As diplomats and those in the corridors of power do their jobs, how can ordinary citizens contribute to public diplomacy? While we cannot participate in ministerial talks and high-level summits, ordinary citizens and incredibly creative communities have the potential to contribute in enhancing relationships between India and other countries.
In October 2017, when 25 years of ASEAN-India friendship was being celebrated, we at SEHER first conceived of using this power of public diplomacy, visual art, and music to bring the region’s people closer to one another. One painter from each ASEAN Member State and ten painters from India got together in Udaipur—a historical heritage city in the state of Rajasthan. The artists’ camp produced great interactive works of art, giving rise to bonds of friendship and collaboration. The paintings were exhibited in all ASEAN Member State capitals, symbolising unity in diversity in the world of art.
Five years later, on the occasion of the 30th year of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations, SEHER sought a repeat of the successful 2017 initiative. We held the 2022 Artists’ Camp in Udaipur and organised the outreach Music Festival at the majestic Purana Qila.
Participating artists created beautiful interactive works yet again and interacted with various experts in their respective fields. The art residency exposed artists from ASEAN and India to each other’s diverse art forms and artistic traditions in the region. The programme has a tangible impact on public diplomacy, where authentic connections and fond memories are formed. It has paved the way for future collaborations between artists of ASEAN and India.
The paintings were exhibited at the ASEAN-India Summit in Cambodia in November 2022, after which exhibitions were also held in Jakarta at the Emiria Soenassa Gallery in Jakarta, Indonesia, and most notably at the ASEAN Secretariat at a special exhibition, where the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, and other important dignitaries witnessed the iconic paintings that resulted from this creative and interactive artist residency.
3rd Artists’ Camp
This year, as ASEAN and India celebrate its ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the 10th anniversary of India’s Act East Policy, SEHER has envisioned bringing the artistic community from all Member States under one roof in Meghalaya this time. In this third edition of the ASEAN-India Artists’ Camp, SEHER will take it to another level and has selected the picturesque city of Shillong in Meghalaya to emphasise the importance of Northeast India as the Gateway to the ASEAN region.
Ten artists from all the ASEAN Member States, one from the Observer-country Timor-Leste, and ten from India will come together on one platform, exchanging their varied art styles and forms and learning from different schools of thought—exposing all artists to new experiences. The theme, “Echoes of Ramayana: Artistic Journeys Across ASEAN and India,” allows participants from across countries to express their version of the shared mythology artistically.
The Ramayana has footprints in India, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Each country has a different interpretation of the Ramayana. For example, another South Asian country portrays Ravana as cheerful or intelligent, yet he is depicted as a negative character in India. The Ramayana was chosen as the theme of the art camp because it binds our regions together. Through this camp, the participants will share their artistic rendition of the theme without passing judgment on the interpretation.
The upcoming art camp will also highlight the use of indigenous art forms from various regions of India. We take pride in working on this with Tara B. Sanon, our expert on indigenous art.
What sets this year’s camp apart from any other event is that artists come from various backgrounds. Ideally, they work in private spaces, but here, it is an open space for all of them to learn from each other, leading to a genuine cultural exchange and forming collaborative partnerships for the future.
The exchange and influence go beyond brush strokes to life stories and lifetime memories. The result of this camp goes beyond canvases and borders and can be embedded in cultural history across countries in the coming time.
The location and setup are unique, too, with hilly terrain surrounded by lush valleys. The focus is not on judging the brush strokes but on the process of experiencing the camp and creating a lifetime’s worth of memories. In a rat race world where the highlight of every activity is the outcome, but for a change, this camp is beyond; it is to share ideas, meals, stories, laughs and moments. The process overrides the outcome.
In our previous camps, we observed a near-magic transformation toward shared harmony and happiness. If this is possible in a small group of multicultural people, each country can work toward peace, harmony, and brotherhood in the future. It is time we explore our shared cultural practices and mythologies.
2024 Music Festival
The ASEAN-India Music Festival is another such initiative that aims to bring the ASEAN-India friendship forward among creative communities and the youth of this region. Music transcends borders and boundaries and brings both the artists and the general public through its reach on one single platform of unity.
The 3rd edition of the festival was held from 29 November to 1 December 2024. The venue is a carefully selected heritage site in India, the Old Fort, located in the capital city of New Delhi. It is expected to attract thousands of people every evening since the Festival will be free and open to all. Most music outreach festivals across the globe are paid festivals where audiences have to shell out large sums to attend the concert. In contrast, the ASEAN–India Festival is accessible to students, senior citizens, people with disabilities, and all music lovers to enjoy.
Attention to detail is given at every aspect of production to experience the festival and to celebrate what is common between ASEAN and India.
The festival was also live web-casted and seen by people across the globe through the current technology. The festival is covered by prominent TV channels in India, which are screened across India and ASEAN. Social media and digital media across ASEAN and India also extensively covered the festival.
