The fourth edition of LILA PRISM on ‘Institution as Practice’ opens with a joint talk by two remarkable women—Ritu Menon and Urvashi Butalia—pioneers of independent political publishing in the country. Kali for Women, the first feminist publishing house in India, showed us how to integrally link the aesthetics and mechanics of book publishing with a relevant political context. Urvashi and Ritu tell us of their herstoric journey together, as well as of their individual quests now, at LILA PRISM 2016—for the first time. Do not miss it.

People Tree – a tree that grew into a shop in New Delhi. A shop that is not just a shop, but also a great place to be at. Here runs an alternative book store, a magazine, a crafts store, a studio… It’s a meeting ground – and of course, breeding ground too – of art, commerce and madness. People come to this tree from everywhere. To share. To buy and sell. To laugh, draw, search, read, speak out, locate, relocate. LILA PRISM 2016 brings to you the story of how some madly magical people have been joining hands, heads and hearts under this people tree for years. You hear it from the founders, Gurpreet Sidhu and Orijit Sen.

The Kochi-Muziris Biennale is a project in appreciation of, and education about, artistic expression and its relationship with society. KMB has succeeded in initiating a cosmopolitan dialogue for a new aesthetics and politics rooted in the Indian experience, but receptive to other worlds. It is today establishing itself as a centre for artistic engagement in India by drawing from the rich tradition of public action and public engagement in Kerala, towards building a new society that aims to be liberal, inclusive, egalitarian and democratic. The time has come to relate the story of its institutional practices through the artistic, administrative and political voices that have been instrumental in setting up this space that seeks to project the new energy of artistic practices in the subcontinent.

Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum is a Museum about Museums. It has survived almost exactly as it was when first established in the middle of the 19th century as the Victoria and Albert Museum. It tells us how museums were first conceived and presented, and about the early objectives and aspirations. The restoration that INTACH completed in partnership with the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation and the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai has made every effort to retain the original character while at the same time introducing the latest technology to enhance the quality and performance of the institution.  Tasneem Mehta presents the intertwined stories of the BDL Museum and INTACH, having known both their lives inside out. And she points to the need and methodology to build strong institutions in the culture sector.

Jana Natya Manch (People’s Theatre Front; Janam for short), the New Delhi-based amateur theatre company specialises in left-wing street theatre in Hindi. It was founded in 1973 by a group of Delhi’s radical theatre amateurs, who sought to take theatre to the people. Janam collects donations from viewers after each performance and funds its future work. As a matter of policy, the group does not accept donations or grants from state, corporate or NGO agencies. The company does street as well as open-air proscenium performances, and organises talks, discussions, workshops, exhibitions, film shows, etc. This group of self-trained actors has done over 8,500 performances of nearly 80-odd street plays and 16 proscenium plays in about 140 cities in India. The company has performed outside India once, in spring 2007, when they toured the United States, performing, lecturing and conducting workshops on several university and colleges campuses.

1Shanthiroad, Bengaluru, is an art space founded by Suresh Jayaram that nurtures creativity and cutting edge art practice, situated in the centre of the city. The Studio/Gallery at 1Shanthiroad provides space for slide lectures, small conferences, installations, performances, screenings and informal gatherings. It is administered by a not- for- profit trust VAC –Visual Art Collective. Since its inception in 2003 1Shanthiroad has grown to house artists from diverse countries in its residency programmes. Through 13 vibrant years 1 Shantiroad has broken new ground, nurtured new and old talent, and triggered meaningful engagements with visual art.

Festivals and Beyond is an offstage conversation that reveals the passion that drives three extraordinarily creative people who believe in interconnections of people and ideas. In the wake of the success of the Jaipur Lit Fest, Namita Gokhale, Sanjoy Roy and William Darlymple have become household names in the Indian cultural scene. At LILA PRISM, they share their experiences not only of literary and cultural organization in India and abroad, but also their own individual pursuits as creative artists. Join them as they engage in a heart to heart conversation with the equally versatile Alka Pande.

DASTKAR is a non-Governmental organisation created to act as a bridge between the urban consumer and the traditional Indian crafts person. It offers producer services, guidance and training in product development, organisation and management; and credit, design and marketing support.
Apart from direct assistance to over 700 craft communities in 25 States all over the country comprising approximately 1,00,000 artisans, DASTKAR’s objective is to lobby and create an awareness of craft and craft-related issues in the consumer, the media and policy makers. Craftspeople comprise India’s 2nd largest employment sector, estimated at approximately 20 million, many of them women.

Jawaharlal Nehru University, known popularly as JNU, is one of india’s premier institutions of higher learning. Rakesh Batabyal in this LILA PRISM Lecture explores the life of an Indian university, from its conception to the period when the institution was entering its phase of major transition. He brings to life the intricate web of relationship between the founding principles of a university, contemporary politics and society, and the historical trajectories of indian intellectual and institutional lives.

Toxics Link is a group of people working together for environmental justice and freedom from toxics. They have taken it upon themselves to collect and share information about the sources and dangers of poisons in our environment and bodies, as well as about clean and sustainable alternatives for India and the rest of the world. For the organisation’s Founder, Ravi Agarwal, Environmentalism is at the intersection of nature and culture—and in his searches art converges with science towards creating a unique take on the environment.

The Gundechas address these questions:

Dhrupad as a ancient system of music–its origins, the places where it spread, and the reasons for this spread. What is its worldview? How did it flourish and how did it decline during various times?

How does a form of music get institutionalized? How are the schools (gharanas) and styles (banis) formed? What are the mentoring and transferring practices?

Should one need to follow a gharana’s practices in order to be recognized? What is the balance between tradition and freedom of expression by an individual practitioner?

How important is it for the two of them to sing together? Are there some other influences on each of them outside the Dhrupad system?

What are the facets of their work at Dhrupad institute and the Gurukul? Why did they set it up? Where do they see it going?

How important are words in music? Is music beyond words and their meaning? If the foreign students do not get the correct pronunciation or tone or internal mood, how do they negotiate that?

How important is patronage in developing music? Can music be always dependent on patronage and sponsorship? Is there another way of making music a community experience? Is there a sustainability model?

Do they see their practice of music as having any social content–can it change a society? Is there anything like that in the history of our music where music has changed a people and their mindset, or helped change a social situation?