The Serendipity Arts Festival was thoughtfully planned with the intention of attracting a wide variety of spectators from throughout the nation; there was something for everyone among the abundance of activities, which included music, food, dance, theater, art, and much more. The beautiful sights, sounds, and diverse moods of the various art forms from all over the South Asian area and the world resonated in Panaji, Goa, for eight nonstop days.
More than 1000 musicians from every region of the country participated in the event, which spanned across 14 or more locations and included more than 120 presentations. The festival aimed to dramatically erode regional differences in the nation while promoting cross-cultural interchange, encouraging a sense of teamwork, and exploring interdisciplinarity in many art forms. The festival’s directors and collaborators worked hard to create a platform that provided equitable possibilities for artists, craftspeople, performers, and other creative practitioners from all around India and the South Asian region.
Pt. Bickram Ghosh and Ehsaan Noorani selected the performers for the performance segment. In conjunction with Ranga Shankara’s “AHA!” Theater for Children actor Quasar Thakore Padamsee presented experimental theater to the audience that combined postmodern screenwriting with children’s theater.
A special project called Somewhere Ethereal by Mathieu Wothke and Terra Nullius: Excavations from Image 3.0 by Pascal Beausse and Rahaab Allana, as well as Goa Familia by Lina Vincent and Akshay Mahajan, were also on display. On the other hand, the exhibition segment was organized by names like Sudarshan Shetty, Veerangana Solanki, Anjana Somany, and Pramod Kumar KG.
We are also pleased to announce that THE BRIJ, which will maintain the atmosphere of the flagship festival while incorporating year-round practice, learning, and experimentation into its activities, will serve as a permanent home for the arts and culture of our region. The facility is designed around a variety of creative practices and will feature multidisciplinary arts education, incubation labs, centers for cultural innovation, performance spaces, and museums on a scale never before seen. In practice, it will be the entirety of the arts and culture ecosystem in one location, he continued.
Smriti Rajgarhia, Director of Serendipity Arts Foundation and Event, responded when asked how such a generous festival was conceived and curated: “I think it became as magnanimous as it is because we are so passionate about it. Since our event is fully conducted by volunteers, we would not have been able to accomplish it without the support we have accrued over the years.
“We are thrilled we are playing our role in sharing the enchantment of the arts,” she continued, “and we were delighted to witness and hear about the impact the festival has had on people’s lives. Without the help of our curators, artists, staff members, and attendees, the festival would not have taken on its current form. They are assisting us in moving closer to our objective of making Panjim the global center of culture.