Gaurav Sarkar gaurav. sarkar@ mid- day. com OVER the past three months of protests and differences regarding the Citizenship Amendment Act ( CAA) and National Registry of Citizens ( NRC), u201c a lot of us have lost friendships due to our political differences,u201d said filmmaker Aditi Anand on Friday ahead of the India, My Valentine performance. A pan- India cultural programme held across cities over the V- day weekend, the event aims to bring people across the political spectrum together for an evening of celebrating their common love: India.
u201c Both sides are continuously fighting but one thing is common: that each side is saying it loves India more.
We are going to love India together,u201d Anand said.
The Mumbai leg of the event kicked off on Friday. The closing gala will be held on Sunday ( February 16) at Sophia college auditorium ( 5.30 pm onwards) with the likes of Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak performing, along with Tanmay Bhat, Vishal and Rekha Bharadwaj, Swara Bhaskar, Aamir Aziz and more. India, My Valentine is also being celebrated in Delhi and Kolkata over the weekend.
Anand, who is one of the organisers of the event, said, u201c There has been a continuous sit- in protest at Mumbra for the past month. On Friday, a host of fantastic artists are going to perform there. It will be followed by a performance by Sufi folk singer Moralala Marwada and his troop at Native Places in Versova on Saturday evening. The final gala closing event will be held on Sunday at the Sophia college auditorium.u201d While there would be no u201c speechesu201d, Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak are expected to perform monologues, while the others will be playing to their strengths of stand- up comedy, music and storytelling. u201c The money collected from ticket sales will go towards two organisations - one that works with war veterans ( since itu2019s one year of Pulwama) and another that aids women in making space for themselves at national- level politics,u201d she explained.
Art for engagement u201c These are all artists who have been using art to engage with what is happening int he country right now,u201d said Anand. u201c Music, poetry, and art are very powerful mediums that act as bridges between people with different political affiliations.u201d She added: u201c There are people who feel very strongly and want to engage but these are not necessarily the ones who will go to a protest. People are also afraid that they might get lathicharged at a protest, and are hence cautious. India, My Valentine is an avenue where people with all sorts of ideas can come together under one roof and engage with one another.u201d Tickets for India, My Valentine are available on Insider and BookMyShow.
u2018 Bury the hatchet, even if itu2019s just for a dayu2019 India, My Valentine event to bring together people of differing political ideologies, promote love and harmony amid trying times u2018 Music, poetry, and art are very powerful mediums that act as bridges between people with different political affiliations. India, My Valentine is an avenue where people with all sorts of ideas can come together under one roof and engage with one anotheru2019 Aditi Anand, filmmaker and one of the event organisers
