From Akbar to ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’: A new festival reveals how syncretism showed up in Indian art

A new art festival at St Andrew?s Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts in Bandra will showcase the syncretic arts of India in an attempt to create a space for conversations around communal divide and conflicts. The three-day event, titled In Sync, includes performances on Kathak, whirling, chanting, and poetry; a pop-up exhibition that focuses on food, music, and visual art; a talk on mythology; and guided dialogues on interfaith relations. It is hoped that the festival will help to address conflicts that are bubbling just under the surface and provide people with the freedom, the opportunity, and the safety to come together.

MUMBAI: The idea for Amar Chitra Katha might just have transpired from Akbar. In the late 1500s, the Mughal emperor had commissioned the illustrated versions of the Panchatantra, the Mahabharata, and the Ramayana. It was a joint venture between Persian and Sanskrit scholars, and Hindu and Muslim artists, who spent years converting the epics into the format of a storybook. Man, nature, and myth came together on reams of Madhgari paper. As did religions, literature, history, and art.

From Akbar to ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’: A new festival reveals how syncretism showed up in Indian art

“Of course, Akbar is the epitome. Under him, syncretism in art reached its absolute zenith,” said journalist and interfaith researcher Urmi Chanda. “But, there are many such examples at the hyperlocal levels. For instance, the Mughal tamasha, which was meant as a satire and a critique of the government. Hindus and Muslims were equally invested in it. Till today, it’s performed in a small corner of Odisha called Balasore. The stage, the performances, the narrative, the actors and even the set contain a deliberate mixing. On stage, you’ll actually see a mandir and a masjid next to each other.”

Chanda has extensively researched this and more for a new art festival at St Andrew’s Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts in Bandra, which showcases the syncretic arts of India. Titled In Sync, the three-day event includes performances on Kathak, whirling, chanting, and poetry; a pop-up exhibition that focuses on food, music, and visual art; a talk on mythology; and guided dialogues on interfaith relations. “In Sync is the deliberate creation of a space to have conversations around communal divide and conflicts,” she said. “To my knowledge, no such space exists. In the West, it is often religious leaders who lead these kinds of forums. But the moment they step in, the dialogue becomes limited to a set of theology-oriented perspectives. I think art is far more flexible, accommodating and forgiving. And, in South Asia, art has strong reflections of religion.”

From Sufi to Bhakti

What is unique about the platform is the two interfaith dialogue sessions, which will be led by facilitator Rukmini Iyer. “It is a facilitated dialogue session, so that things don’t go out of hand,” says Chanda. “These issues can be sensitive. Do people (from both communities) sit down and talk to each other about their discomfort, their pain? Do they discuss their shared joys? Coming together casually and saying hello is not a dialogue. The conflicts that are bubbling just under the surface need to be addressed.”

If it sounds like India is more cauldron than melting pot, Chanda admits that the country is largely harmonious. “If that wasn’t our default, I wouldn’t be doing this,” she said. “I wouldn’t find the materials, the strength, or the faith to do this. I know it exists. But, there was a paper from Pew Research Center a few years ago, which stated that while India is plural and tolerant, we prefer to live segregated lives. We don’t mix. We only just about tolerate each other. Because we don’t know much about the ‘other’, it is easy for politicians or those on the fringe to sway things in a certain direction. So, an art-led festival is something that gives people the freedom, the opportunity and the safety to come together. Because we never talk about these things in public forums. We yell at each other on social media, but that is no space for conversation.” As Patel said, “Events like these open up the discourse on topics that are of great importance, but are weaponised by political forces. This allows common people to engage with the ideas and form their own opinions.”

Chanda has also shortlisted the art forms keeping the layperson in mind. “I didn’t want to present work or references that the common man wouldn’t know about. I would like to think that seven out of ten Indians know what Kathak is. But, they might not know the syncretic elements in the dance form.” So, Sanjukta Wagh will present a performance on Kathak, and Zia Nath will perform whirling and ghoomar.

She has also created collages on other topics with shared genes, such as food (the samosa has Persian origins) and Hindi films. “Pop culture is greatly responsible for contributing positively to the discourse. One of my exhibits holds Hindi films as a shining example of syncretism, onscreen as well as off-screen. Setting aside these last nine years, in which things have really changed, we also have examples such as ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’. One of my greatest sources of inspiration was ‘Coke Studio’. It is possibly the only place online where Hindus and Muslims, and Indians and Pakistanis, are not hating each other. It is so beautiful to see how art can bring people together. And, that shared culture is what causes that love.”

‘In Sync’ will take place from June 2-4 at St Andrew’s College.