{"id":15499,"date":"2024-09-20T04:23:36","date_gmt":"2024-09-20T04:23:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/khabarok.com\/entertainment\/15499\/"},"modified":"2024-09-20T04:23:36","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T04:23:36","slug":"dont-forget-the-children-indian-dancers-for-gazas-children-spearhead-charity-performances-globally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/khabarok.com\/?p=15499","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t forget the children | Indian Dancers for Gaza\u2019s Children spearhead charity performances globally"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n

\nA dance performance from the show in Kolkata\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Last month, the late Pakistani poet and author Faiz Ahmed Faiz\u2019s poem titled \u2018A lullaby for a Palestinian Child\u2019 birthed a poignant Bharatanatyam performance in Delhi. Titled\u00a0Lori<\/i>, the movement piece was Bengaluru-based Aranyani Bhargav\u2019s attempt at making sense of a brutal conflict, and more so, its bearing on children. She was just one of the many performers \u2014 spanning mediums and years of experience \u2014 who came together that evening for the brutalised children caught in the crossfires of the Israel-Palestine war. And it was one of 18 such evenings, world over, that artists\u2019 collective Indian Dancers for Gaza\u2019s Children (IDGC) led, to raise funds as well as create a platform for collective outrage, and healing.<\/p>\n

Being mute spectators to a deafening conflict and the subsequent loss of lives many miles away is jarring. Right from October-November 2023, shortly after the war began, Bhargav, co-founder of IDGC along with South African dance scholar and activist Donovan Robert, was itching to react. The question was how. \u201cWhat really struck me was the fact that there is so much targeted violence against children in this conflict. It was unprecedented,\u201d she says. \u201cWars are supposed to be fought between armies. Why are children involved?\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Aranyani<\/div>\n

\nAranyani Bhargav\u2019s Lori<\/i>
\n| Photo Credit:
\nDinesh Khanna\n<\/p>\n

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Raising their voices<\/h4>\n

Propelled by a feeling of \u201cabsolute helplessness and horror\u201d, Bhargav and Robert decided to try and bring the Indian classical dancers\u2019 community \u2014 if not the artists\u2019 community in its entirety \u2014 together to raise their voice. She wrote a WhatsApp message to all the dancers she knew and garnered a list of petitioners to start off the conversation. \u201cInitially, the responses were cautious, but we got some early on from quite a few prominent names, like Kathak choreographer Aditi Mangaldas. This was encouraging,\u201d she says. \u201cIn the first 15 days, we were seven to eight people; within a month, we were at 200. Currently [at the time of writing this], we are at 760 from 28 different countries.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\nA performance from Delhi\n<\/p>\n

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\"An<\/div>\n

\nAn artistic performance from Kolkata\n<\/p>\n

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The movement then grew beyond social media into a physical form. Dance as a medium quickly became a cog in this wheel. \u201cDonovan and I started identifying charities that we could support and we got in touch with The Jerusalem Princess Basma Centre. It aligned with our cause, since our focus was on children [all who are caught in the war], as was theirs. They are the only paediatric rehabilitation facility for Palestinian children with disabilities,\u201d shares Bhargav. \u201cWe put out calls expressing interest in organising events all over the world. The response was overwhelming. What I thought was silence didn\u2019t turn out to be silence at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"At<\/div>\n

\nAt the Bengaluru show
\n| Photo Credit:
\nDinesh Khanna\n<\/p>\n

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Outrage, pain and peace<\/h4>\n

From dance workshops to curated showcases, the money raised was used for donations. Apart from India \u2014 in Bengaluru, New Delhi and Kolkata \u2014 the movement took shape in Poland, Canada, the U.S. and France in the form of artistic performances. \u201cThe work was done by overseeing and managing 16 WhatsApp groups classified according to the cities and countries where events could possibly take place,\u201d says Bhargav. There were artists who created pieces based on unity, and around calls for peace. \u201cBut for a lot of people, these pieces were also a means to express angst, pain and outrage over what was happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

So far the collective has raised over $11,500 for the charity. Going forward, Bhargav assures that it will contribute to any conflict (that demands the most attention) in whichever way they can. \u201cWhen there is a moral crisis in society, it is our responsibility as artists to respond,\u201d she concludes.<\/p>\n

gowri.s@thehindu.co.in<\/i><\/p>\n

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Published – September 20, 2024 08:55 am IST<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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