Not very long ago, it was customary for artists — musicians, painters, dancers and sculptors — to be like solitary islands, each creating their own hue of art in silos. Then a seemingly new trend of having small art hubs with café’s started in Paris in mid-18th Century. These art hubs proved to be a spark that revitalised both the artist community and the art enthusiasts. These accessible art spaces with spartan canteens that served simple selections at affordable prices set off a chain reaction of sorts that led to a new resurgence in arts, providing a platform for fusion of ideas and an intermingling between different generations.
All this and more is true of Triveni Kala Sangam and its much-loved terrace cafe. For almost seven decades, this has been a significant art address of Delhi. It is a place that gave birth to some of the tallest names in the Indian art scene and continues to be a cradle that nurtures budding artists. This is so because Triveni was shaped by a spirited and feisty art visionary Sundari Shridharani, who worked in the service of her muse all her work life spanning over seven decades.
The woman behind
Sundari was born in the affluent and influential Bhavnani family of Karachi that was also actively associated with various revolutionary leaders of the Indian National Congress. In those days, when businessmen would steer clear of politics, various leaders of the INC would stay at the Bhavnani residence. “When Annie Besant had to visit Lahore, she was put up at my grandfather’s place, perhaps because it was one of the few houses that had an English style toilet even in the early days of 20th century” says Amar Shridharani with a mischievous smile. He is general secretary of Triveni Kala Sangam and son of Sundari Shridharani.
As a young child inclined towards dance and music, Sundari first joined the Santiniketan and after a stint there, went to train at the Uday Shankar India Cultural Centre at Almora. The hostel facilities were basic and the students had to trek down to the river and carry buckets of water for bathing — but the learning atmosphere was electric. Masters like Sankaran Namboodri taught Kathakali, Kadappa Pillai taught Bharatnatyam, Ambi Singh Manipuri and Ustad Allauddin Khan coached students in music. Sundari’s batch included doyens such as Zohra Sehgal, Guru Dutt, Shanti Bardhan and many more. The teachers and the students here became her friends, family and mentors. This stimulating phase was followed by a stint at the Ginner Mawer School of dance and Drama in London.
Sundari was scheduled to start her return voyage to Delhi when Partition came and her family advised her to take a steam ship to Bombay instead because Delhi was in a grip of communal riots. Disembarking at Bombay with no funds, she rented a barsati at Borivali and took up small assignments teaching dance to young students. Thus began her rendezvous with teaching. It is in these times that she acquired a lifelong temperament of keeping her feet on the ground, irrespective of the stardom that later came her way.
With her family and their business at Karachi still in a disarray, Sundari came to Delhi to teach at Lady Irwin College. The paltry salary from school would allow her to purchase an occasional saree and dressy chappals. She re- started her dance performances at various venues in Delhi. Delhi’s eminent industrialist Lala Shri Ram and his family were actively promoting music, dance, theatre and art. It was at one such event — staging of the play Discovery of India — at Regal Cinema that Sundari met the celebrated journalist and playwright Krishnalal Shridharani. Both soon got married. It could be said that it was her passion for dance that found her a vocation and also made her meet her soulmate.
Krishanlal Shridharani had studied at the nationalist Dakshinamurti school at Bhavnagar in Gujrat and was part of a small band of 69 people who accompanied Gandhi on his Salt march. He was arrested and jailed at Sabarmati and Nasik jails for taking part in the agitation. After his release, he headed to Santiniketan where he came in contact with a lot of international teachers and students and began to nurse dreams of going to America. A recommendation by Rabindranath Tagore to Dewan of Bhavnagar allowed him a scholarship to pursue Masters from New York University. The subject of his PhD –War without Violence at Columbia University was an analytical study of Gandhi’s satyagraha. It became a celebrated piece of writing, which was often quoted by the next generation of civil rights activists, including Martin Luther King. Following this, he wrote columns for various international newspapers such as The New York Times, Le Monde and Asahi Shimbun.
In many ways, the Triveni Kala Sangam was a product of these two legendary personalities, who formed a blend that was deeply rooted in Indian ethos but also had stirrings of global values of aesthetic minimalism and liberalism.
Also read: Indira Gandhi’s speech, Ravi Shankar’s concert—Master Sound shaped Independent India’s voice
The idea
Sundari Shridharani was busy teaching and dancing when the idea of setting up a cultural institute gripped her. Like an industrious honey bee, she starting meeting statesmen and officials on how this could be actualised. Finally, the word about her efforts reached Prime Minister Nehru. On his instructions, the Minister for Rehabilitation Meher Chand Khanna granted her half-an-acre of land on Tansen Marg to be developed as a cultural centre.
After securing the land, an enthusiastic Shridharani approached Joseph Stein, the architectural powerhouse of talent. “She had just finished a successful dance show in which the ticket sales had got her around Rs 10,000. She put that bank statement on Stein’s desk, saying he has to design her a cultural center. Smitten by her zeal and commitment, he agreed to design the gem of an art campus that stands to this day. All this without any fee,” says Amar, recalling this anecdote he had heard from his parents.
Once the architectural design docket was ready, she began the Herculean task of conjuring up resources to build the complex. Shridharani’s goodwill with friends and mentors was such that eminent dance performers such as Uday Shanker would do ticketed shows to help her in her mission. Celebrated painters and sculptors would hold exhibitions, sharing funds from sale of pieces to contribute to her effort. Bit by bit, Triveni Kala Sangam took shape and form. No effort was spared and no compromises were made in design and execution because Sundari had the courage to spend all the money that she had collected.
Like all Stein buildings, Triveni is made with evergreen natural materials like brick and exposed concrete that don’t ever require a touch of paint. Floating like an oasis inside green landscaped spaces, the galleries, the exhibition halls, the corridors are filled with light and reflective patterns made by stone lattices, making it difficult to know when one is inside and when one is outdoors.
It’s a multi-disciplinary complex that aims to invigorate all streams of art. Shridharani wanted the best talent as her faculty. She would approach the reigning masters and somehow get them on board. “She would be willing to negotiate any arrangement to get the best talent. For instance, when a reluctant Kelucharan Mohapatra refused her offer to join as faculty, she persuaded him to stay on the Triveni campus and hold occasional ‘lec–dem’ classes with students whenever he visited Delhi. She never took no for an answer” says Amar.
The Triveni dance stage still resounds with sounds of tinkling ghungroos and its gallery walls forever flushed with ever-changing canvas of artists. But it is Triveni’s open air canteen that remains a favourite hangout for all.
From Abrahim Alkazi to Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri to Raj Babbar, and Anupam Kher to Shah Rukh Khan – the legends have warm memories associated with Triveni canteen where they laughed, discussed and brainstormed on scripts while relishing the café’s delectable offerings of Kadi Chawal, samosa and steaming cups of elachi Chai.
This article is part of a series called BusinessHistories exploring iconic businesses in India that have endured tough times and changing markets. Read all articles here.
(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)