The New York Power Women Series:

Aroon Shivdasani: Democratizing the Arts

Twenty Years of  Nurturing Cinema, Dance, Music and Art

Tongue-in-cheek, she often calls herself the Fakir of New York, out with a begging bowl for the nurturing of the music, dance, literature, theater and art of India. Ask those in the know and they identify her in reality as the Czarina of New York’s South Asian arts and culture scene, credited with founding  the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) 20 years ago.  She has become the catalyst for many of the city’s burgeoning Indian arts organizations, setting a thriving cultural scene in motion.

When she started two decades ago, the only cultural organizations with a focus on India were The Asia Society and the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. She recalls, “I remember coming to New York and wondering where were all the Indian artistes? New York had such wonderful artistes from around the world but all the mainstream knew here were the names of Satyajit Ray and Ravi Shankar! There are so many centuries of art and culture in our country and such wonderful artistes but people just did not know about it.”

Passionate about the arts, Shivdasani wanted  to make Indian art and artistic disciplines visible. “I wanted to build an awareness and  showcase them in mainstream venues so that people became aware of them, started recognizing them and enjoying them.”

She recalls the early start of IAAC, doing just one event at a theater, and trying to get people to come. Many new families, new immigrants who were fresh arrivals had no access to the arts. Like a one-woman band, Shivdasani got initial partners involved, like the late Gopal Raju of India Abroad and Jonathan Hollander of the Battery Dance Company and created an advisory board for the fledgling organization. She partnered with the emerging South Asian galleries and with several contemporary Indian artists who had been working in isolation.
Flash forward to 2018 – and it’s a cornucopia of the arts with countless galleries, events and non-profit organizations. She says with satisfaction, “When we started, Indian artistes were invisible – now it’s a virtual  Indian summer. I almost feel ‘Mission Accomplished!'”

After 20 vigorous years of IAAC, New York has got accustomed to some rare pleasures: Salman Rushdie discussing books, lives and more with elegance and a wicked sense of humor; wonderful writers like Suketu Mehta, Anita Desai, Kiran Desai and Shashi Tharoor sitting face to face with the audience, taking them into the world of words. Who can forget the film festivals which brought a rich treasure trove of independent films highlighting regional films, documentaries and shorts? And yes, the celebrity factor was always there with iconic names like Sharmila Tagore, Aparna Sengupta, Konkona Sharma, Rahul Bose, Shabana Azmi and directors like Anurag Kashyap, Mira Nair, Gurinder Chadha, Deepa Mehta, Vishal Bharadwaj and Hansal Mehta.

As Shivdasani says, “People came for the draw of the big names and stayed for the arts and got acquainted and learnt so much about lesser known artists and the excitement of their work.” Indeed, one of the most important things this spunky impresario has done is really and truly democratize the arts. By keeping the access open and reasonable, she has opened up the world to so many more people. The excitement at the film festival is that just for the price of a movie ticket the audience gets to see not only movies which are normally hard to get hold off but also meet the people who made the movie and brush shoulders with the celebrities at the Q and A. No matter who you are, you have an equal chance of questioning a star and getting your selfie!

What Shivdasani did was democratize the arts for Indian-Americans. She created and curated, almost singlehandedly grassroots festivals of music, art, books and dance which became stronger with time. Her first initiative was Passport to Art in which people got a chance to go into the studios of Indian American artists and see them firsthand at work. With warmth and personal charisma, she managed to acquire an astounding rolodex of celebrities, creative people and influencers, and opened up galleries and studios, museums and even her own home to a gathering of minds in salons, meetings and happy parties.

What she did was quite powerful – she made the arts of the Diaspora a part of daily life. By keeping the tickets low and open to everyone, anyone could become an arts connoisseur. She iced the cake with a lot of free events, book readings, movies and panel discussions where you were a heartbeat away from celebrity and also on the exciting journey of discovering unknowns who were on their way to becoming celebrities. I recall a screening of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ – it had not yet become the huge, huge worldwide success and few knew about it. Still there was a buzz and the hall was so packed that people stood and sat on the floor, captivated by what they were watching.

In fact, many movies which were screened at the NYIFF by festival director Aseem Chhabra and Aroon Shivdasani went on to win national awards and acclaim. For the audience, the thrill is in discovering new worlds in the darkened theater, and seeing their favorites often get awards on the final night. And afterwards a chance to party with the stars!

The democratization process was taken even further with the Festival of Indian Dance, where in collaboration with the Battery Dance Company there’s the Downtown Festival of Dance where a free festival of Indian dance brings rocking Kathak, Bharat Natyam and Oddisi dancers – not to mention vibrant Bhangra – to the somber streets of the downtown financial area. All as free as the sunshine and air! The literary festivals have also showcased major writers like Salman Rushdie and Shashi Tharoor but also given a wonderful podium to new and emerging writers who benefit from sharing the same space and audience.

One of the strongest feature has been Shivdasani’s own open nature where she has given the same interest to big names and to the smallest, unknowns with big aspirations. Many careers have started at the IAAC and many volunteers have gone on to jobs in the arts world. One of the strongest assets of IAAC has been her army of talented and loyal volunteers, nurtured over the years. The arts run on passion and with Shivdasani and her team of eager, creative young people, there has always been a buzzing happening vibe to all the events.

 

A And so in this, her 20^th year of IAAC’s endless parade of dance, music, art and cinema, Shivdasani announced her retirement with one final last hurrah – the 2018 NYIFF with some stunning films and the 20^th year celebratory gala aboard a yacht where celebs like Salman Rushdie, Mira Nair, Aasif Mandvi and Madhur Jaffrey gathered to add their accolades to those of the New York community which had turned up in full force

“I have loved every minute of this high energy, fabulously fun, fascinating, madly interesting, intellectually/emotionally/psychologically satisfying 20 years with the Indo-American Arts Council,” says Shivdasani.  Her New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) was the impetus for several new South Asian Film Festivals from Dallas to Chicago. Now with so many younger people joining in, the arts of the Diaspora are on a roll, thanks to the passionate efforts and nurturing of one woman. In recognition of all that Shivdasani had done for the arts, IAAC and she were honored this year by both the UN and the NYC Mayor.

For all those who thought that IAAC would be closing down with the hard-riding New York Czarina hanging up her spurs – there is some wonderful news.  “A group led by Dr. Nirmal Mattoo will take the reins of the IAAC effective July 1, 2018,” says Aroon Shivdasani. ” They will retain my vision as well as the IAAC mission to showcase, promote and build an awareness of the performing, visual and literary arts of the Indian Subcontinent – giving the artists platforms to tell their stories and display their talent.”

Aroon Shivdasani has the arts in her DNA so she won’t ever be too far from the action but she does want to devote time now to travel and her growing family. For all those who were despondent  that the IAAC and the  NYIFF were going to end, and the lights would dim on the Last Picture Show, the happy news is that it’s not ‘The End’ – there will be a Second Act and the Show will go on!

The IAAC Story