CHENNAI: "In the Quran, God says, being hopeless is haram, so there will never be an end to my hope, even after my last breath,” said Kashmiri singer Ahmad Parvez, behind the scenes of ‘Textures of Traditions’, a two-day cultural fest, in 2023. In Chennai, at India’s first art market, Ahmad performed a lyrical Urdu and Kashmiri poetry — blending folk and blues of his homeland, often linked with picturesque mountains and snow. Hope and art are inseparable in moving towards resistance, the artist reminds us while painting narratives of his beautiful homeland, where he remains a “hostage in paradise.
” Cut to 2024, clips and interviews of Ahmad and his music are seamlessly sewn into ‘Textures of Traditions’, a Documentary Film, a retrospective melange of the festival that celebrated cultures across India. “Great cultures are ones that hold spaces for other cultures; culture is the essence of politics,” Ahmad states on a large screen, with the hope and determination palpable, even months later. In the grassy terrain of the Tagore Film Centre, NFDC, the documentary ferried spectators to moments of the festival in September 2023.
A board at the entrance of the hall, sets the tone for the festival, quoted: “Lay the path where you struggled being new, to indicate directions to those who come after you.” Culture, arts, and politics are at the heart of the 40-minute film, mirroring ‘Textures of Traditions’ which was documented by students of LV Prasad. TNIE.