City to have a date with country’s famous

It covers an entire gamut of artistic endeavour but, for a change, the city lovers will get a packet of unconventional experimentations that are sweeping the art world across the country as well as abroad.

From Empire to Emporium’, the unique exhibition tracing the history of Khadi curated by anthropologist Emma Tarlo with Pooja Sood, will set the tone at the Government Museum tomorrow. The show was part of Utsav’ held at Durban in South Africa as a tribute to Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi.

According to Sumant Jayakrishnan, the artist-cum-designer of the show whose installation is a much-awaited one, "We are showing Gandhiji as the clothing designer of the nation, along with the philosophy and practicality of Khadi."

To vibe well with the theme, Maya Krishna Rao will present an improvisation on Partition at the Museum on August 11. This will see the culmination of the ongoing workshop conducted by her for the city theatre artists. Since we have moved much away from the Gandhian ideals and have become too much bureaucratised, Maya’s latest play will grip you with its sheer sense of humour. With three titles, 4-Wheel-Drive’, Come to me Mr Sharma’, Body-fat Murdered Show’, the play took Delhi by storm. But you will have to shed your inhibitions and come with an open mind, Chandigarhians.

The other aspect centres around street art and depiction of women. From Goddess to Pin Up’, the exhibition on calendar art curated by sociologist Patricia Uberoi and Pooja Sood, shows the changing image of women in calendars. The curious will get a chance to hear Patricia as a lecture by her will follow the inauguration on Saturday.

The concept will be elaborated in Anuradha Kapur’s Sundari-An Actor Prepares’ which tells us about the life of Gujarat’s famous female impersonator, Jayshankar Sundari, that will be staged at Tagore Theatre on August 14. This play will see the coming together of artists from different fields for the set has been designed by Bhupen Kakkar and Neelima Sheikh.

To show the rebellious and innovative woman, there is Mallika Sarabhai, on August 12, with her V for…’, the new production directed by veteran British theatre director John Martin that will see Mallika in trousers and hats, not in her usual Bharatanatyam costume.

And to connect the two streams of thought, Govind Nihalani accompanied by Jaya Bachchan will show Hazar Chaurasi ki Ma’ at Kiran on August 9. Here you get the woman’s role as a mother and the background of the Naxalite movement. The Daily Dialogue’ with Govind, Jaya and Om Puri at the Museum at 11.30 on August 10 will provide a chance to the cinebuffs to interact with the stars.

"We want the Chandigarh people on par with the international audience but for that they have to take an imaginative risk," pointed out Neelam Man Singh Choudhary, the chairperson of the Academy.