Turning a blind eye Set up as a platform to help blind women develop and strengthen their self-identity through theatre, Anya Desh is a group that is also committed towards re-awakening social consciousness. Presented by a group of abandoned and destitute visually-impaired women, Jakhon Andho Prakriti Chandalika is a play in the alternative medium that addresses issues related to social discrimination and expulsion. Drawing parallels from Tagore?s celebrated dance-drama, Chandalika, it points out the attitude of neglect and apathy that people have towards those who are sightless. Prakriti, a blind young girl, who is the play?s protagonist, goes through the same painful experiences as suffered by Tagore?s heroine, albeit for different reasons. It ends with the unfortunate affirmation of the fact that the visually challenged are social outcasts in the same way as the so-called ?untouchables?. Written and directed by Subhashish. Event: Play in Bengali, Jakhon Andho Prakriti Chandalika, presented by Anya Desh When: Today at 6 pm Where: Bharatiyam Cultural Multiplex, IB-201 Salt Lake

Art

April 24 - 30 at Galerie La Mere, 3 Regent Park; 4 pm - 8 pm: An exhibition of paintings and drawings. Inauguration this evening at 6. April 24 - 30 at Metropolitan Art Salon, Suite 18, 7 Jawaharlal Nehru Road; 3 pm - 8 pm: Paintings by Suvasish Chattopadhyay. Inauguration today at 5.30 pm. Till April 25 at Gandhara Art Gallery, 1B Gurusaday Road, Flat 5A; 4 pm - 7.30 pm: Animal, paintings by eminent artists including Jogen Chowdhury, Manjit Bawa, Paritosh Sen, K. Laxma Gaud and Kartick Chandra Pyne. Till April 25 at Academy of Fine Arts, North Gallery; 3 pm - 8 pm: Paintings by Animesh Sengupta. Till April 30 at Gallery Royal (except Sunday), 30B Judges Court Road, 5th floor; 3 pm - 7 pm: Paintings by Paritosh Sen. Till April 30 at Chitrakoot Art Gallery, 55 Gariahat Road; 3 pm - 8 pm: Paintings by Manoj Mitra. Till April 30 at Genesis Art Gallery, 8B Middleton Street; 12 noon - 7 pm: Art Sonata, a special exhibition of the works of Ramananda Bandyopadhyay, Subroto Gangopadhyay, B.R. Panesar, Suhas Roy, Sanatan Dinda, Bratin Khan, Tarak Garai and others. Till April 30 at Masters Collection Art Gallery, G5/G7 Malayalay Apts, 3 Woodburn Park Road; 12 noon - 8 pm (Sundays & holidays, 2 pm - 8 pm): Art Beat, showcasing the works of eminent artists. Till April 30 (except today) at Aakriti Art Gallery, 12/3A Hungerford Street; 3 pm - 7 pm: Paintings by a group of young artists. Till May 5 at The Palladian Lounge, Third Level, 6 N.S. Road; 10 am - 8 pm: The Palladian Lounge and Spandan Art Gallery present Art For Giving, an exhibition of paintings and sculptures featuring the works of over 30 artists including Suhas Roy, Kartick Pyne, Shyamal Dutta Roy, Wasim Kapoor, Partha Bhattacharya and legendary master sculptors Ramkinkar Baij and Suren De. Till May 6 (except Sundays & holidays) at Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Museum & Art Gallery: Tradition & Continuity in the Bengal School of Painting, an art exhibition by celebrated masters of the 20th century and veteran, contemporary and young artists. Till May 14 at The Space Circle Club, VIP Road: Paintup Expressions present a round-the-clock exhibition of Sania Sharma?s works in abstract art featuring oils, watercolours, India ink, acrylic and mixed media on canvas and paper.

drama

April 24 at Academy of Fine Arts; 6.30 pm: Durgadas Smrity Sangha presents Aasarer Ek Din. Direction: Tirthankar Chattopadhyay. April 25 at Academy of Fine Arts; 6.30 pm: Hattamela presents Rakshasbadh Pala. Direction: Gurudas Bandyopadhyay. April 26 at Academy of Fine Arts; 6.30 pm: Ekusher Aayna presents Just Is .... Direction: Biswajit Deb Roy. April 29 at Girish Mancha; 6 pm: Nandikar presents Arthur Miller?s Feriwalaar Mrityu. Direction: Rudraprasad Sengupta. April 30 at Girish Mancha; 6.30 pm: Sayak presents Basbhoomi. Direction: Meghnad Bhattacharya.

performing arts

April 24 at Sri Aurobindo Institute of Culture, 3 Regent Park; 10.30 am: Solo recital by Nupurchhanda Ghosh to mark the occasion of The Mother?s Final Arrival Day in Pondicherry. April 24 at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, 8 Shakespeare Sarani; 6 pm: The Mother?s Jayanti Function features stotra by Shaili Sett, reading by Sraboni Goswami, recitation by Bimal Dutta, talk by Biswanath Roy and song by Jayasri Das.

talk

April 24 at Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Shivananda Hall; 5.30 pm: Sitanath Goswami will speak in Bengali on Panchadashi. April 24 at Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Vivekananda Hall; 6.15 pm: Swami Puranananda will speak in Bengali on Adhyatma Ramayana. April 24 at Ramakrishna Vedanta Math, 19 A&B Raja Rajkrishna Street; 7 pm: Amalendu Chakraborty will speak in Bengali on Sri Ramakrishna Lilaprasanga.

photographs

April 25 - May 2 at Academy of Fine Arts, New South Gallery; 3 pm - 8 pm: China Diary, photographs by Mala Mukerjee. Till April 30 (except today) at Birla Academy of Art & Culture; 4 pm - 8 pm: Photographs by Gunther Uecker ? Man?s Inhumanity: 14 Pacified Implements.

exhibition

April 24 - 29 at 105 Southern Avenue; 11 am - 6 pm: Summer collection of cotton suits, kurtis and sarees by Richa Kanoria.

discussion

April 24 at Jibanananda Sabhaghar; 6 pm: Anya Theatre hosts a discussion on Bangla Natyakshetre Narir Samasya: Ghare Baire. Speakers: Ashoke Mukhopadhyay, Maya Ghosh, Mallika Sengupta, Rushti Sen and Nandini Bhowmick.

world dance day

April 29 at Rabindra Sadan: Morning session (10 am - 1 pm): Symposium on contemporary dance; speakers: Sadanand Menon, Samik Bandyopadhyay; film show: Cloudgate Dance Theatre (Taiwan). Evening session (6.30 pm - 9 pm): Contemporary dance presentation-I (choreography: Mei Kuang Li of Taiwan); contemporary dance presentation-II (choreography: Leng Poh Gee of Malaysia) and presentation by 12 group members of West Bengal Dance Group Federation.

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