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Forging a new bond in Delhi, through culture | Opinion
What this government has managed to do through artistic endeavours is reflective of the political value system of the Aam Aadmi Party government — where ideas of democratic and decentralised decision-making, inclusive spaces and dialogues come together to create a vibrant confluence
In December 2019, at a classical music festival organised by the Delhi Government at Sunder Nursery, a well-known culture enthusiast from Lutyens’ Delhi turned to me and said, with a sense of relief. “I am not a fan of your government — they only work for schools, bijli (electricity), paani (water)… I’m glad you are looking at high culture. This is good governance.” The same evening, a popular rockstar from Uttarakhand was playing a concert in Mayur Vihar, attended by a few thousand people — most of whom had never attended a live performance of such a scale before. The last two years saw an unprecedented range of programmes across the city that helped carry the government’s messaging of social harmony in polarising times.
Art is an inherently subjective affair, as are aesthetic preferences. What then should be the role of the government in promoting art and culture? What should drive a cultural policy that caters to the diverse and subjective tastes of the millions of individuals and myriad communities that make up a diverse city like Delhi—in its rich, amalgamated heritage, a true microcosm of the country?
In 2017, Manish Sisodia, deputy chief minister of Delhi decided to voluntarily steer the department of art, culture and languages. He believed the holistic development of our city would be impossible without paying attention to the power of the arts to enrich lives. I joined him to create spaces in Delhi where people can come together to learn and be entertained.
When we started our work, the most evident problem was that the government’s cultural funding was largely confined to central Delhi. This meant that the arts of the nation’s capital were mostly the arts of the elite. As is often the case with other areas in India, the arts in Delhi were not merely failing to bridge societal gaps, but were instrumental in reinstating social hierarchies.
The government was already in its third year and doing remarkable work in education, health and welfare. We had little time left to realise all our creative ideas, so, reached out to people already part of the establishment art scene. Our vision for decentralised funding to democratise the arts was well received. Many suggestions came out of the initial euphoria: Cultural-mapping, #artsforall, public art, community radio and so on. However, most of these ideas seemed superficial, where a new breed of cultural experts want to take “good art” to ordinary public.
In a first, the Delhi government started organising cultural evenings with popular artists across the city. In the upper-class Punjabi neighbourhood of Janakpuri, a qawwali program by the Nizami Brothers was organised as part of our Dastak series. About 1,500 people turned up from this and surrounding areas, far exceeding our expectations. Our neighbourhoods are often divided by caste and class, despite their close proximity. In a gathering like this, where art is the binding force, differences disappear. The audience response spurred the qawwals, who at one point started shouting “Hindu-Muslim ekta zindabad”. To our surprise, the non-Muslim majority area echoed the slogan back in a genuine collective voice.
In the next budget, the Delhi government allotted ₹25 lakh per year to each of the 70 assembly constituencies. We created informal cultural committees of art lovers, which worked closely with the members of legislative assembly to decide how best to use the funds. Whether Bollywood performances or community-specific traditional performances, the government did not interfere in the choices made by the people.
From this experience, we also learnt that people are also eager to participate in cultural events. In a citywide challenge, we created a local talent competition, sending vans and emcees to 300 wards and launching an app on which people could register to perform. Despite some glitches, it was successful. People, of all ages and across social classes, participated. People looked at this as an avenue to express themselves. I will never forget a young mother from a conservative background dancing to her heart’s desire and being applauded for it. She told us that she would never have had the opportunity to leave her mohalla to participate in a talent show. She, along with many other participants went back with memories they will cherish.
Turning our attention from the street to the proscenium, we found that while the various government academies organised a number of programmes, several remained either under-attended or attended exclusively by a sanitised crowd of the usual suspects. Our next goal was to make these programs accessible. We realised that a lack of timely information meant many art lovers never heard about events. Sisodia then launched a free subscription-based message service to receive regular updates about cultural programmes.
Government funding is normally limited to classical or traditional art forms, but we wanted to get more people involved. While we worked to make art accessible to people, we also worked to ensure that the artists were valued for their talent and skills. In a first, 1,000 street performers — including singers, hip-hop artists and street actors — participated in events.
Festivals to celebrate languages like Urdu, Sanskrit, Punjabi, Maithili-Bhojpuri and Hindi have kept Central Park in Connaught Place busy. The venue hosts performances ranging from lesser-known ghazal singers to Bollywood stars like Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Javed Ali, Shilpa Rao and more. Audiences have been an eclectic mix of informed listeners, and encouragingly, first-timers who stumble upon the experience and end up staying, entranced. The programmes at Central Parks have become part of Delhi’s soul.
Democratisation of knowledge goes hand in hand with the decentralisation of power. The Delhi government is committed to reduce inequalities by making knowledge systems inclusive. What this government has managed to do through artistic endeavours is reflective of the overall political value system of the government — where ideas of democratic and decentralised decision-making, inclusive spaces and dialogues and respectable livelihood opportunities come together creating a vibrant confluence. An open minded and fresh approach will be essential to bringing alive Delhi’s cultural character
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