India Abroad - October 06, 2017

By Aziz Haniffa

—WASHINGTON, D.C.
he multi-media per-
formance that filled the
stage at the First
Congressional United
Church of Christ on
Sept. 9 was a concert
that proved rare and unique: It
melded dance, music, poetry
and visual arts, featuring artist
Nimi Trehan of Potomac,
Maryland, painting accompanied
by a dance performance present-
ed with the poignant poetry of
Satya Palaparty.

It was called “A Symphony of Temple Bells” and was presented by the multi-arts organization Spilling Ink, which blends the artistic disciplines as a way of sharing the talents of India and the diaspora. The program was supported by the D.C.

Commission on the Arts & Humanities.

With Palaparty’s poetry as its inspiration, the D.C.-based nonprofit Spilling Ink choreographed the encounter against a backdrop of social turmoil, making of a performance that provided the opportunity for introspection and an interaction on a variety of topics on the worldly human condition, from feminism to nature.

Performers included
Sudeshna Basu, vocals, Vijay
Ganesh, percussion, Manjula
Kumar, theater, Pavani
Mallajosyula, violin, Vijay
Palaparty, dance, Palaparty,
poetry, Srivathsa Pasumarthi,
flute, Kaushika Prakash, dance,
Nalini Prakash, dance, Krithika
Subrahmanian, dance, and
Trehan, visual art.

Palaparty said her “Symphony” — her first published poetry collection — is the outcome of a lifetime of creative expressions — a collection of poems on a wide range of social impact subjects, including feminist issues and the significance of the insignificant.

Evoking memories of India
and her own cross-cultural expe-
riences as an immigrant, she
calls the poems a pathway to
know the self as well as the
world.

Spilling Ink, directed by Vijay Palaparty and Nalini Prakash, says its mission is “to interpret, create, perform, and present performing, visual and literary arts of India and the diaspora” through an interdisciplinary approach.

Trehan, who was working in
interior designing, expanded her
efforts to art about a decade ago.

Since then, she has held solo as well as group exhibits both locally and internationally. Her paintings have been exhibited and auctioned at fundraisers for charitable organizations that raise money for education of the underprivileged and disabled students. Those groups include Upakar, an organization more than two decades old that offers college scholarships to needy Indian and Indian-American students.

“Throughout my life, my
instincts have compelled me to
return to art to express my
observations and emotions on
canvas. I create expressionist fig-
urative work and complex
abstract forms in my paintings,
valuing expression over perfec-
tion,” she said. “My art is a visu-
al journal of personal observa-
tions, life experi-
ences and socio-
political issues.

Using dynamic
brush strokes,
vibrant colors and
tactile textures, I
create a complex
tapestry of abstract
and iconographic
images that are jux-
taposed in multiple
layers incorporating
mystical symbolism,
inviting the viewer
to observe, reflect,
and respond. “
She said she had
often thought of creating in com-
bination with other art forms
and welcomed the chance to be a
part of “A Symphony of Temple
Bells.”
“I immersed myself in the

Nimi Trehan paints in response to the dancers' gestures at a multi-media concert at the First

Congressional United Church of Christ in Washington, D.C., Sept. 9.

A ‘Symphony’
of Indian
Expression

Spilling Ink presents a mix of poetry,
dance and artwork

MEDLEY

Portrait
of diaspora
culture
emerges as
Nimi Trehan
paints on
stage

Vijay Palaparty and Nalini Prakash dancing for “A Symphony of Temple Bells," at a multi-media concert at the First Congressional United Church of Christ in Washington, D.C., Sept. 9.