In its fifth year, the Delhi International Arts Festival (DIAF), is bigger and grander than its previous edition. The 14-day-extravaganza kicked off this weekend and in the next couple of weeks the “free-for-all” festival will bring together the best in arts, dance, music, literature from India and abroad in the national capital.
And according to artist, Jatin Das, what sets this apart from all other festivals in the West is is the “emotion” of artists and organisers behind it.
“Though it doesn’t have to compare or compete with any other arts festival, I feel ours more spontaneous than any other art festival around the world. The emotions behind the fest also outweigh the popular fests in capitals of other countries,” he says. Pegged as India’s signature arts festival, artists think of it as the platform where soul of India meets the world. Talking about the festival, former diplomat and member of DIAF consultative committee, Lalit Man Singh, says, “India’s USP is its 5000-year-old culture which needs to be recognised. DIAF helps recognised it.”
Talking about how her “five-year-old baby” has now begun taking quantum leaps, festival director, Prathibha Prahlad, informs, “With participants coming from 28 countries, DIAF has attained mammoth proportions this year. Internationally, it has opened India to several possibilities, built bridges with several countries and made cultural diplomacy possible.”
And the expansion of possibilities doesn’t end here. Requests for participation for the next two years have already flooded the DIAF email accounts. “From around the globe there has been a deluge of requests from artists who want to participate in the year 2012 and 2013. And the proportions it has achieved has gone beyond the capacity of an NPO and it’s become a burden handling it all. A festival of thousands of artists should be handled by a government organisation, or atleast be supported with seed money. This isn’t commerce-driven like the F1 or IPL and despite the lack of funding/government support we’re doing it for the future generations,” Pratibha adds.
Of the `30 crore that is required to hold DIAF 2011, the Delhi government has contributed `10 lakhs and ministry of culture `4 lakhs, says Prathibha, “It’s beyond an NGO’s control now. Collaborating, hoping for sponsorships and running the festival, all at the same time, is very stressful. And to top it, we’re incurring heavy losses. The government should call a meeting of its stake-holders and support with seed money. Else this will probably be the last DIAF.”