Triveni Kala Sangam adds heritage menu as part of its 75th anniversary celebrations

Triveni Kala Sangam celebrates 75 years with a heritage menu and events highlighting its cultural significance as an art hub in Delhi.

Connoisseurs of art forms traversing through the Triveni Kala Sangam at Mandi House, comprising three art galleries and an open amphitheatre that hosts dance and theatre sessions, now have another aspect to savour— a heritage menu introduced at the cafe on the occasion of its 75th anniversary.

The heritage menu tells the reader about the ordering habits of famous artists who frequented the canteen when it was established. (Krishna Reddy archives)

“Every activity going around the building is open for viewing. If you want to go to the cafe, you cannot avoid a dance practice going on – it’s all in front of you,” said architect Sudhish Mohindroo, who worked with Joseph Allen Stein, the building’s designer.

Celebratory events include a discussion on March 14 between Mohindroo, architect Meena Mani, and journalist Mandira Nayar on Stein’s philosophy and impact; an art exhibition “An Oasis for the Arts”, which revisits works from Triveni’s inaugural 1963 exhibition; and a talk titled “The Importance of Being Triveni” by theatre director Feisal Alkazi.

Alkazi’s play “Effie’s Burning” will return to the venue after 34 years with its original cast. Multiple other music and dance performances are also being held.

Kavita Mohindroo, daughter of the complex’s founder Sundari Shridharani, told HT that the cafe, known as the Triveni Canteen in its initial days, used to offer a variety of simple, affordable meals to its regular crowds of artists and students. “Initially, it would just be one man serving tea and biscuits. Then, Puran Acharya approached my mother and asked to take over the restaurant. She would serve simple and basic items such as Tasty Toast. When more people started coming, she started parathas and kebabs, which became staples.”

The heritage menu tells the reader about the ordering habits of famous artists who frequented the canteen when it was established. Theatre director Feisal Alkazi’s favourite was shammi kebab and artists such as Habib Tanveer and Irrfan Khan loved the Tasty Toast, the menu states. These items are now being made using their original recipes and old techniques.

“The kebabs were made on the silbatta, and not in a machine, creating a different texture. For the heritage menu, the preparation is the same,” Kavita said.

In the 1960s to 80s, visitors to the canteen would often bump into popular artists from diverse fields such as theatre, dance, painting and sculpture.

“When my friends and I used to go in the 1970s, the regulars were artists such as Bhisham Sahni and Jatin Das, and sometimes you would bump into MF Hussain as well. We saw Shah Rukh Khan too once or twice. There would always be a mix of people – sculptors, dancers, journalists, theatre and film artists, painters, and others,” said artist Kanchan Chander.

Shukla Sawant, an art history professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University and an artist, said that the canteen was a cultural hub for Delhi’s artists and its middle class, attributing this to the ease with which artists could rent spaces in the complex. “There was less privatisation, and any artist could apply and get a space. This meant that exhibitions were diverse and it was a hub for artists from different backgrounds.”

The art hub enables not only the intermingling between different art forms but also a merger between the general public and artists, something that was otherwise rare. “Previously, after a show, people at the cafe would come up, introduce themselves and compliment the artists,” Mohindroo said.

Chander acknowledged the point and asserted that the canteen is not only a place to relax, but also represents opportunity. “It was a proper adda for the students from my college, the College of Arts. Meeting senior artists was quite a big thing, as you could spend a few hours at the canteen and approach artists such as Hussain sahab and Akbar Padamsee. I developed a relationship with Akbar Padamsee here, he came to one of my exhibitions in Mumbai,” he said.

The canteen continues to enable the public’s exposure to art. Nitin Jairat, 30, a designer who comes to the institute for sculpture classes, said that the cafe allows for a unique mixture. “I come here multiple times a month. Students, artists, and general public are in the same place here. You usually do not find this combination anywhere else,” he said.

The institution was named after the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers in Prayagraj, Kavita said, adding that flutist Vijay Raghav Rao gave the name to the arts complex because he thought the place would allow for the meeting of three art forms – dance, music, and painting.