St+art Festival is a collaborative platform for street artists from India and around the world. It works on the idea of 'Art for Everyone' with the primary objective of making art accessible for wider audiences while having a positive impact on society.
After having wowed Delhi folks with stunning street art on everything from giant shipping containers to DDA complexes earlier this year, the St+Art India festival will be making Bengaluru its home for a month in October. The festival is being hosted by the Srishti School Of Art, Design And Technology in collaboration with BMRC (Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation), Asian Paints and Art in Transit student initiative.
It all started in 2015, when five youngsters with a dream to make art more accessible decided to get artwork on the streets. Not too happy with the reach of existing galleries, museums, and exhibitions, Akshat Nauriyal, Arjun Bahl, Giulia Ambrogi, Hanif Kureshi and Thanish Thomas started an initiative that brought artists from all around the world to come together and work for a single cause - helping people connect to art.
As co-founder Arjun Bahl says,
"India has a great landscape and we wanted to add colours to it. We also wanted to take art to the masses."
By creating art hubs in unexpected spaces, the organization wants to offer newer experiences to diverse sections of the society, especially those who are usually excluded from the reach of art.
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Through its urban arts festivals, St+art works to change the visual landscape of a city through performances, workshops, screenings and art interventions in public spaces, such as murals and installations. New Delhi welcomed the first edition of St+Art festival in February 2014, when urban villages like Shahpur Jat and Hauz Khas became the focal point of the growing street art scene in the capital.
In 2014, the festival continued with its second edition in Mumbai, converting places like Bandra, Peddar Road, Kandivali and Dharavi into stunning street art sites.
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Thanks to community involvement and government support, these festival also saw the creation of the 150 feet tall Gandhi mural (the tallest in India) at the Police Headquarters in ITO in Delhi, the Dada Saheb Phalke mural (the largest in India) on the MTNL Building in Bandra Reclamation and the longest mural in India on the outer boundary of the Tihar Jail.
In the latest edition of the festival that was held in February 2016, St+art India Foundation brought artists from all schools and styles under one roof to transform Delhi's Lodhi Colony into India's first public art district.
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Other significant city spaces, like the bustling Khan Market, Lado Sarai, Govind Puri Metro Station and the Inland Container Depot at Tughlakabad, were also transformed into hubs of pop culture and creativity.
You May Like: Say Hello to India’s First Open Air Public Art District. With 12 Stunning Pictures.
The line-up at the festival included prominent street artists like Lady Aiko (Japan), 1010 (Germany), Okuda (Spain), Axel Void (US), Olek (Poland), DALeast (China), Paulo Ito(Brazil), Rukkit (Thailand), Samina (Portugal), Inti (Chile) and Anpu, PCO, Daku, Ranjit Dahiya, Harsh Raman, Yantr, Ruchin and Sam Sam from India.
The festival also addressed pertinent issues like women’s empowerment and the government-initiated Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission) in an attempt to re-establish street art as a social and participatory activity.
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Many of the city’s civic authoritie, such as DTC (Delhi Transport Corporation), DUISB (Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board) and PWD (Public Works Department), were roped in as project partners.
For instance, one of their projects focussed on Rain Baseraa (night shelters for the homeless in Delhi) with the objective of enhancing their visual appeal and also help give more visibility to the people who live in the shelters.
In one of the festival's many unique projects, renowned street artist Olek wrapped little huts in Delhi's Sarai Kale Khan with colourful crocheted yarn.
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The project witnessed the participation of over 60 women volunteers, who under the artist’s lead, prepared the elements of the installation over a period of three weeks. The imaginative artwork underscored the importance of respecting women’s rights, and their often overlooked but invaluable contribution to everyday household activities.
In another interesting project, French artist Chifumi brought to one of the walls his interpretation of the Indian hand gesture padma mudra, mixing it with the Khmer pattern from Cambodia.
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In an attempt to shift the public gaze to unknown or lesser known spaces in the city, St+art also collaborated with the Container Corporation of India to transform the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Tughlakabad into a walk-through space for installations. The installations were created by 25 artists who used nearly 100 shipping containers and over 1,000 litres of paint to make them.
The month long street art show held at ICD (Asia's largest dry port), 'Work in Progress' also became a venue for a range of different activities other than art, such as literary workshops, poetry slams, band performances, b-boy jams and more.
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This October, the St+art urban arts festival will be in Bengaluru. Street artists from all over the world and from India will be descending on Bengaluru to paint the town red with their creative art works. Supported by Asian Paints and hosted by
Srishti School of Art Design and Technology, in collaboration with
Art in Transit, the month-long festival will also be organizing guided tours, workshops and live music events. So if you want to see some striking street art action this festive season, Bengaluru is where you should be!
Where: Across various venues in Bangalore
When: From
October 1 to 30
Find St+art on Facebook
here.
Check out St+art website
here.
Also Read: India’s First Female Graffiti Artist Is Leaving Her Stamp All over Berlin With Her Striking Street Art
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A charity event to raise funds for children with special needs. Dance your heart out and support a cause! More details.
When: 11th October
Where: Four Points by Sheraton Pune, 5th Mile Stone, Nagar Road, Pune.
Be part of a marathon by All India Students Welfare Association (AISWA). AISWA is a unique welfare organization for students from all over India aiming to enhance, encourage and enlighten their talents in the fields of Education, Sports and National integrates and to propagate about the awareness of Human rights, child labour, education, poverty & unemployment etc. They invite you to join hands in rooting out such social problems and help in providing education to all. More details.
When: 11th October
Where: Marina Beach,Triplicane. Chennai ,Tamil Nadu
The Rajasthan Startup Fest is a National Level Startup Event being organised for the first time in Jaipur, Rajasthan, where Startups, Mentors, Investors and Corporates from across India come together to transact business, pitch for funding, share experiences, get mentoring and showcase innovations and business models. Close to 100 startups, 20 angel and venture capital investors, 30 mentors and startup coaches and 50 speakers will come together on one platform for two days of high energy interactions and exciting sessions that will see a total participation of more than 500 people. The Fest will showcase Jaipur as the next big startup hub of India, given its high quality social infrastructure, startup friendly cost structure, presence of sector-agnostic technology business incubator and robust startup ecosystem, proximity to the NCR region and being the biggest higher education hub of North India. More details.
When: 9th and 10th October
Where: Jaipur Exhibition and Convention Center, Sitapura Industrial area, Jaipur
Maker Faire is a celebration of local maker culture and community. It is a gathering of fascinating, curious people who enjoy learning and who love sharing what they can do. Workbench Projects in collaboration with NASSCOM is hosting the first ever “Mini Maker Faire” in India. More details.
The exhibition is a celebration of womanhood and is in honour of all the Indian women achievers that carries artwork by artists like R.K Bhandari, Sunil Kumar, Meenakshi Dhiman, Poonam Verma, Diksha Himanshu Maan, Nitika Babbar, Mohit Sharma, Ravjot Kaur and Pankrit Jindal. More details.
When: 9th October
Where: RCIFA Gallery, F-104, Phase 1, Ashok Vihar, North, Delhi NCR
Acrobatics performed on camels (Photo courtesy: BSF)[/caption]
The unique camel band of the BSF was the brainchild of Shri Rathore. The task to train the camels and their riders in these fields was given to Inspector Moti Singh Chauhan and Assistant Commissioner Takht Singh. Mr Deen Bandhu was the first bandmaster of the Camel Band.
BSF's Camel mounted band (Photo courtesy: BSF)[/caption]
Camel training and performance
The Border Security Force has around 1200 male camels on its rolls. Camels are acquired at the age of 5 and are enrolled after a formal veterinary inspection. On average, a camel serves in the force for 15 years, retiring from active service at the age of 20 or 21. The BSF has primarily three subtypes of dromedary camels – Jaisalmeris, which are sturdily built; Bikaneris, which are high speed runners; and the Nachnas, which are used for ceremonial duties.
The Camel Training Centre is located at the BSF Frontier Headquarters at Jodhpur. Intense training is given to the camels as well as their riders here. The rider has to know how to handle and take care of his camel properly. The camel has to be trained to trust its rider and do the various tasks it is commanded to do.
A camel salute (Source: BSF)[/caption]
Camels are intrinsically lethargic animals. But they are extremely shrewd and have a strong sixth sense. Unlike other animals, a tamed camel remains revengeful and can harm even its own rider. Hence, the rider and the camel have to train together and become an integral part of each other’s lives. Unless the bond between the rider and the camel is strong, it is very difficult for either to perform the duties assigned to them.
Sangram, the camel who is retiring after 15 years of service[/caption]
To know more about the Border Security Force and the unique Camel Contingent, log onto the official website of the BSF: 
AWC participants can download the forms available on the websites of 
Details about coordinators in India can be found 
Touch is an exhibition of fine art prints that celebrates the technical skill of the print process. Focusing on the materiality of the print, the exhibition gathers a selection of unique & limited edition prints on an array of surfaces and textures. For the show, a group of young print-makers were invited to draw on the idea of home, moods and memories, as well as the warmth and familiarity that the domestic environment evokes. More details 
FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) is the women’s wing of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry. These ladies are putting together a festival on films that experiment with the themes unique to women. The programme includes a symposium by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. 
The Organization for Rare Diseases India, a team committed to addressing the challenges of rare disease patients and their families, is conducting "Race For 7" - a running event in Bengaluru. The event is being held to raise awareness about rare diseases and empower patients and their families with access to national and international resources. All over the world, the last day of February is commemorated as Rare Diseases Day. 
Alliance Française de Bangalore celebrates the Short Film Festival at Clermont-Ferrand (France) by screening short films and documentaries by eminent filmmakers. The Clermont-Ferrand festival has given a platform to many directors who are now famous. 
These weekend workshops will include sessions in storytelling, writing, performance art, video art, etc. Certificates will be given out on completion of the workshop and assignments. 
© Mahesh Shantaram; Prosper, Tanzania / Bangalore; Archival pigment print; 2016 Courtesy Tasveer[/caption]
Abdul Karim from Nigeria pursues a B.Sc in Information Technology from NIMS, Jaipur. © Mahesh Shantaram; Abdul-Kareem, Nigeria / Jaipur; Archival pigment print; 2016 Courtesy Tasveer[/caption]
To find the answer, he began scouring the news to find Africans who might be keen to bring attention to the problems they faced every day while living in India. When he reached out to many, some of them responded positively to his request of sharing their experiences.
The photographs are formal portraits, and most of them evoke a sense of isolation that the black Africans deal with on a daily basis. Mahesh has photographed them in varied settings: in their bathrooms, beside their prayer mats, inside cars and even with their children. One of our favourites from the series is that of an African leaning beside his car in a deserted parking lot with only a decorated elephant to give him company.
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Aminu from Bauchi, Nigeria pursues a B.A. in Economics from NIMS, Jaipur. © Mahesh Shantaram; Ameenou, Nigeria / Jaipur; Archival pigment print; 2016 Courtesy Tasveer[/caption]
This exhibition marks one of the more serious attempts to capture the experiences of black Africans in India. Mahesh actively sought to include students in this project. He explains, “Some of them are taking management courses, others are studying subjects like radiology and pharmacology. But almost all of them do courses that will get them employed quickly. The saddest thing is that a lot of students do not get to go home and meet their families even once in a year. We should be sensitive about the fact that these people have left the comfort of familiarity behind to come and learn in a foreign land.”
[caption id="attachment_67190" align="alignnone" width="1200"]
Misana from Tanzania studies Computer Applications at Acharaya Institute, Bangalore. © Mahesh Shantaram; Misana, Tanzania / Bangalore; Archival pigment print; 2016 Courtesy Tasveer[/caption]
When we asked him how he thinks this project might help in sensitising Indians about racist attacks faced by black Africans, he said, “A lot of people have seen the photos and a lot of them identify with the work. I think this project has really captured the imagination of Indians, which is good. In this day and age, it is important for us to look at these visual representations. ‘Seeing is believing’ and what this project says is, ‘Look, these are the people you share your cities with and country with.’ I think that’s an important message.”
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Vitu from Malawi studies Psychology at Acharaya Institute. © Mahesh Shantaram; Vitu, Malawi / Bangalore; Archival pigment print; 2016 Courtesy Tasveer[/caption]
Mahesh is also of the opinion that his work is unique in the way that it does not explore the plight of the black African students through a single racist attack. He thinks that the media is keen on talking about these topics, but somehow when the message gets disseminated, a lot of people think that racist attacks are single isolated events.
[caption id="attachment_67187" align="alignnone" width="1200"]
© Mahesh Shantaram; Hamza & Shukura, Nigeria / Jaipur; Archival pigment print; 2016 Courtesy Tasveer[/caption]
He said, “Instead of doing one story on this issue, I thought, let me do a six-months-long or a year-long project. I wanted to keep meeting Africans and discovering all the untold stories. By exhibiting these photographs over a period of time in five cities, I thought I could keep the subject alive in the imagination of the public. Racism isn’t something that should be ‘news-worthy’, we should open avenues for people to discuss racism all the time.”
This usually has less to do with the temperament or behaviour of the dogs and more with the circumstances under which owners make such hasty decisions – the death of a guardian, the novelty of a new dog wearing off, the arrival of an infant, loss of a job, a shift in work schedule, etc.
When we get in touch with Deebalana Ghosh, who is in charge of the adoption and awareness drive along with Vani Shankar, she puts us on hold because someone is at the door. A chorus of dogs can be heard barking in the background. Deebalana tells us that she became interested in the rescue and rehabilitation of older dogs after she adopted four of them herself.
She says, “Every day we get around three or four dogs and very good centres, such as Precious Paws, are overflowing with dogs. So, we first approach our friends in familiar networks to house these dogs until we can re-home them. And, as a last resort, we approach good boarding centres where we get highly discounted prices for housing the dogs because of our rescue work. We have to take care of the dogs’ health, get them vaccinated, sterilized, and address other health issues. Once we’re done all this, we put them up for adoption.”
It is essential to keep in mind that most adoptive parents looking for dogs as pets prefer young ones because they believe them to be more energetic and healthy. Deebalana says that by organising this adoption camp, she and her friends are trying to erase the stigma around adopting older dogs.
The organisers of the event are aware of the fact that people do tend to make emotional, impulsive decisions when looking for pets; they would prefer that people be more practical in their choices. Deebalana said, “What is most important is that the temperament of the dog matches the lifestyle of the family that adopts it. So, we have a stringent screening process to make sure that we know all the details about the family – from their work schedule to their exercise habits.”
Deebalana and Vani say that the advantages of adopting older dogs are also that they are usually potty-trained and understand basic commands.
Georgina Coelho, who runs Georgina’s Kitchen, which provides home cooked meals for dogs, and Aditi Nanda’s platform Pet Social, enabled Deebalana to organise this adoption campaign for older dogs in need of loving families.
Do contact Deebalana on 9845473102 or Vani Shankar on 9886391987 to know more about the event or to bring home a precious senior dog.
I am the Islam,
whose blood soaks the streets
My lips do not smile when death arrives,
my smile does not appear much these days.
My legs ache, I am the single mother
waiting for a part of herself to return home
to have the sound “ma” fill her empty home
He now prefers the streets, listens to music he does not understand,
memories of ma disappear with a puff of smoke.
I am each life
you thought too insignificant,
so you stole their last breath for your greed.
My Gucci bag is soaked with the blood of lives that did not matter enough,
The screams and cries of those we never cared to hear.
I am obesity, the girl you point fingers at,
accusing tones, now her background music;
she seeks her confidence lost, releasing all her self-hate in the sink.
Finger stuck orally too deep, hoping to throw up what she can never be.
My mind used to be a plain blank sheet that is now etched with colors of the night,
Of pollution,
Of gangrene and the dark maroon of suffering.
The disease of Hiroshima and Bhopal, shades of brown sticking to skin like the cancer
the future generations pay for.
I am war, earthquakes and hurricanes,
I am nature taking back what is rightfully hers.
Part my legs, tear my skin, the bruises fall off eventually, be prepared for the day I rise
like a Phoenix from the ashes, from below your feet where you have suffocated me,
You steal my voice no more.
I am water, air, fire and earth – tame me you may try, but my fury has no bounds
My people once were all one.
We were all Africa.
I am an aboriginal; born from the earth.
We are all children of this soil, and as we close our eyes to our final realm
As we descend into the same rings of purgatory
we all return to the same darkness.
While we still have light in our eyes why not fight for the same cause..
Just imagine, you could be anyone.
Brahman
Mohammad.
The Great Spirit
Jesus.
Siddhartha
The Universe
If you could just close your eyes
You’ll realize.
We are no color, gender or race.
We are no religion,
cannot be defined by space,
we bleed the same,
haven’t we seen enough red-stained fields to know this?
Open your eyes, you are me and I am you
we come from the earth
we are strength,
we are magic,
we are the greatest work of art,
Today we take back our voice
Today we are enough.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQuYdDHS8hs
A poem written by poets Shaun D’Souza and Simran Narwani from Open Sky.
Team Open Sky is raising funds to be at the Goa Arts and Literature festival, come December 2016. To help in any way, drop a mail at 
One of the land arts in progress[/caption]
This is what will make for the ‘Gram Dhara Chitra Utsav’, India’s first land art festival, scheduled to take place at Paradsinga village in Madhya Pradesh from December 25-31. The festival is also open for everyone to perform, paint, sing, sculpt, click, sow, farm, cook, stay, learn, enjoy and collaborate to make it all the more meaningful.
International artist, Shweta Bhattad[/caption]
A participatory mass performance for everyone present at the festival in a farm in the morning.
International artist Shweta Bhattad will also present one of her best performances titled ‘Faith’.
There will be a presentation by progressive organic farmers on their success stories of farming and value-addition of farming products at Bazar Chowk, Pardsinga in the evening.
Zubaan Music Group[/caption]
The music group ‘Zubaan’ will present a performance of their indie songs. This group holds concerts and collaborates with artists across the mainstream/local music industries to consolidate into one indie music industry. In this concert farmer-artists and artists from Nagpur, Mumbai, Paradsinga and Sewagram will collaborate and present their songs.
Shalini and her husband Visakan Rajendiran[/caption]
The one-piece sari with pleats and blouse that Shalini designed for her aunt[/caption]
Taking the first step towards that, she is going to showcase her collection at an upcoming fashion show in Chennai, where people with disabilities will walk the ramp. Trios Fashion Show 2017 is a fundraiser event for the organisation Courtesy Foundation that works for HIV positive children.
The attendees will be able to witness founders from UrbanClap, Nearbuy, Sheroes, etc. discuss the challenges and focus-points for early-stage startups. They will also dwell on topics such as Profitability vs. Scalability and Brand vs. Business to help entrepreneurs get a better understanding of the Indian startup ecosystem.
There were an estimated 19,000 startups in India at the start of 2016, and the number is going to surpass 50,000 by the end of 2020. On the other end, investments in 2016 were 50 % less than 2015. Investors are becoming more careful with opportunities and know which industries might see better growth in upcoming years.
A lot of sectors still remain untapped, and investors are looking for young startups who might disrupt these sectors. Investors from venture capital firms like Blume Ventures, Lightspeed, and Operator.VC will discuss the future of funding for Indian startups and what they look for in startups before they invest money.
The event also brings the best lawyers from the startup community to discuss topics such as legal essentials, brand protection, and building valuation. Mr. Neeraj Dubey from LKS, one of India’s leading law firms, will give an overview of the legal difficulties that Indian startups face. On the other hand, Mr. Anil Advani, a reputed Silicon Valley lawyer with over 2,000 startup clients, will shed light on the ecosystem outside India.
The event is co-sponsored by the best communities in the startup ecosystem. This will ensure that maximum people are able to benefit from having founders, investors, and lawyers under one roof.
Registrations for Startup BoardMeet 2017 are now open. Find out more