Pics: Hemanath Padubidri

Media Release

Udupi, Feb 17: The first day of 'Article-19', organized by Manipal Institute of Communication (MIC), witnessed noted story teller Shabnam Virmani conducting her workshop titled ‘Ram Without Religion: Poetic Traditions of Kabir’.

The two hour workshop comprised of not just her showcasing parts of the documentary, but also the sharing of her personal experiences while capturing the piece of art. She also believes that Kabir is always wrongly interpreted and projected by the majority.

Shabnam Virmani is a resident at Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology, and is associated as the director of ‘The Kabir Project’. Her award winning documentary, ‘Had Anhad’, is her personal journey to find myriad answers, where she journeys to attain Lord Ram without religion through Kabir's songs, images and conversations on both sides of the hostile border between India and Pakistan.

The workshop was succeeded by the screenings of AD (TV) Express, Broadcast (TV) Express, Film Express and Shot Cut submitted by the participants of the fest, as well as a short preview by Ishamuddin Khan, the renowned street magician in anticipation of his upcoming workshop.

Day two of 'Article 19' will feature a session by Ishamuddin Khan entitled ‘The Indian Magic Trick: Part of the Disappearing Act’ and another by Kalpana Sharma on the topic ‘Journalism as if Gender Matters’.

There will be a panel discussion comprised of K V Akshara, Kalpana Sharma and Ishamuddin Khan, which will be moderated by Dr Sundar Sarukkai. The topic for the panel discussion is ‘Can we have sustainable spaces for performing arts in our country?’