New Delhi, March 12 : Prominent personalities from different walks of life, including director-producer Ramesh Sippy, director-writer Imtiaz Ali, historian and writer William Dalrymple, TEDx speaker Rajen Makhijani and cricketer Virender Sehwag participated in the inaugural edition of the HT Imagine Fest over the weekend here.
The event at Nehru Park featured art galleries from several parts of the country, showcasing diverse artwork from leading to upcoming artists.
To keep the audience entertained, the festival witnessed theatre and music performances by Pragnya Wakhlu, OSA Drum Circle, Swarrveda and Kutle Khan, Gurgaon Theatre Group, The Laura-Joe Santana Quartet, Cueless Improv Comedy and Indian Ocean.
William Dalrymple engaged the audience with fascinating facts about the history of the much talked about Kohinoor diamond. "Amongst the countries claiming ownership of the Kohinoor, India holds the strongest claim," he maintained. Noting that countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh also claim the famous diamond, he said: "When the diamond was taken to Britain, in the quest of Europeanising, it lost half of its weight," he added.
Imtiaz Ali spoke on how his passion for Indian cinema from the very beginning helped him reach where he is today. While interacting with the audience, he said: "Sometimes at a moment like this, where I am sitting and looking at people and being spoken to as a film director, I am hit by a feeling of disbelief, and then I have to pretend to be the filmmaker that people expect me to be."
Virendra Sehwag emphasised on the importance of education. "I believe that education is the most important part of life in order to earn a living," he said. The Jamia Millia Islamia alumni also talked about the struggles he faced in his life and how those obstacles were a standing rock for him to grow.
The festival showcased art works from top art galleries, artists and institutes like Art and Aesthetic, Art Motif, Art Project and Artoholics, among others.
