The sculpture of Subrata Biswas, who was trained at Rabindra Bharati, and whose works were exhibited at the Aakriti Art Gallery (Aug 6-16), is dominated (if that is the right choice of word considering their size) by tiny figures engaged in various activities, both real and phantasmagoric. In keeping with the title of the show, Constructing Innocence in Bronze, the sculptures have a childlike quality about them. The Lilliputian figure looks cute, like some toy, and the outsized objects he is either standing against or is handling overshadow him. The pieces are, of course, in bronze and sometimes that seems too weighty a material for what is meant to be insubstantial. The same figure is cloned in all the pieces, and there were quite a few of them. He is trying to fly a giant kite, standing guard around a throne with spears, swinging on a toy horse suspended from an arch, doing a balancing act on a gargantuan face with its nose gone askew or is engaged in some such innocuous task. At times, this innocence can go to childish extremes and this can be exasperating. This is something that the young sculptor must be careful about. People may not have much patience or time for minuscule ETs. Not in such overwhelming numbers.

Soumitra Das

ERROR AND GRACE

Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre brought the Bangladeshi Rabindrasangeet singer, Lily Islam, at the Bharatyam cultural complex on August 8. The artist opened with the hymn, Twamishwaranam, but clearly, she had no idea about the correct Sanskrit diction and the style that a hymn demands. Samukhe shantiparabar was better, despite some digressions from the notation towards the end. Of the rest, Aaj sraboner purnimate, Aaji hriday amar jay je bheshe, Andhar shakha ujal kori, Aji srabon ghano gahan mohe, and Krishnakali ami tarei boli were competently sung. The singer was in palpable discomfort in the mandra saptak, particularly in Aaj sraboner amontrone. Ogo shnaotali chhele was well sung, though praane became shaakhe in tamalo bonero prane. Islam should have been judicious in selecting the tempo of Gahano ghano chhailo, since it goes up in the latter part of the song. Emono dine tare bola jay, Aji jharo jharo mukhoro badoro dine (which she attempted in both Kaharba and Shashthi) and Badal diner pratham kadam phul were full of technical errors. But the singer gave graceful renditions of Shyamal chhaya nai ba gele, Pagla haowar badol dine and Shesh ganeri resh niye jao chole.

Anirban Choudhury