New Delhi, April 3 Sundari Shridharani, a Bharatnatyam dancer, had one condition when she commissioned legendary architect Joseph Allen Stein to design her dream of "India's most beautiful art center" in Delhi – sunlight should filter through.
This was during early independent India. As India developed, so did the Triveni Kala Sangam. The multidisciplinary center is celebrating its 75th year, a place where architecture, aesthetics, and interdisciplinary ideas converge, allowing light and ideas to flow freely, making it a cultural hub.
Triveni Kala Sangam, named by flautist Vijay Raghav Rao, literally means a confluence of art, stands as a testament to Shridharani's vision with its bright classrooms, open walkways, large galleries, green courtyards, and a philosophy that encourages and "forces" the cross-fertilization of ideas and arts.
Notable figures like M F Husain, Tyeb Mehta, Krishen Khanna, performers Yamini Krishnamurty, Ravi Shankar, and Hariprasad Chaurasia, actors Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, and Rohini Hattangadi, have all passed through the center's corridors in Mandi House.
It's more than just about famous artists. Triveni is also a place where activists from different generations come together to discuss campaigns or rehearse street plays, friends meet over coffee, art enthusiasts visit to see exhibitions, and music lovers attend concerts.
It all began in two rooms in Connaught Place in 1950. The story since has been one of determination, innovation, creative freedom, and architectural inventiveness.
"My mother was a very determined woman; she wouldn't give up," said Amar Shridharani, general secretary of Triveni Kala Sangam, to