The Beautiful Life

The TISS Convention Centre reverberated with applause as TISSian Krupa Ravi performed. The audience was left awestruck as the captivating performance by Krupa Ravi drew to an end. All of them, one by one, rose to their feet, clapping in tandem to share their response to her graceful performance. Taking their salutation as a mark that she was successful in conveying her message, a young TISSian Krupa thanked joining her hands as gracefully as she tapped her feet and swayed across the stage for over thirty minutes mesmerising the spectators at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) campus. While the speechless dialogue between the audiences and Krupa continued, Prof P. Vijayakumar moved a bit further towards the stage. He stood still witnessing to a unique episode unfolding, which, was his one of the most coveted creations. Though, the entire show which consisted of several narrations was curated 21-year-old Krupa, the mastermind who worked on the unique concept of thi...

During the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement, a movement for the formation of Maharashtra state,  based on a common linguistic identity, the folk art form of shahiri became the central force. Revolutionary artists Lokshahir Annabhau Sathe, Lokshahir Amar Sheikh and Lokshahir Sabale, firebrand performances gave  further edge in mobilising the people for the cause, which saw the formation of Maharashtra state on 1st May 1960.  Now, the art is dying a slow death, but, however, few individuals and groups are struggling to preserve shahiri and keeping it alive in recognition of its role, without much support from the government. Shahiri has been a part of Maharashtra's tradition for several hundred years, however, it received its widespread popularity during the rule of Chhatrapati Shivaji. Originally, began as a form of oral history telling, shahiri as a form of poetry and singing has forayed into socio-political spheres and ideologies of different hues. Sh...