"It is important that people in this country participate in art…attend functions around art…but there is a strange apathy… Look at the number of people visiting museums in London and New York and look at them in this part of the world,” stated eminent physician Dr Farokh Udwadia. He was delivering a talk titled "Art and Mankind” at the second Jamshed Bhabha Memorial Lecture at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) on August 21, 2021. The day marked the 107th birth anniversary of Bhabha, the moving spirit behind the founding of the NCPA. The talk was streamed on the Facebook page of NCPA too and garnered over 9,500 views in less than two days.
Dr Farokh Udwadia (l) and Khushroo Suntook
The physician emphasized that school curriculums must emphasize the value of art to students. Art should not be a side show, he noted. It is not only about teaching art but its practice. Only when the child goes out into the world will s/he learn to propagate and practice art, said Udwadia. What does art do for mankind? the physician queried rhetorically. It makes one loving, more forgiving, more empathetic, more caring, he answered.
Art is an essential part of the character of a nation, stated NCPA chairman Khushroo Suntook in his opening remarks. "Art defines who we are and how we are perceived.” He stated that the admiration Bhabha and Udwadia had for each other’s work made them "kindred spirits.”
In her welcome address, Pallavi Sharma, chief executive for public relations, marketing and events stated that Bhabha strongly believed the quality of art available to man in his hours of leisure helps to sharpen his faculties and to mold him. NCPA council member Shirin Bharucha’s vote of thanks recalled Bhabha’s vision in "leaving a lasting legacy” for future generations.