultural legacy with a series of exhibitions, performances, talks, arts and crafts workshops here.

The journey of 75 years, which began in two rented rooms in Connaught Place in 1950 before moving to the landmark building at Mandi House in 1963, was observed at a special ceremony on Friday.

"Since its inception in 1950, the institution, built almost single-handedly by Late Sundari K Shridharani through sheer grit and perseverance, has nurtured generations of artists, performers and teachers across disciplines, supporting over ten thousand individuals with platforms, audiences and students, and contributing significantly to India’s modern artistic landscape," the institute said in a statement.

The commemorative festival is anchored by the exhibition "From Two Rooms… to a Landmark", presenting rare photographs, documents and narratives from Triveni’s founding decades and its evolution within Delhi’s post-Independence cultural milieu.

The wider programme features performances by eminent practitioners, artist interactions, craft showcases and public events.

Highlights of the festival include the theatre conversation "The Importance of Being Triveni", featuring renowned director and educator Feisal Alkazi in dialogue with journalist Mandira Nayar, and "Working with Stein – The Inside Story", where architects Sudhish Mohindroo and Meena Mani will revisit their formative years with the legendary Joseph Allen Stein and reflect on the making of landmark cultural institutions including the Triveni campus.

For the duration of the festival, Triveni's historic cafe legacy will be revived through a limited "Heritage Menu", recalling the Tea Terrace of the 1960s, when artists, writers and students shared tables with modern masters such as M F Husain, Krishen Khanna, Vivan Sundaram, Raghu Rai and Tyeb Mehta.

The venue has witnessed dancers like Hema Malini, Indrani Rahman, Birju Maharaj, Narendra Sharma and Yamini Krishnamurthy; musicians such as sitar maestro Ravi Shankar and his disciple Pt Uma Shankar Mishra, Pt Jasraj, Pt Amarnath and Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia; and theatre figures from the National School of Drama including Ebrahim Alkazi, Sheela Bhatia, Anuradha Kapoor, Om Shiv Puri, Om Puri, Habib Tanveer and Naseeruddin Shah, "shaping India’s modern cultural imagination in an open, democratic space for dialogue and practice".

“Seventy-five years is evidence of continuity. Triveni Kala Sangam was conceived as a complete cultural ecosystem where disciplines meet and influence one another. Over these decades, the institution has nurtured and supported more than 10,000 artists, teachers and cultural professionals across disciplines.

"As we look to the next 25 years, our commitment remains the same: to sustain artistic freedom, keeping teaching at its core and preserving the classical forms of Indian dance and music, while expanding access through new technologies, digital archives and a renewed focus on interdisciplinary collaborations that carry this vision forward for future generations," Amar Shridharani, honorary general secretary, Triveni Kala Sangam, said in a statement.

The festival will come to an end on March 15. PTI MAH MAH MAH