The tenth edition of the Delhi International Arts Festival (DIAF), which brings together diverse international art forms on a single platform, kicks off today. Festival director Prathibha Prahlad speaks to Saritha Saraswathy Balan
Danseuse Prathibha Prahlad took up the challenge of exposing the city to the best of the world ten years ago. Struggling through sponsorships, her Delhi International Arts festival has been a free showcase of contemporary global talent. And while the appeal has grown exponentially, she still has not given in to corporate pressure and continues to helm the city’s mass art experiment.
Expectedly, she is excited and rattles off her bouquet for the year. From Beijing’s Contemporary Dance Company’s maiden performance in the country to excerpts of Russian ballet from Bolshoi theatre, the tenth edition of DIAF is all set to bedazzle connoisseurs.
For the first time, DIAF has tied up with Facebook as its social media partner, a move which Prahlad feels will draw in a newer and younger audience. When asked how far DIAF has been able to project the festival as part of India’s cultural diplomacy, she says: “DIAF has helped in promoting soft diplomacy that in turn would increase the country’s footprints worldwide, by getting more and more people from various countries interested in Indian culture and art. It is the only cultural platform recognised the world over as ‘the India Festival’.
“This year, we also celebrate the idea of cultural cooperation among the BRICS nations, as India’s chairmanship of BRICS draws to an end in December. In this edition, we shall have cultural presentations from all BRICS countries except Brazil, on the closing night to be held at the Nehru Park,” she says. She avers that DIAF has succeeded in bringing the local Indian art forms of various states into the limelight. She also believes that the idea of sustainability should be addressed through a multi-pronged approach: “One such way is to provide artistes platforms to showcase their art time and again. To find the right market, many a time, artistes need to re-invent themselves and their art forms. There are many artistes who work in tandem with rural artisans, and reinvent the mode of presentation, costume and design, in keeping with modern sensibilities. We strive to promote them.”
lab Orchestra from Israel, jazz musicians from the Czech Republic, a young Chinese band from Shanghai’s sever, the festival director is delighted to bring many performers to India, some for the very first time. “The Italian flag-wavers are coming to India for the first time. In addition, quite a few Indian artistes shall premiere their new productions — Crossing Oceans by Daksha Mashruwala from Ahmedabad, Rhythmosaic by Mitul Sengupta from Kolkata, Tattvam dance presentation by Jayaprabha Menon, Dramatic Tales by Vanasree Rao, Tattva Dance Akademi’s latest production, Janaki Rangarajan’s Unravelled among others,” she says.
She views the conduct of the festival on such a gala scale as a miracle in itself: “Every year we begin with no funds and end up organising the festival in a wonderful manner. Forum For Art Beyond Borders — the NGO that organises DIAF — has no corpus fund. So we have to raise the requisite money each year. I would like the government — either the State or the Centre — to take up the task of organising DIAF. It is indeed unnerving to undergo this tension of finding funds every year.”
The idea to organise DIAF came to her after every performance of hers at international festivals: “Why not in my own country....I always wondered. Hence in 2007, I penned a working DIAF model on paper, going from pillar to post explaining how it could be done. Thus was born DIAF, with the help of ICCR, SNA, ITDC, IGNCA and others.”
When the festival was held for the first time in 2007, India was growing economically. That the country wanted to project its cultural strength at the time also favoured DIAF. “There was then a need to project a ‘new’ India, one proud and confident of its cultural legacy,” she recalls.
Prahlad believes that DIAF has now become a big “art” brand: “It is now recognised as an international festival, though conducted by an NGO which lacks the fund to organise it. The general belief is that it is organised by the Union Ministry of Culture with huge government support,” she chuckles.. She is humility personified when responding to how DIAF has contributed to the cultural integrity of the nation. “Integrity is a big word, and I am a very small person. Integrity and unity happen organically, when there is no friction, no fissures. Art binds, unites….brings people closer. It makes us all refined and cultured and defines who we are. As the premier cultural platform of India, DIAF has been able to bring in a little bit of art into the lives of scores of people. It has inspired many, with some having turned into its ardent admirers, while a few others have started organising festivals,” she signs off.