Photographer Jaisingh Nageswaran, another curator says that with entries from Nepal, Maharashtra and Kerala, the team decided to promote several first-time photographers who had not displayed elsewhere in a bid to encourage them. Niththam, the photography and art exhibition of Vaanam Art Festival Do we not have a rich political and cultural heritage?” he asks. “At a time when it is common to commodify the difficult civil lives of Dalit people, Vaanam aims at showcasing a truthful, perhaps empowering narrative of our people. Vasugi Bhaskar says that the subaltern youth is tired of being portrayed in a sorrow-filled lens. The fourth edition of the festival has just concluded the curator says that each edition has proved that the festival has become a congregation of youngsters who actively engage with their political thought.

They sit on floors in silence, lost in the films they are watching and are often seen engaging in intense discourse while viewing photos and paint canvases.īut this is not an anomaly, says Vasugi Bhaskar. It is also when one sees a relatively young audience hoot for discussions on serious topics such as caste in Sri Lanka and the origin of Dalit philosophy. “It demands joy,” says Vasugi Bhaskar, the editor of Neelam publication and magazine. It is BR Ambedkar’s birth month, Dalit history month and the time when Vaanam Art Festival comes alive each year. April is a month of celebration for director Pa Ranjith’s Neelam Cultural Centre.

A history of narrative film 4th edition