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: рдХ़ुрджрд░рдд-рдП-рдХाрдоिрд▓"
The much-anticipated
bilingual poetry anthology "Feminino:
рдХ़ुрджрд░рдд-рдП-рдХाрдоिрд▓", 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 Lakm├й 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 Krak├│w, 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
