96 years old John Hall gets life again with KalaGram opening a series of events

 The working committee of KalaGram, Society for Fine Art Initiatives in Gurugram, celebrated ‘Nurturing an Inner Artist’, a pulsating programme bringing together people from performing arts and other creative fields at John Hall, built in 1925.

The City Magistrate Gurugram, Darshan Yadav, formally inducted the working committee members coordinated by Shikha Agarwal, who has been part of the Society since its inception in 2020. The five-member team are individuals from various backgrounds with outstanding experience in their field of work- Gopal Namjoshi is a renowned sculptor and installation artist, and Shilpa Sonal is the founder of an award NGO and a Chapter head of Gurugram. Meenakshi Pandey, a Sanskrit professor and writer, Lokesh Sharma works as an Assistant professor department of music government college of Girls; and Vineeta Jerath Grover is a Co-founder of SUBURB magazine and Are You Lit? conversation starters. She comes with an experience of over two decades in media & communications. The Deputy Commissioner of Gurugram Chairs the committee and heads KalaGram.

Steering the programme ahead was the panel discussion about “nurturing the inner artists.” As one of the panellists, Savitaraj Hiremath, said, “each of us is creating the need to identify the hidden creativity in oneself and nurture it to shine. The panellists shared journeys of their highs & lows- Savitaraj, producer of the award-winning film Khosla Ka Ghosla and Jhund, the latest one, talked candidly about her journey as a Bollywood producer with no God Father in the Industry. Komal Anand, founder and retired IAS officer, said, “Despite her hectic schedule and duties, she could never let go of her love for art and painting. Urusvati Museum in Gurugram is a live example of her passion for art. For Ashutosh Shelat, since early childhood, drama has been his calling. He was the founder of Gurugraon Theatre Group in 2010 and has created Kathasthali. Vani Pahwa dancer is a Mohiniyattam dancer and medical fitness specialist. As the panel moderator, writer Meenakshi Sharma kept the discussion engrossing. The soul-stirring sharing by the panellists kept the audience at John Hall glued.

As a mark of the women’s day celebration, five women from the field of Arts and Culture were felicitated- Sangeet Natak Academy award winner Smt. Bharti Vithal, Kuchipudi dancer, Smt. Sameera Satija, recycler artist, Smt. Devdutta Mulchandani, CSR head Hyundai Motor, Smt. Rama Pandey, writer, TV/ producer and Alka Sinha, author and poet.

Manissha Khanna art therapist, sensitized people on the importance of art and how art can be therapeutic. One of the event’s attractions was the installation Being a Bull in the times of #metoo, created in Resin art, MS, Found objects and Acrylic colours by Gopal Namjoshi, a muralist and public art installation artist. No event is complete without music; the music band of young students from a government college with Swati Sharma as the lead vocalist under the guidance of Lokesh Sharma got the audience sway to some popular lilting numbers of Bollywood and also their original compositions created for the occasion.

  KalaGram, the Society for Fine Art Initiatives in Gurugram, formed under the District Administration and Municipal Corporation of Gurugram, aspires to protect and nurture the intangible cultural heritage of the district in its efforts to ensure the development sustainably. “We aim to make Gurugram a place that is not just defined as a corporate hub, but a thriving and cultured microcosm of society, where art, culture, and artists have their due space,” said Shikha Agarwal coordinator KalaGram.