Exhibit champions a living portrait of Santali Culture

“People told me not to do this exhibition at this time, but I chose this week deliberately. I believe culture is more important than politics, and it must continue, no matter what the circumstances are,” says curator Ruby Palchoudhuri, as she turns Kolkata Centre for Creativity turns to a living cultural narrative with Santali Katha, an exposition on Santali art, culture and knowledge systems, on view through the coming week. From patachitra and textiles to music and movement, the show challenges static views of tribal life - “We are used to seeing tribes in a static way… ethnographically,” she notes, “but we forget they are active contributors to our cultural diversity.”

Mallika Sarabhai redefines improvisation on stage
The most arresting moment of the evening came without rehearsal, without structure , and entirely on instinct. Mallika Sarabhai walked on stage with no script, choosing instead to build her performance in real time. She invited someone from the audience to share a Santali story, an everyday, contemporary anecdote , and as the volunteer spoke, she began to respond through movement.What followed wasn’t a performance in the conventional sense, but something far more fluid. Words turned into gesture, pauses into rhythm, as she translated a spoken narrative into an embodied one , creating a new, spontaneous form of storytelling that merged Santali oral traditions with modern lived experience.

I love Kolkata. This is my favourite audience in the world, and bringing together the voices of indigenous people is very important today , especially when politically we are trying to wipe them out.

- Mallika Sarabhai

Craft without credit: Abhijit Banerjee calls it outFor Nobel laureate Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee, the exhibition sparked a larger discomfort. “It’s really exceptional… there is both a great deal of creativity and a distinct voice,” he said, before cutting to the core: “We don’t embrace or acknowledge enough.” Admitting, “I know nothing… I am not competent to speak about Santali culture,” he instead turned to the system around it - one that, he argued, undervalues its own makers. “Children of craftsmen don’t want to be craftsmen anymore,” he said, pointing to aspiration shifts. Social media, too, has changed the equation: “I need to wear a different costume every day… so I can’t buy an expensive Jamdani.” Yet, he left room for reversal. “AI will kill many middle-skilled jobs… and that might bring people back to crafts,” he noted, linking it to sustainability. His sharpest line lingered: “Craftspeople are given the responsibility for being creative without the credit for it… and that should be offensive.”

Where generations meet: An audience that completes the story
If the exhibition set the tone, the audience deepened it. A striking mix of ages and professions ,photographers, artists, educators ,came together, reflecting the very continuity the show speaks of. “I have only 87 years of experience in photography and I still continue clicking pictures. I feel if it’s too less , age is just a number,” said photographer Mala Mukherjee, drawing smiles across the room. “What brings us all here is the love for celebration of Santali tradition… to bring something like this together, it’s a Herculean task,” she added. Others pointed to its layered nature: “It spans over a week, with widespread discussions and so many layers.” said Sauraveswar Sen who is a social sector climate action career coach. Dancer, Alokananda Roy summed up the sentiment: “An amazing lady… a grand young lady of 97. I wouldn’t even imagine doing something like this at her age. I admire that spirit.”

Sari as story: Tradition, memory and reinvention
One of the strongest visual highlights came on the runway, where the Santal sari told its own story. Designer Lipsa Hembram’s showcase, Galang Gabaan, traced the journey of traditional Santali drapes from function to form. Garments like the panhand-kanchi, once worn for ease during daily labour, reflected a design rooted in movement, climate and community life to the modern drape today. With earthy tones, bold borders and minimal ornamentation, these textiles were never about occasion , they were about living. The draping styles, too, shifted across age, region and purpose, revealing a layered cultural language. But the show also pointed to change. “Nowadays, the panhand-kanchi drape is rarely seen,” it noted , a sign of modern lifestyles reshaping tradition. Yet, the reinterpretations on display suggested something else: not loss, but evolution. Traditional weaves met contemporary silhouettes, bringing Santali textiles into new spaces while holding on to their identity.

Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”