An art show to empower underprivileged girls, women

An art exhibition titled 'Shakti,' scheduled to open here on April 29, aims to empower girls and women hailing from underprivileged backgrounds.
Part of the proceeds from the sale at the show which will exhibit the artworks, both figurative and abstract, of Delhi-based artist Mrinmoy Barua, is set to go towards the education of women and girls from urban-poor backgrounds in Delhi and the National Capital Region.
The artist has collaborated with the Delhi chapter of 'Save the Children' in order to empower and encourage them to lead a life of dignity and meet the challenges of their everyday lives.

The subject of Barua's paintings for the event remains a woman but her forms are varied. He paints the women in their various hues and moods, portraying them as infinite, determined and passionate. With his courful strokes, he puts her vitality, energy and fluidity, on the canvas.
Barua depicts his women without any definite form, refusing to essentialise or limit them, depicting them as flying, gliding or moving, in the absence of any definite space or time, lending them more power and force.
"One of the most important aspects of my work is depicting women empowerment. I'm extremely happy to be associated with this cause and feel with this collaboration with 'Save the Children', my talent will be used in the right direction," the artist says.

The NGO 'Save The Children' has been working against the exploitation of women and children for the last 28 years since its inception.

Lowen stressed that the fusion of any other form in the
original dance should not be an outcome of "inadequacy" of the original. Instead it should add to the richness of the performance.
"It is also important to realise the importance of fusion. Fusion should not come out of inadequacy. It should come out of richness and essence of the dance. I personally do not prefer to combine different dances because for me it is better to talk in one language," she said.

According to her, content is the supreme soul of any performance and that transitions should not take away its beauty and clarity.
"Finally, the only thing that is important is content. Genre is not that important. What you want to communicate and what you bring with it is all that matters.
"The limit of experimentation also depends on individuals. For me, the limit is that I give a performance to the audience where they can see its beauty and clarity, and communicate easily the different genres which I incorporate in my performance," she says.
On the theatre front, actor and director, Pallav Chander, rues the absence of experimentation in the field, which he says is still struggling when it comes to innovating.

"Many people in theatre till today try to play safe. There is still a lack of experimentation in the field of theatre. Although we are including musicians, effective lights to make plays interesting and appealing for audience, we still lack on improvising content.
"For me improvising content does not mean that the essence of the play is lost. The core content of the story should remain intact. So, even when you do a Manto or a Premchand, trying to change some of the aspects of it while keeping the content intact can do wonders," he says.