Tabla.inc., Moram and The Creative Arts presented a unique two-day art retreat on January 9 and 10 at Moram, Return to Nature and Tradition, near Bolpur. Age-old folk and classical traditions of Bengal came to life at this unique retreat for young students, through a series of creatively curated workshops by music maestro Pt. Tanmoy Bose and Tabla.inc founder Bonnya Bose. The beauty of dying art forms was explored by the participants amidst the peaceful environments of Moram, an eco-project designed by artist and designer couple Gopal and Sonali Poddar.
The retreat commenced with athletic and acrobatic performances by Ronpa and Raibeshe groups from Birbhum. A skit was performed by the members of the theatre group The Creative Arts on the theme of women’s empowerment. As evening fell, teenaged students of Tabla.inc presented pieces celebrating nature and the community. Odissi danseuse Angira Chakraborty joined her students in performing a dance depiction on the Shiv Tandav stotram. The day ended with a vibrant tribal dance performance, where everyone joined in and danced to ethnic beats.
On the second day of the retreat, the entire fraternity of students came together as Pt. Tanmoy Bose engaged in a padhant (reciting a composition and then performing it) session in the morning, leaving the assembled gathering spellbound. Retreat participants also got an opportunity to engage in a pottery and textile designing workshop. The students were excited to watch and learn traditional, nearly-forgotten techniques of these art forms and were thrilled to be able to create their own artworks by applying skills learnt at the workshop. Following that, two powerful performances of Dhak and Dhol made the audience stand on their feet and groove along to the infectious rhythm of these traditional musical instruments.
The Creative Arts founder Ramanjit Kaur performed a sitespecific improvised piece that was awe-inspiring in its depth of theme and expanse of presentation. With its theme based on the education of the girl child and women’s empowerment, the presentation used a garden space with a huge swing as a natural backdrop for the recital. Later, the students of Tabla.inc presented yet another traditional performance in Teental. In the evening, soulful songs of Krishna Das Baul and his fellow musicians rent the air as the retreat drew to a close on a note of harmony and serenity.
Having thus brought together young, artistically inclined minds to experience the beauty of art in the lap of nature, the organisers now plan to host more such immersive experiences to help promote and flourish the rich cultural heritage of India.
Through this retreat, we created an opportunity for the arts students and practitioners for an interdisciplinary arts interaction and benefit from this cultural exchange. While the actors learnt from the padhant sessions in the morning, the young musicians observed the expressions and voice modulation of the actors and dancers, creating a base for dialogue between the artistes from diverse forms. We hope to curate many more art retreats in future that will initiate the space for varied artistes to meet in natural surroundings, communicate and collaborate with each other in multifarious ways,” said founder director of The Creative Arts Academy, Ramanjit Kaur.
“This art retreat was one of a kind! What made me happiest was seeing the smiles on the faces of my boys and girls as they immensely enjoyed themselves in the natural environment of Moram. We seldom get a chance to escape the hustle of the city, but it truly is important to spend time amidst nature and reflect on our art. My heart is full with memories to be cherished,” said founder director of Tabla.inc, Bonnya Bose
“Moram was built on the foundation of art and culture. We have been working tirelessly for the past 20 years to preserve the art and culture of rural Bengal. It is important to note it is a critical time for rural artistes of Bengal; if not supported and encouraged we might even lose a few art forms. It has been an honour for Moram to collaborate with Tabla.inc and The Creative Arts Academy to organise this two-day festival in the lap of nature, focused on educating the future generation. The purpose of this retreat was to make sure today’s children know about our rich culture and the variety and diversity of our local art forms. We are happy to announce that the first edition of the Art Retreat was able to fulfil its motive and we have been successful in conveying a message to the young generation to support and preserve tradition, art and culture along with the conservation of nature,” said Moram founder, Gopal Poddar.
“Folk art helps you find your connection to the soil. With this in mind, I had envisioned this retreat for my young students to keep them in touch with the intangible heritage of our indigenous cultures. It is important for the next generation to carry forward this legacy and keep these tribal art forms alive. Together we can!” said creative director of Tabla.inc, Pt Tanmoy Bose.
Young participants enjoyed themselves at the pottery-making workshop
Performance by Raibeshe dancers of Birbhum
Performance by Ronpa dancers of Birbhum
The first day’s programme ended with a colourful tribal dance performance
