Hyderabad: Lamakaan, an open cultural space in Hyderabad, will celebrate its 14th annual festival from
March 1 to 3 on its premises located at Banjara Hills. The place will host a range of events over three days.
Sanjeev Saraf, founder of Rekhta and Huma Khalil, creative director of Rekhta, will speak on the journey of the organisation in preserving Urdu Language on the last day of the event that is titled ‘Urdu Vogue – Bridging Tradition and Trend in the New Age’. Other events also include a talk by Hyderabad-based researcher Srinivas Kodali on modern day digital governance.
Here are the list of events at Lamakaan:
March 1:
Amudhan RP: Understanding Documentaries History, journey, and artistic possibilities:
11am – 4 pm (3 days). A Free 3-day workshop curated & conducted by Amudhan RP on appreciating and
critically examining documentaries with several celebrated documentary screenings as part of this workshop.
Amudhan has made around 20 films on various social, political, and economic themes. He founded the Madurai International Documentary and Short Film Festival and the Chennai Film Festival. He has conducted them for over 23 years and ten years, respectively. To register, send a WhatsApp message to Lamakaan (+91-9642731329).
Srinivas Kodali: Cybernetic Census and The Politics of Numbers in Digital India
5.30 – 7.00 pm.
Srinivas Kodali takes us through how modern-day digital governance treats humans as numbers with the mathematical science of cybernetics, which is used to reshape the republic.
Ghost Writer – A Hindi Play Directed by Maya Rao
8 – 9.15 pm, staged by Bombay Theatre Group. With the cinema-going audiences dwindling, films have become a spectacle without the story. The play is a satirical look at the state of writers. Laugh, cry, and take an honest look at our times.
March 2:
Makaanix 101 – A General Quiz with Bala
3 – 5.30 pm S. Balakrishna, Hyderabad’s most celebrated quizzer, takes the stage to hold a quiz that spans History, Literature, Music, and fun. Form teams of 3 and arrive by 2:30 pm.
Prof. Suleman Siddiqi: Roots of Composite Culture in the Deccan:
6 – 7 pm. Prof Mohd. Suleman Siddiqi, former vice chancellor of Osmania University and founder
Registrar of Maulana Azad National urdu University is an expert on Deccani Sufis. He will discuss the culture established in Deccan, where all communities lived together peacefully.
Vidya Rao – LAALI CHHAAYE RAHI HAI – A performance of the hori theme in thumri
8 – 9.30 pm. Vidya Rao, the celebrated Thumri, Ghazal singer, disciple of Naina Devi, Shanti Hiranand, Girija Devi, will present some hori bandishes in the traditional thumri gayaki and talk about the
traditions and legacy of Thumri.
March 3:
Huma Khalil: Urdu Vogue – Bridging Tradition and Trend in the New Age:
7 – 8 pm. Rektha has become the largest repository of Urdu literature, bringing the wealth of
culture and literature by making literature and learning accessible on the Internet and through festivals. Huma traces the journey so far and the road ahead.
Sanjiv Saraf: Zikr us Parivash ka, aur phir baya’n apna
8 – 9 pm. Sanjiv Saraf, founder of Rekhta, the largest private initiative to promote and preserve
Urdu literature and culture, will speak about his translations of Urdu poetry and the love of
Urdu that created Rekhta.
Note: The events begin at 11 am and are open to all, and entry is free on a first-come, first-serve basis. Events are given over-leaf, and more information about each event is, as always, available at our website: lamakaan.com.
Lamakaan was founded in 2010 by a group of Hyderabadis on a small property off the busy Rd
Number 1 in Banjara Hills. Its founding vision was to create a hub for progressive cultural practices. Over the last ten years, it has emerged as a sustainable model for creating diverse communities of practitioners in many fields.
