The cultural landscape of the heritage city of Mysuru is set for a vibrant addition as Jagannatha Centre for Arts and Culture (JCAC) launches the first edition of ‘Uttarayana’ Art and Culture Festival. Scheduled to be held from January 23 (Friday) to 27 (Tuesday), the festival features music, dance, theatre, visual arts and literature at JCAC in Vijayanagar 1st Stage, Mysuru.
Addressing a press conference, curator Saishiva described the event as a ‘unified platform’ designed for the audience to experience diverse art forms simultaneously. "We are bringing junior, senior and veteran artists on a single platform to create a holistic cultural experience," he said.
Musical pageant
The festival will feature a line-up of classical musicians. Evening programmes, for which entry fee is Rs 100, include performance by Hindustani vocalist Pandit Venkatesh Kumar, renowned violin duo Mysore Brothers — Manjunath and Nagaraj; and a sound troupe, Laya Lavanya, led by Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma.
According to music coordinator Manasa Nayana, “The festival will host ‘Marma’ – a Bhakti Sangeet session by Chandana Bala Kalyan, and a special 'Mud Music Collective' performance. The final day (Jan 27) will be dedicated to Saint Tyagaraja, with a group rendition of ‘Pancharatna Kritis’, followed by ‘Bhakti in Bharatanatyam’ by Rohith Eswar. There is a symposium on ‘Is it possible to build a life through art?”
Dance, visual arts
Dance coordinator Krupa Phadke announced that the festival will showcase five distinct dance forms. “The attractions include a Kathak duet by Nirupama and Rajendra, a contemporary fusion performance by Rukmini Vijayakumar, Bharatanatyam by Pooja Sugama and Samiksha, and Odissi by Anushree Padmanabha”.
A highlight is the four-day 'Dance Appreciation' (Nritya Rasagrahana) workshop. Experts like Vasundhara Doraswamy (Yoga and dance), Tulsi Ramachandra (teaching rare forms like Gowndali and Perani), and Choodamani Nandakumar (sculpture and dance) will be resource persons.
An exhibition 'Pete Beedhi' will feature line drawings by former Rangayana director Prasanna and works by art director Dwarkanath. An architecture exhibition 'A Life in Architecture' will showcase the works of Girish Doshi.
Theatre, unique workshops
The theatre segment, coordinated by Ramnath, includes plays such as Koohoo (Little Earth Theatre), Prana Pakshi (Shivamogga) and Restlessness in Pieces (a solo by Savita Rani).
There will be unique participatory workshops like ‘Her Voice Her Stage’, for homemakers; ‘The Red Carpet Vibe’, modeling and personality development workshop for youth; ‘Little Leaders’, a personality development workshop for children; and Filmmaking, a short film-making workshop.
Literature, dialogues
The literary wing, coordinated by Rama Bennur, will host a ‘Hasya Kavi Goshti’ (humorous poetry session) featuring humorist H Dundiraj and B R Lakshmana Rao. Intellectual sessions include lectures by Lakshmeesha Tolpadi and a panel discussion on ‘Art as a Way of Life’ featuring artist N S Harsha and others.
Rama Bennur said, “Uttarayana is the time when the sun changes its course. JCAC has organised this programme, intending to symbolically write a new chapter in the art and cultural scene of Mysuru at this time."
Entry details
While daytime programmes (10 am to 4.30 pm) are free for the public, the evening performances at the auditorium (7 pm onwards) are ticketed at Rs 100, to manage the limited seating capacity of 350.