5th Serendipity Arts Festival to be held from Dec 15 in Goa

Panaji, Nov 22 (PTI) The Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF) is back with an eclectic array of multi-disciplinary arts, exhibitions, workshops and performances, turning the Mandovi riverfront into a hub of cultural activities starting from December 15 here.

Organised by the Serendipity Arts Foundation, the fifth edition of the festival will focus on sustainability, inclusivity and accessibility with a significant focus on children's programmes and those with special needs.

“The festival is a realisation of our values as a foundation and we are delighted to be back with its much-awaited 5th edition in Panaji, Goa. The journey that the festival has made so far not only shows our commitment to the cause, but also marks the progress we have made and the impact we have created.

“Along with our collaborators and partners, we will continue to broaden the creative and collaborative boundaries of the festival to make it more interactive, immersive, innovative and accessible for everyone,” Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder Patron, Serendipity Arts Foundation said in a statement.

While public art projects will be dotted across venues in Panaji, the exhibition segment will highlight the world of specialist books on the art history of India with projects like “Forgotten Carpets of the Jaipur Court: Craft and the Promise of the Archive”, curated by Pramod Kumar KG.

While contemporary Indian artist Sudarshan Shetty’s project titled “Who is Asleep Who is Awake” will explore the surreal space between wakefulness and dream through works of seven artists, Veerangana Solanki will explore the online virtual space with 10 artists with project titled “Future Landing: The Arcade”.

Lina Vincent and Akshay Mahajan’s “The Goa Familia” will showcase an extensive archive of Goan cultural history and traditions.

The performance section of this year’s SAF will see musical, theatrical, and dance performances curated by tabla player Bickram Ghosh, composer Ehsaan Noorani, theatre director Quasar Thakore Padamsee, and Bharatnatyam exponent Geeta Chandran.

One of the highlights of Ghosh’s curation will see performances by Sanjay Mondal, who will lead a group of children who make music through instruments made from scrap and waste material.

Ghosh will also curate performances by the likes of percussionists A Shivamani, Taufique Qureshi, multi-Grammy winner musician Rickey Kej, singers Kalpana Patowary and Parvati Kumari.

Chandran and Padamsee will present curations true to the interdisciplinary focus. While Chandran’s projects include “Game of Dice”, a dance production that draws from Kathakali, Chhau, and Contemporary, Padamsee’s “Desdemon Roopakam” will be sung like a chamber opera using carnatic, hindustani and folk music.

Padamsee, in collaboration with theatre Ranga Shankara and children’s library Bookworm, will have a unique project aimed at children and young adults titled “The Enchanted Grove” that draws inspiration from the communally protected sacred groves of Goa.

The nine-day festival will also feature culinary, theatre, movement, and music workshops.

Talking about the overall programming, Smriti Rajgarhia, director, Serendipity Arts Foundation, said there will be “something for everyone at the festival”.

“This year we hope to take over the city, with a project in every corner making Panjim the culture hub for this part of the world. With representation from different countries, across the world, different genres, and a plethora of experiences, with projects engaging with tech and hands-on workshops, we hope that there will be something for everyone,” she said.

The Serendipity Arts Festival will come to an end on December 23. PTI MAH MAH RDS RDS