Celebrating Vasant: A Report on the Three-Day Setu-Prithvi Fest

Celebrating Vasant, held from March 21 to 23, 2025, at Prithvi Fine Art and Cultural Centre, Delhi, in collaboration with Setu, Pittsburgh, USA.

Prithvi Fine Art and Cultural Centre in collaboration with Setu, Pittsburgh, USA, hosted the three-day cultural programme.

The event celebrated the spirit of spring through a harmonious blend of art, poetry, literature, film and music, drawing an enthusiastic audience of artists, writers, poets, and art lovers.

Day 1 – March 21, 2025

The inaugural day commenced with great enthusiasm at 4:00 PM, with the gracious presence of the two chief guests:

---Sanjeev Kishor Goutam, Director General, National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi
---Mridula Garg, Acclaimed Hindi Writer.

Opening Ceremony

The event began with the auspicious Lamp Lighting Ceremony, accompanied by Saraswati Vandana rendered melodiously by Jasbir Kaur. The chief guests shared words of wisdom, emphasizing the importance of cultural dialogues and artistic expression.

Art Exhibition – "Shabd Aur Rang" (Words & Visuals)
The art exhibition "Shabd Aur Rang", featuring the evocative works of artists Bharti Prajapati and Sangeeta Gupta, was inaugurated to much applause. The synergy of words and visuals captivated the audience, reflecting the essence of spring.

Book Launch – "Feminino: क़ुदरत-ए-कामिल"

The much-anticipated bilingual poetry anthology "Feminino: क़ुदरत-ए-कामिल", edited by Dr. Sangeeta Sharma and Neelam Saxena, with Dr. Sunil Sharma as the Consulting Editor, was officially launched. The anthology celebrates femininity in all its forms, resonating with the spirit of spring.

English Poetry Reading (5:00 PM – 6:30 PM)

A distinguished lineup of poets enthralled the audience with their soulful verses.
Participating Poets:
• Amrendra Khatua
• Malashri Lal
• Radha Chakravarty
• Mandira Ghosh
• Satbir Chadha
• Rachna Joshi
• Seema Jain
• Mukul Kumar
Anchor: Sangeeta Gupta

Shabd Raag (6:30 PM – 7:45 PM)

The evening concluded with Shabd Raag, a unique confluence of poetry and classical music featuring:
---Meeta Pandit, Classical Vocalist
---Sangeeta Gupta, Poet

Their soulful performance left the audience spellbound, marking a vibrant start to the festival.

Day 2 – March 22, 2025

The second day featured a rich tapestry of Hindi poetry, literary discussions, and a cinematic exploration of Kashmir.

Hindi Poetry Reading (3:30 PM – 4:30 PM)

Participating Poets:
---Mridula Garg
---Leeladhar Mandloi
---Anamika
---Savita Singh
---Sangeeta Gupta

Discussion: Relevance of Translated Verses (5:00 PM – 6:00 PM)

A thought-provoking panel discussion on the relevance of translated poetry featured:

---Radha Chakravarty
---Malashri Lal
---Anamika
---Rekha Sethi
---Seema Jain
---Sangeeta Gupta

The session highlighted how translations bridge cultural gaps, preserving the soul of poetry across languages.

Kashmir in Films: Myth and Reality (6:00 PM – 6:30 PM)

Anuradha Reddy, along with Sangeeta Gupta presented an insightful session on Kashmir, exploring the myths and realities portrayed in cinema and day today life in Kashmir.

Book Discussion (6:35 PM – 7:00 PM)

Chetna Keer, novelist, columnist, and poet, discussed her latest book, "Geisha in the Gota Patti," in conversation with A.J. Philip, Former Senior Associate Editor, The Tribune & President of Kerala Club.

Hindi Poetry Reading (7:00 PM – 8:00 PM)

Participating Poets:
Shovana Narayan, Laxmi Shankar Bajpai, Mamata Kiran, Renu Hussain, Anuradha and Sangeeta Gupta.
The second day ended on a poignant note with heartfelt poetry echoing through the venue.

Day 3 – March 23, 2025

The final day showcased an inspiring blend of Hindustani poetry, literary discussions, documentary films, and classical music.

Hindustani Poetry Reading (3:30 PM – 4:30 PM)

The poetry session featured eminent voices, including:
Naina Soi Sehar, Deo Prakash,Meenakshi Jijivisa,Sunita Singh,Amit Kaur,Jasbir Kaur and Aakshat Sinha

Book Discussion (4:30 PM – 5:00 PM)

Rachna Singh, novelist, discussed her latest book "Raghu Rai: Waiting for the Divine" with Mandira Nayar, a senior journalist based in Delhi.

Documentary Film Screening (5:30 PM – 7:00 PM)

The audience was treated to the screening of "Weaves of Time", a poetry film by Sangeeta Gupta, which beautifully portrayed the passage of time through poetic visuals.

Classical Music Performance (7:00 PM – 8:00 PM)

The festival concluded with a mesmerizing classical music recital by Kasturika Mishra, leaving the audience spellbound and marking a soulful end to the three-day celebration.

Conclusion

The Festival: Celebrating Vasant was a grand success, celebrating the spirit of spring through a confluence of art, poetry, literature, film, and music. With participation from some of the most distinguished names in the literary and artistic community, the festival reinforced the importance of cultural exchange and creative expression.
The event was a testimony to the power of words and visuals, echoing long after the curtains fell.

An Interface: An Innovative Attempt

Shabd - Rang: A Celebration of Words & Visuals

 

Shabd - Rang, an evocative confluence of poetry and visual arts, much admired by the audience; an innovative dialogue between art forms.

 

Featuring the works of two distinguished artists—Bharti Prajapati and Sangeeta Gupta—this exhibition is a dialogue between the written word and the painted form, where colors, textures, and emotions converge to create a profound artistic experience.

 

Bharti Prajapati: Weaving Rural Narratives into Art

Bharti Prajapati, a celebrated painter and designer, finds her muse in the resilient spirit of rural women. Their daily lives, bonds, and deep connection with the land form the heart of her visual vocabulary. With a rich tapestry of earthy tones and intricate patterns, her paintings evoke the grace and strength of women rooted in tradition yet evolving with time.

Her extensive travels across Indian villages have shaped a keen sensitivity towards the nuances of rural life, inspiring themes such as Mother Earth, Shakti, One Tribe, and Earth Story. These narratives unfold through a blend of textile-inspired designs, folk motifs, and organic textures, reflecting a tradition that is rapidly disappearing in the face of modernization.

A graduate of the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, Bharti seamlessly integrates her design sensibilities into her art, creating works that are both aesthetically captivating and deeply emotive. Her exhibitions have spanned the globe, from New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore to Singapore, New York, and London. She has also participated in prestigious showcases like the Harmony Show and Lakmé Art & Fashion Show, alongside international auctions supporting South Asian women artists.

Her contributions to the art world have earned her numerous accolades, including:

• Critics' Choice Award, World University of Design, Delhi

• Bharat Kala Ratna Award, Gujarat Kala Pratisthan

• Lalit Kala Gaurav Puraskar, Gujarat State Lalit Kala Academy

• FICCI Women Achiever Award, Gujarat

Through her art, Bharti preserves the essence of India's rural ethos, ensuring that its beauty and wisdom continue to inspire generations.

 

---Sangeeta Gupta: A Journey across Poetry, Painting, and Cinema

A distinguished poet, artist, and filmmaker, Sangeeta Gupta embodies a creative spirit that transcends boundaries. With 36 solo painting exhibitions and 35 published books, including poetry anthologies in Hindi and English, her literary and artistic works resonate across cultures, having been translated into German, Greek, Mandarin, Hungarian, Bangla, Dogri, Tamil, and Urdu.

Her textile painting series, Aadiyogi Shiv – A Journey in Cosmic Indigo, a groundbreaking body of work, has been recognized in the Limca Book of Records and has traveled to 17 prestigious venues in India and abroad. This includes exhibitions at India's leading museums such as:

• Bihar Museum, Patna

• Bharat Bhavan Museum, Bhopal

• Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad

Internationally, her works have been showcased at:

• Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre, Dhaka, Bangladesh

• Zainul Gallery, Dhaka University

• Nehru Centre, London (2024)

• Sheraton Grand Kraków, Poland (2024)

• University of Rzeszow, Poland (2024)

 

Sangeeta Gupta’s artistic practice is deeply intertwined with her literary explorations.

Her creative biography, Song of the Cosmos, reflects her journey across disciplines, highlighting her ability to merge the visual and the verbal into a singular artistic expression.

As a filmmaker, she has directed and scripted 36 documentaries, with six of them archived in the Library of Congress, USA, a testament to their cultural significance.

Recognized for her literary achievements, she was honored as:

• Highly Commended Poet of the Year (2020) by Destiny Poets, UK

• Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.), 42nd World Congress of Poets (2023)

Sangeeta’s works have been acquired by renowned institutions, including:

• Museum of Sacred Art, Belgium (in collaboration with NGMA, Delhi & Mumbai)

• Bihar Museum, Patna, where her painting is part of their permanent collection and is currently traveling to Kazakhstan

• Bharat Bhavan Museum, Bhopal

Beyond her artistic endeavors, she has also served as (IRS) Chief Commissioner of Income Tax and as Advisor (Finance & Administration) at Lalit Kala Akademi and as Member Finance Committee, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi bridging the worlds of administration and creativity with remarkable ease.

 

Shabd - Rang: A Harmonious Fusion

Through Shabd - Rang, Bharti Prajapati and Sangeeta Gupta brought together their unique artistic languages—one rooted in the rural landscapes of India, the other traversing the cosmic and the spiritual.

In their works, words find colors, and colors echo poetry, creating an immersive experience that celebrates the timeless interplay of tradition, transformation, and transcendence.

 

---Sangeeta Gupta
Director, Festival: Celebrating Vasant
President, Prithvi Fine Art and Cultural Centre, Delhi, India

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Setu, March 2025