NEW DELHI:
Nestling in the lap of Narmada river, the picturesque town of Mandla in Madhya Pradesh will be soaked in sublime remembrance as it observes the first death anniversary of its famous son and legendary painter Sayed Haider Raza on July 23 with a series of programmes to commemorate his memory and perpetuate his legacy.
A unique participatory artist workshop and a concert of nirgun music are among the programmes that have been lined up by New Delhi-based The Raza Foundation to pay tribute to the artist, who was born in and lies buried next to his father in Mandla.
In continuance with the legacy of the artist, the Foundation has already started, from July 18, the week-long artist workshop on the banks of the river Narmada where young artistic talents from and near Mandla district have gathered to pay homage to and commemorate Padma Vibhushan Raza Saheb’s roots in and deep association with the city and the river.
The workshop has drawn the presence of students of Fine Arts from Gwalior, Jabalpur, Indore, Khandwa, Dhar, Bhopal, Khairagarh and Mandla.
On the morning of July 23, Hindustani classical singer Kalapini Komkali, daughter and disciple of Pt. Kumar Gandharva, will give a soulful rendition of Nirgun music.
“This is a humble initiative to pay tribute to the generosity and magnificent oeuvre of works of Raza Sahab, the legendary modernist who spent a greater part of his creative years in Paris but never lost sight of his emotional connect with his motherland,” said Ashok Vajpeyi, Managing Trustee, Raza Foundation.
“Shri Raza’s contribution as a painter is immense and the legacy he left behind is prodigious and priceless. The Foundation has embarked upon a series of initiatives to preserve and carry forward his legacy,” he added.
The Raza Foundation is organizing the programmes with the help of Ma Rewa Sewa Maha Aarti Samiti, Rapta Dham, Mandla, and the people of Mandla.
