Pune: Kathayatra to Present ‘Navonmesh’, a Program to Rejuvenate the Lost Art of Storytelling
Pune, 28th November 2023: Stories are a big part of one’s childhood, but with today’s fast-paced competitive lives, this art is slowly diminishing. To bring this missing aspect back into our lives, Bhaashaa Foundation, a non-profit organization in association with Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute and Gokhale Institute of Political Science and Economics is coming up with its new season of Kathayatra – ‘Navonmesh-Celebrating Stories of Rejuvenation’ from 1st to 3rd December 2023. This 3-day bouquet for language enthusiasts is free and open to all.
‘Navonmesh-Celebrating Stories of Rejuvenation’ will be presented through various art forms. The art forms will be showcased at Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute while the International Discussion Forum will be held at Gokhale Institute of Political Science and Economics.
Speaking about ‘Navonmesh-Celebrating Stories of Rejuvenation’, Swati Raje-Chairperson of Bhaashaa and conceptualist of Kathayatra said, “Every child loves to listen to stories being told by their grandparents. This bond is second to none as the warmth and affection associated is priceless. The beautiful memories associated with childhood and stories form cherished moments, which are slowly diminishing in today’s fast-paced life. “
“To bring these aspects back into our lives and to keep the art of storytelling alive, we at Bhaashaa are coming up with this year’s Kathayatra-‘Navonmesh-Celebrating Stories of Rejuvenation’. Open to all, the three-day festival has an array of offerings for children, parents, grandparents, and language enthusiasts. However, a few programs are specifically designed for children and parents are requested to refer to the details mentioned in the program schedule.” She added further.
This year’s Kathayatra will offer:
A three-day festival presented in two formats- Various Art forms and an International Discussion Forum
Art forms will be presented at Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute and the inauguration of this will be at the hands of Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi-Member Secretary, the Executive and Academic Head of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) in the presence of noted industrialist Abhay Firodia- Chairman of Force Motors.
An International discussion forum titled ‘Borders- People, Lives & Literature’ will be held at Gokhale Institute of Political Sciences and Economics wherein distinguished educationalists, professors, language experts, artists, and defense personnel will express their views which will be further documented for academic observations.
The forum is being organized with the support of the Gokhale Institute of Political Science and Economics, Pune International Centre, Goethe Institut Max Mueller Bhavan, and Sahitya Akademi.
The focal point of all programs will be ‘stories’
Programs based on stories will be presented by eminent guests from Pune, Mumbai, Sindhudurg, Delhi, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Chennai and Germany.
Kathayatra is decorated by various art forms like dance, theatre, story narrations, a competition based on narration of grandparent’s tales, exhibitions, lecture series, films, puppet shows, and so on.
Some of the main events will be as follows:
Padmashri Dr. Ileana Citaristi will unfold the life of ‘Ekalavya’ through her Odissi dance recital.
Internationally acclaimed and Delhi based ‘Katakatha’ will showcase a new version of ‘Arabian Nights’ via their puppet show
Staging of ‘Lavani ke Rang’, a well-known dance-play from Maharashtra produced by B SPOT Production Mumbai. The play highlights the lives and journeys of Lavani folk artists.
Reputed Actor Kishor Kadam will present a narration of a story authored by famous Hindi writer Nirmal Verma.
Sindhudurg based Chetan Gangawane will display ‘Pinguli Bahuli Natya’ based on stories from Ramayana.
Senior IFS office Tushar Chavhan will take the audience through the 50 years of Tiger Conservation
On the eve of Naval Day, Rear Admiral Ashish Kulkarni along with Doraibabu-Deputy Commander-National Maritime Heritage Complex will speak on the Pride of Indian Navy.
‘Deshavatar’- a fusion dance recital of Bharatnatyam and Kathak will be presented by dancers from Pune and Mumbai
A talk and a book release of ‘Medicines across the Border’ by Dr. Bharat Kelkar.
Ravindra Boraoke will unveil a film showcasing the digital restoration of Ajantha and Ellora caves
A special attraction for Punekars will be a chance to witness ‘Kahani Lashkarachya Bandchi’ – the story of the 200 year old army band by the Bombay Engineering Group. Punekars will also be able to enjoy the rhythmic and melodious live rendition of this band
Exhibitions:
The festival will be organizing exhibitions of 4 topics
‘Celebration of Life’ will exhibit award-winning photographs from a competition organized by the Photographic Society of Pune along with ‘Bhaashaa’
Vanyajeevan Sanvardhan ( Wildlife Conservation) by Nature walk
Wari by Sandesh Bhandare and
A unique exhibition of rare books by the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute
About Bhaashaa:
Bhaashaa Foundation is a non-profit organization started by well-known children’s author, journalist, and international academician Swati Raje. Operational for the past 15 years, Bhaashaa is working towards the preservation and promotion of regional languages. Bhaashaa has eminent authors, theatre personalities, industrialists, journalists, audio-visual experts, and administrative officers on board. Bhaashaa works towards the revival of local languages, creating a bond with one’s mother tongue and preserving the ethos of regional languages. Bhaashaa works on grassroots levels along with creating awareness on national and international levels. Bhaashaa Foundation has been presenting newer ways of promoting regional languages and has always received an overwhelming response for all their initiatives
