Art, craftsmanship and an enduring love of the soil – these form the lifeblood of Bengal and its artisan communities. It is thus of paramount importance to celebrate the state’s indigenous arts and craft in all their manifestations, and also encourage conversations around them. To do all of this, Nabanna Earth Weekend (NEW) is getting underway this weekend, in Bengal’s Mecca for crafts and ideas – Santiniketan.
NEW, a non-profit, bilingual festival of arts and ideas started in 2019, is organised every year through the Suresh-Amiya Memorial Trust (SAMT) as a part of Nabanna, a 10-day annual folk art and crafts fair in Santiniketan.
This year, too, the festival will showcase art in all its forms, with the best minds from different walks of life coming together to talk about literature, food, filmmaking, handloom, heritage, sustainable living, the legacies of the greats, and the relationships of writers with nature, art and the world.
When and where?
Scheduled to be held on March 3, 4 and 5, NEW will take place during the inaugural weekend of the larger crafts fair, Nabanna (which will then carry on till March 13). The Earth Weekend events will be hosted at the Gitanjali Cultural Complex in Santiniketan.
Apart from this, there will be sessions co-hosted by, and at, Arthshila Santiniketan, and a series of workshops conducted as part of the festival, one of which will be hosted at the Sienna workshop in Daronda Village, Santiniketan.
Glimpses from previous editions of the Nabanna festival Suresh-Amiya Memorial Trust
Who will be there?
This year’s NEW will be inaugurated by the chief guest and director of Alliance Française du Bengale, Nicolas Facino. The panel discussions over the three days of the Earth Weekend will include an inaugural session featuring Facino and journalist Jean-Claude Perrier, a screening of veteran filmmaker Goutam Ghose’s documentary on the deceased artist, K.G. Subramanyan, and a conversation about the challenges of translations from and to Bengali between translator Arunava Sinha and editor-author Anjum Katyal.
In keeping with the essence of Nabanna and the Earth Weekend, the festival will have wide-ranging discussions on craft, sustainability, revivalist practices and the impact of responsible choices featuring the likes of interior designer Minku Tagore, fashion designer Meghna Nayak, handloom expert Amitrasudan Saha, art historian R. Sivakumar, scholar Swati Ganguly and Amar Khamar founder Sujoy Chatterjee.
Political scientist Sumantra Bose will talk about his mother Krishna Bose’s book on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose www.sumantrabose.com
In what promises to be another interesting session, political scientist Sumantra Bose will talk to Oindrilla Dutt about Netaji: Subhas Chandra Bose’s Life, Politics and Struggle, written by Sumantra’s mother, the late Krishna Bose. Research scholar Archi Banerjee will reflect on how Partition affected the crafts of Bengal.
Audiences shall also enjoy a special Bengali session, in which professors Abhra Bose and Shreela Basu will talk about Bengal’s unique terracotta temples.
Krisha Kops, Iryna Vikyrchak, Sumana Roy, Bodil Bitze Faber, Anshuman Dasgupta and Sanchayan Ghosh are some of the other well-known speakers and thinkers expected to be a part of the festival.
Apart from Goethe-Institut, which has been a long-time collaborator for Nabanna, the festival this time will also be supported by Arthshila Santiniketan, Ambassade de France en Inde, Institut Français en Inde and Alliance Française du Bengale.
What’s new this year?
With several new elements added to this year’s edition of the Nabanna Earth Weekend, NEW 2023 promises to be memorable. Let’s take a look at what is special this year.
Mrinal Sen’s Centenary: In remembrance and celebration of the master filmmaker in his centenary year, installation artist and scenographer Sanchayan Ghosh will create a discursive space and talk about the auteur’s legacy with filmmaker Supriyo Sen.
Sanchayan Ghosh will create a discursive space and talk about Mrinal Sen’s legacy with filmmaker Supriyo Sen TT archives
Workshops: For the first time, the Earth Weekend will feature workshops involving pottery (conducted by master craftsman Arun Pal), kantha (conducted by National Award winner Bina Dey) and natural dye (organised in association with Bolpur-based sustainable initiative Karma Ashrama), all of which are open to interested participants through registration.
Live music events: Adding to the allure of NEW 2023 is its new live music section, which will feature daily performances by a wide range of accomplished musicians, from bauls and mandolin players to electronic artists and singer-songwriters. Music lovers can expect ethereal performances by Lakhan Das Baul as well as the Japanese-born baul singer, Maki Kazumi Baul, of Bardhaman district’s Moner Manush Akhara.
The Ekeermeeker Collective, founded by composer Neel Sarkar and vocalist Sanjana Das, will feature electronic musician and artist Guy Seika. In addition to this, one of India’s top mandolin players, Diptanshu Roy (popularly known as Dolinman) will perform with guitarist Abhijit Kundu and ‘River Julia’ vocalist Prajna, promising a soulful evening.
Abhijit, Prajna and Dolinman will perform at the Nabanna Earth Weekend 2023 Karishma Siddique Roy
Art camp: Local artists will not only have their works exhibited at Nabanna, but will also be creating a new work of art in real time during the festival. At the conclusion of Nabanna 2023, the completed artwork will be put up for auction.
A brief look at Nabanna’s history
The Suresh-Amiya Memorial Trust was set up in 1985 by the late Dr Sadhan Chandra Dutt, in the memory of his parents, with a focus on education, vocational training and skill development. Today, the trust runs four schools providing early childhood education. “My father believed that education was the way to break the cycle of poverty and climb the economic ladder,” says daughter, architect and SAMT Trustee, Shanta Ghosh.
Shanta Ghosh, SAMT Trustee, started Nabanna in 2006 with a dozen artisans Arijit Sen
And Nabanna, much like Confetti – the Santiniketan handicrafts workshop run by Shanta and her daughter, Shuli – started with Shanta’s urge to be close to artisans, weavers, textiles and craft, and to help them monetise their skills. “Coming back to India from the United States gave me the opportunity to be close to them. As I got more involved in their lives, I felt the need to offer them a platform to market their products, and to help them understand the need for contemporary and utility-based designs.”
Nabanna started in 2006 with just a dozen artisans – and, in 17 years, the number has grown to more than 100 craftspeople, with this year’s edition featuring the works of more than 120 artisans. “To work with artisans, it is important to visit them in their homes, observe their lifestyle, understand their craft and look at how sustainable it can be,” says Shanta. “While we have made a change, there is much more to do!”
Find the list of events for Nabanna Earth Weekend 2023 here.