The entire month took on the spirit of celebration, with the Vimor Handloom Foundation and their exhibition “ Looms of Memory”. The “Saree Walk” through the exhibition excited many. Our hands- on sessions began with spinning workshops on the first weekend, weaving on the second. Crochet and quilting added to the colours and textures of the month!! An exhibition by Nool Koota, a community group that meets over yarn, adorned every corner of Koota.

Talks by Anita Ratnam, Suresh Jayaram and Uzramma gave us a deeper insight into the historical and social context of our clothes.

The highlight of the theme was “Unbounded- Not just a Fashion Show” which brought together members of the community, to curate, choreograph, dance, drape and much more. Practising late in the evening, huddled over piles of sarees and fabric, losing one’s inhibitions and breaking boundaries were some of the vignettes of the process. Beautifully choreographed and flawlessly executed – the fashion show has become our benchmark for a community event. Exploring the story of cloth, through weaves, colours and textures, questioning gender stereotypes and
celebrating this craft tradition, were the themes of the fashion show.

The month closed with a concert by Shabnam Virmani, who shared the philosophy of Kabir through poetry and song.

Spin A Yarn was curated by Benson Isaac. Benson is passionate about all things craft and among many crafts, textiles have a special place. Benson has talent to tell stories that weave different threads and make a beautiful picture that leaves you in awe and makes you think. Spin A Yarn was well thought out and put together by him.

An event of this scale does not get implemented without a team, and what a team of volunteers we had – Sreedevi Ajayan, Sandeep Nanu and Divya Raghunandan.

The Fashion Show was a piece by itself! Conceptualised and directed by Preeti Singhal, Arunima Choudhary and Divya Raghunandan. Coordinated by Sreedevi Ajayan, Hemantha Kakani and Rajani Bhat, we had a cast of twenty people, each
of who gave their heart and time to the event.

We also had young members of the community document the program, through photographs and writing. Read their accounts here.

We had a surprisingly large number of astrophysicists within our immediate community who stepped up to share their knowledge. What was difficult was simplifying concepts to explain to the lay audience and making complex ideas relatable. Collaborations with organisations like Think tac helped in curating content for the young. Think tac created a moon box, which explained the phases of the moon and was a constant draw over the 15 days.

Another challenge was to bring in the perspective of science as art. A couple of performance-talks and a play reading, and collaborations between an artist and scientist mesmerized our audiences.

Rekindling a wonder for all the universe has to offer and learning some facts that were beyond imagination were the stars of the theme.

Prajval Shastri, an astrophysicist actively involved with outreach programs in the science community, led the curating of our program. Her ability to articulate complex ideas and patiently persist until the listener has understood – is what stood out for all of us.

PT Sreekumar, an astrophysicist with the Institute of Astrophysics in Bangalore also pitched in wholeheartedly with books, posters, resources and ideas. We were able to exhibit some rare memorabilia from his archival collection.

Dipankar Malik, Procheta and Proteep Malik were the other scientists involved in our discussions, who held some of the sessions.

Apart from the scientists we had a lovely group of theatre and science fiction enthusiasts who conceived a quiz and play reading, and art sessions. For those two weeks in March, Koota took on a festive look with glowing stars and lights and a dazzling astrophotography exhibition.

Keep an eye out for exciting themes we have in the works: Textiles, Architecture, and a Lit-fest

35 events spread across 5 weekends was quite the undertaking and a resounding success!

Bringing together various wildlife interest groups within the Good Earth Malhar community, the birders, snake lovers and expert ecologists brainstormed with the activists and the artists to plan a program that would inspire the uninitiated while appealing to wildlife enthusiasts.

Inspiring a love for wildlife was balanced with the need to build awareness around human-animal conflict and the larger conservation debate.

Discussions included how respect for nature was a part of most traditional cultures and told through their stories and art – and whether photography might be the modern version.

We were fortunate to have the expertise and energy of Sandeep Nanu, Chayant Gonsalves and Sangeetha Kadur – each of them experts and passionate wildlife enthusiasts who brought their vast knowledge and enthusiasm to bear.

Sandeep Nanu is an avid birder, people person and excellent organiser. As the curator, he put together the diverse calendar, ensuring that each event told a story and also included different audiences.

Chayant Gonsalves, our resident expert, is an ecologist who was tasked with orienting the audiences for the various sessions towards the big picture. He has inspired many to take an interest in wildlife.

Sangeetha Kadur is an artist specialising in wildlife illustrations and artwork. Having been in the field for a large part of her life, she helped us identify appropriate resource persons and shared her knowledge with attendees.

We had a broader support team from the community who helped with logistics, technology, and encouraged participation. Thank you Vinay Narayanaswamy, Prakruthi, Naresh, Satish.

We also had young members of the community document the program, through photographs and writing. Read their accounts here.