New Delhi: The combination of art and culture is a very convincing approach. It is a great approach to bring culture and humanity together, said H.E. Dr. Philipp Ackermann (German Ambassador to India & Bhutan).
Dr. Ackermann was addressing the august gathering at ‘Water for All, All for Water’ a two feast of Art Exhibition, Musical Performances, Dialogues and Talks with renowned artists & personalities from different walks of life. Organised by Viva con Agua India and Welthungerhilfe India, the program centered on the theme of water was hosted in partnership with Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan, New Delhi.
This is a very creative solution of how to make people understand the importance of water conservation and what this organisation does. It’s not just about having uninterrupted access to water, it’s also about making everyone understand the need to stop wasting water,” added Dr. Ackermann.
The two day feast was the Indian edition of the internationally acclaimed ‘Art Creates Water Festival’, known as Millerntor Gallery in Hamburg, Germany. ‘Water for All, All for Water’ served as a platform to bring together community change makers, climate activists, conservationists, environmentalists, policy leaders, behavioral change experts, thinkers, and creative practitioners, including children, youth, and adults from across India and internationally.
Carolin Stüdemann, Viva Con Agua, CEO said, “Water is life and connection is one key factor to get involved in change and be engaged for Water. The Water for all – All for Water Festival was an amazing touchpoint to bridge gaps and build strong cooperation. I was excited that this event took place in Delhi to inspire through creative ways of art and music.”
Spanning over two days, the festival brought together art, books, conversations, dance, food, music, poetry, puppetry, and theatre. It also had an exhibition that featured Welthungerhilfe India and Viva con Agua’s WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) initiatives in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar being implemented in India with partner non-profits.
The festival commenced with keynote speeches from the German Ambassador to India and Bhutan, along with the Organizing Institutes’ Heads. Followed by the first conversation with Rajendra Singh, Ramon Magsaysay Awardee & Waterman of India, Sanjay Singh, Water Conservationist, and Yogesh Kumar, Academic & Social Worker, set the tone for the rest of the evening.
Rajendra Singh said, a sense of responsibility and love towards Mother Nature is the need of the hour to prevent disastrous impact of climate change. Once we start loving nature, the land more with a sense of responsibility, it’ll give back the love and betterment to humans. Sanjay Singh was of view towards conservation of the water and the need to make people understand the importance to save, preserve the water for all, he said we all need to put efforts in the right direction, to create more awareness and strengthen the motive of Water for all, All for Water.
The panel was followed by the mesmerising performances by Mega Sriram Dalton with her Jharkhandi Folk and MC Freezak & MC Akshay Tashan delivering the strong message on water, and life.
The third activity of the evening was a Dialogue on Innovation & Activism – How Young Leaders Are Changing WASH & Climate Realities in India with Snehal Verma (Director / Co-founder, NatureDot), Babita Rajpoot (Award Winning Community WASH Leader), Poornima Sukumar (Artist & Founder, Aravani Art Project), Prerna Prasad (Social Entrepreneur), the panel was moderated by Mandakini Gahlot (Filmmaker). Day 1 of the festival concluded with the opening of the Art Exhibition: Opening of ʻJal Jeevanʼ Art Exhibition through Stories from Community Leaders.
“Water is Life and we all realise it. But to get it reinforced through the universal language of art, music, and culture and change our behaviour towards clear action- that is the objective of this vibrant festival. We hope everyone feels inspired -and nudged,” said Nivedita Varshneya, Country Director, Welthungerhilfe India.
The day two of the festival continued with the exhibition feature the portrayals of ‘water from across India and internationally by – Artreach, Aashti Miller, Anpu Varkey, Anuj Medhavi, Ayush Mishra, Krishna Chari, Krishna Nayak, Mari Pavanelli, Nalini Balakumar, Namrata Kumar, Christine Brey, Josephine Sagna, Nila Nandi, Ribhu Chaterjee, Sourav Karmakar, Sudiksha Singh Rathore, TONA, and Yogesh Rana.
The day also had Interactive Session with Mari Pavanelli, renowned Brazilian Visual Artist and a Dialogue – Towards a Sustainable Future – Changing Community Behaviour through Arts, Music & Sports with Sunayana Wadhawan (One Drop Foundation), Anpu Varkey (Renowned Indian Visual Artist), Aparna Lall (Project Lead, WASH Behaviour Change Programme, Welthungerhilfe & Viva con Agua).
Arts education NGO Artreachʼs Workshop with Children, Theatre Performance: Duniya Sabki – A play facilitated by The Community Library Network & Aagaaz Theatre, Poem, Stories & Stand-up Comedy: Voice for Change – Poetry, Stories & more by The Social House with Inder Sahani (Renowned Stand-Up Comedian), Manpreet Singh Mann (Poet & Storyteller), Sujata Mottha (Poetess & Storyteller), Paakhi (Poetess & Storyteller), Ravie Solanky, (Poet & Storyteller), Interactive Session with Anpu Varkey, Renowned Indian Visual Artist and Water Stories Read Aloud For & With Children by The Community Library Project and Aagaaz Theatre were among the attractions.
Puppetry Show for Water by Katkatha Puppet Trust, Dialogue on Social Change & The Arts – Nurturing Collective Spaces, Critical Thinking and Finding Agency with Anurupa Roy (Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust), Ita Mehrotra (Artreach Trust), Mridula Koshy (The Community Library Network), Sanyukta Saha (Aagaaz Theatre Trust) was moderated by Mary Therese Kurkalang (KHUBLEI), Dance Workshop: Learn B-Boy Moves With Shivshakti were the other activities during the day 2 of the festival.
The two-day festival ended with a great fun, excitement and entertainment with B-Boy Dance by Shivshakti Group, Rap by members of Khirki17; Jharkhandi Folk by Megha Sriram Dalton; and the closing act by Ditty and Keno with ‘Rain is Coming’ – a sonic trip which followed the water conservation movements in north India – the creeks and crowds, the chants of activists and creatures.
“I hope that this program serves to remind, ground, and propel us into action, at many levels, and expand our understanding of ‘Water is a Human Right'”, said Mary Therese Kurkalang, Festival Curator.
