The fifth iteration of the Kolkata Centre for Creativity’s (KCC) yearly interdisciplinary arts festival, the AMI Arts Festival 2024, was officially launched. On KCC’s Foundation Day, November 21, 2024, the festival kicked off with a packed schedule of exhibitions, talks, dance, music, and theater performances, film screenings, workshops, and more. It celebrated all that KCC has accomplished and looked forward to many more exciting milestones in the future. 

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Smt. Alokananda Roy – celebrated classical dancer, choreographer, social reformer, and therapist, Dr. Rudrangshu Mukherjee – noted historian and Chancellor of Ashoka University, the filmmaker duo Smt. Sudeshna Roy and Shri Abhijit Guha, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, Smt. Lopamudra Mitra – renowned singer, Smt. Priti Patel – acclaimed Manipuri dancer, Shri Tejendra Narayan Majumdar – renowned sarod player, Shri Gautam De – former regional director of the ICCR in Kolkata, and Prof Ananda Lal – academic and theatre critic. 

Korok Biswas’s innovative dance performance on the first evening was followed by Kothao Amar Hariye Jawar Nei Mana, a heartfelt musical performance by the renowned pair of Parambrata Chatterjee and Piya Chakraborty, which set the mood for the festival’s month-long festivities. The award ceremony for IMAGINARIUM 4.0, Emami Art’s yearly awards and exhibition in partnership with KCC, was also held during the inauguration. The top three visual artists out of the 500 applicants were granted prizes.

In addition, this festival aims to provide a forum for up-and-coming artists and spark discussions among professionals, scholars, and art practitioners in a variety of methods. The Indian Museum celebrated World Heritage Week with an exhibition-cum-seminar called From Fields to Folk: A Journey through Rural Heritage (November 22–29). The event included displays of traditional art, craft, photography, music, dance, and panel discussions with museologists and artisans from 20 rural and urban museums and archives.

At the venerable Victoria Memorial Hall, UTSAV III (5–6) will feature dance, music, theater, and poetry performances by up-and-coming performers and organizations chosen through an All-India Open Call. While Karigari, a unique art market, will bring together traditional crafts, textiles, and endangered folk arts, featuring award-winning artisans who have been recognized for their exceptional craftsmanship at the national and state levels, the Affordable Art Fair (December 11–17) will highlight established and up-and-coming visual artists from Kolkata and offer their work for sale at reasonable prices.

Some of the upcoming musical performances are Prabh Deep LIVE (14 December) by Prabh Deep featuring Smoke, a rock opera Kabira Khada Bazaar Mein followed by Chandrabindoo LIVE (19 December), Shujaat Khan LIVE (20 December), Hooliganism (21 December), a band led by Anirban Bhattacharya and closing with performances by Fakira and Indian Ocean in concert (22 December).

A range of 10 dramatic performances will take place – including Traasadi by Manav Kaul, and Ravan Reloaded dir. Debasish, Puraane Chawal dir. Sumeet Vyas, Bechara B.B. dir. Suman Mukhopadhyay, Patna ka Superhero dir. Nihal Parashar, Qissebaazi, and Main Pal Do Pal ka Shayar Hoon by Danish Husain, Taking Sides dir. Atul Kumar, and more.  

Priyanka Dutta