Hyderabad: After a gap of two years, Lamakaan, the city’s only cultural space, is celebrating its 12th anniversary this March. The annual event was first cancelled in 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and was not held last year as well for the same reason.
However, after the short hiatus, this year’s 12th anniversary will see many events lined up from March 11 to 13. Lamakaan co-founder Ashhar Farhan told Siasat.com that they’re excited, and that it feels like “spring after a long winter”.
The first event that will be held this year on the March 11, titled ‘Kuch Theatre, Kuch Zindagi’, is shaped as a conversation between artist Vinay Varma and his mentor Bhaskar Shewalker, two noted theatre personalities of Hyderabad. The event explores Bhaskar Shewalker’s theatre journey spanning six decades.
“He’s nurtured many theatre groups in the city, and the event will be a tribute to his work. Many performances will have theatre groups reading out his works in a retrospective of his career,” stated farhan.
On the evening of March 12, Lamakaan will also host a talk titled ‘Fissured Horizon, the contradictions of Indian democracy’ by Vinod K Jose, executive editor of The Caravan Magazine.
“Aradhana Karhade’s classical performance comes next, she performs for us every year,” Farhan added. Finally, on March 13, is something that history and heritage lovers will look forward to attend. Titled ‘Hyderabad Remembers,’ it is essentially a recollection what the city has gone through during pandemics and floods of the past, like the 1908 Musi River floods (wherein thousands perished).
This event will be quickly followed by Sameer Rahat’s book launch. The noted late Urdu poet’s son willl perform Urdu-blues, poetry and will also share the legacy of Rahat Indori. A two-day exhibition of fine handicrafts and manuscripts by Ramesh Ramanadhan is also on the cards.
Looking back over how Lamakaan has evolved into a cultural and political space in Hyderabad over the last decade, Farhan said, “We’ve evolved in various ways as a space, and more importantly- people associated with us- performers, speakers and audience have evolved with us. That’s been our greatest satisfaction.”
With the cultural space finally open for the public after a long break during the pandemic, liberal talks, debates and conversations once again have a home. “The staff is doubly vaccinated, and the space is outdoors, so it’s quite safe,” Farhan informed. Wearing masks are also mandatory.
The cosy double-storeyed space was started in 2010 by friends Ashhar Farhan, his wife Humera Ahmed, and their friends Elahe Hiptoola and Biju Matthew.
