Calcutta’s winter ritual — Chivas Glassware presents The India Story — A Neotia Arts Trust Initiative — in association with t2, will be back for season eight at Swabhumi, between January 12 and 14. In the runup to the annual lifestyle extravaganza, Madhu Neotia, managing trustee, Neotia Arts Trust, takes us through the making of an edition that draws from ‘infinity’ but lives in the ‘now’.
Congratulations on yet another edition of The India Story! Tell us about the concept of ‘now’ that you are exploring this year?
Thank you so much! ‘Now’ is actually more than just a concept for us all. It is a state of being — of being in the moment, of being in the present. It has more than a tangible connotation, allowing us to dive into the adventure of spaces, dimensions, design, art, food, fashion and lifestyle. The idea of ‘now’ transcends from what is happening around us right here right now and this is what will be reflected in our stories this year.
What’s the emphasis this year?
A bunch of new things this year I would say. Of course, the Calcutta Edit is a special accent. We are also exploring very interesting storytelling with heirlooms. I am very keen to see how this unfolds. In terms of art and installation, this year we are weaving diverse elements to create a colourful visual palette. I have cherished my association with IICD Jaipur and this year we are putting together a section dedicated to the award-winning artisans and alumni from IICD to showcase their wonderful work at The India Story. We have invited a few young guest curators in the fashion, lifestyle and food space and it will be interesting to see the newness they bring in with their vision.
Can you please take us through the sections this year?
So we do have the regular sections like we do every year like fashion, food, music and performances. However, this time we tweaked around a little bit to make it slightly more engaging for visitors — say for example, we have lifestyle integrated with fashion this time, food and Farmer’s Market are a cohesive experience that flows quite seamlessly at TIS, I feel. We also have food interspersed at different parts of the venue to make for a multi-level sensory experience for all. There is, as I was mentioning, a section dedicated to the crafts and artisans under IICD X TIS. Apart from this, music and performance will remain an integral part of the food court experience.
Madhu Neotia, managing trustee, Neotia Arts Trust
Tell us more about the Calcutta Edit...
You know, I was telling my team also that over all these years of The India Story, while showcasing the best of India, we might have overlooked Calcutta as the cultural capital that it always has been! So this year we thought of incorporating an element that celebrates the vibrant charm of this city that has been home to a gamut of cultures, artists, designers and so much more. As such one showcase like this can only be a capsule of the whimsical and heady, the hearty and grounded, the artisanal yet cosy, the thoughtfully provocative nuance of the city.
You are also focussing on the Farmer’s Market a little more this year…
This season just calls for a vibrant warm Farmers’ Market experience. The cosiness of the place, the sights, sounds and smell of little nooks and corners of the Farmers’ Market brings out something for everyone in the family, from the eldest to the youngest, which is perhaps why it is such a draw every year.
Eight is also the symbol of infinity. Interestingly, TIS is celebrating the ‘now’ with the core of infinity.
Of course, it is! And it is this very symbolic identity that drove us to explore more into the theme for the year. The juxtaposition of ‘being in the now’ and ‘being infinite’ is just such a beautiful enigma, isn’t it?
With TIS soon turning a decade, what is your SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) of TIS?
Oh my god, a SWOT analysis is a lot of pressure, but if I must delve right in:
Strength has to be the wonderful team, a very supportive ecosystem that makes the wildest vision possible.
Weakness perhaps is also in a way our strength but yes, we all dream without a boundary — our visions have no bracket so sometimes we visualise way out of our league and this is what also keeps inspiring us.
Opportunity is the city, of Calcutta. It always allows you to do more, explore more, and experiment with more. Our city is a benevolent city of dreamers.
Threat — oh, I don’t think about this! I believe there is a place for all so the threat if at all is passiveness, the drying up of creativity, nothing else.