[Reader-list] The Practice of Poetry: Making Peace Possible, Shabnam Virmani's talk, May 5, Pune

[Chintan Girish Modi]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: rakesh ganguli <rakesh.ganguli at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, May 1, 2011 at 11:38 AM
Subject: Invitation: Talk by Shabnam in Pune organised by Open Space on
Thursday 5th May


*Keeping the Peace…*

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*The Practice of Poetry – Making Peace Possible*

*A presentation by Shabnam Virmani*

*Organised by *

*The Centre for Communication and Development Studies, Pune*



The communal violence that convulsed Gujarat in 2002 led filmmaker Shabnam
Virmani to set off on a series of journeys uncovering diverse meanings and
resonances of the 15th century mystic poet Kabir in our contemporary worlds.
Today these journeys continue into diverse spaces in Indian society touched
by mystic poetry and song.  Shabnam will share through songs, video clips
and conversations her reflections on poems as agents of social change, the
capacity of music and poetry to alter our identities, the importance of
unearthing and highlighting multiplicities in cultural traditions and
upsetting linear narratives of history, the sacred, the secular and
watertight notions of self and the world.



*Date: Thursday 5th of May 2011*

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*Time: 6.00 to 8.00pm.*

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*Venue: Moolgaonkar hall (MCCIA), ‘A’ Wing, ICC Towers, Off Senapati Bapat
Road, Near Chaturshrungi, Pune.*

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*Entry **FREE** on a first-come-first-served basis*



*Shabnam Virmani* is a filmmaker and artist in residence at the Srishti
School of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore, India. In 2003 she
started travelling with folk singers in Malwa, Rajasthan and also Pakistan
in a quest for the spiritual and socio-political resonances of the 15th
century mystic poet Kabir in our contemporary worlds. Among the tangible
outcomes of these journeys were a series of 4 musical documentary films,
several music CDs and books of the poetry in translation. Currently she is
working on co-creating a web-museum of Kabir poetry & music with folk singer
communities in India and developing ideas for taking mystic poetry and folk
music to school classrooms. She continues to journey and draw inspiration
not only from Kabir, but also other mystic poets of the sub-continent and
the oral folk traditions that carry them to us (www.kabirproject.org).  Her
earlier work consisted of several video and radio programs created in close
partnership with grassroots women’s groups in India. She has directed
several award-winning documentaries and radio programs in close partnership
with grassroots women’s groups in India. In 1990, she co-founded the Drishti
Media, Arts and Human Rights collective in Ahmedabad.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabnam_Virmani



* *

*Keeping the Peace* is a lecture series in continuation of Open Space’s
efforts to encourage discussion and dialogue on issues that are dividing and
polarising society and public opinion.



*Centre for Communication and Development Studies (CCDS)*

CCDS is a social change resource centre working to strengthen civil society
and citizens’ action for social justice, human rights, sustainable
development and accountable governance. CCDS’s strength is the innovative
use of media and communication to empower civil society with information,
analysis, diverse perspectives and alternative messages on issues of social
justice. *Open Space* is the youth and civil society outreach initiative of
CCDS, which is visualised as a place where young people particularly could
unpack their differences and learn to see themselves and the world around
them through different lenses. It is a space where youth can understand how
differences are manipulated into conflict. Open Space adopts a cultural
approach to much of its outreach work using various forms of communication –
literature, cinema, theatre, music, publications and Internet – to reach out
to citizens. Open Space also uses different outreach strategies and
processes such as workshops, public lectures, seminars, trainings and
festivals. It has been a lively and vibrant public forum for the last six
years in Pune. **

www.infochangeindia.org

www.openspaceindia.org



*For details contact: Rakesh – 9921090931 or Ujwala Samarth – 020-25457371*