Jaisalmer, December 2019: This January the culturally rich city of Jaisalmer will experience a perfect blend of curated learning and rich experiences with the first edition of Reth 2020. The four nights - three days creative residential workshop from 29th January to 2nd February 2020, aims to create an atmosphere for participants to dive deep into creative learning in a vibrant festival atmosphere, with hands on workshops during the day and magical live music evenings in the company of like-minded individuals.

Reth 2020 is a perfect blend of curated learning and rich experiences designed for beginners, students, amateurs and professional. The festival will present eight creative residential workshops by professionals which will draw from traditions as well as new contemporary ideas like

·  Sand Animation by Aditya Vipparthi will teach to create a short sand-animation film that celebrates the rich cultural and architectural heritage of Jaisalmer.

·  Sustainable Printmaking using blocks and natural dyes by Vikram Joshi will help to learn about the Bagru and Sanganeri block printing along with the history, traditions, and community aspect of block printing. 

· Mughal Miniature Painting by Ajay Sharma and Meenakshi Sengupta will dive deep into the history of Mughal miniatures. It will encourage you to create your own version of a miniature using natural pigments.

· A Portrait of Rajasthan by California based performing artists and painter - Karl Knapp will teach you the basics required to create your own style.

· A Touch of Folk: Folk instruments, using technology, and making music by Jeremy Nattagh, Tritha Sinha and Sawai Khan Manganiyar will help you to learn how to use various instruments like hand pan, morchang, and khartal with an understanding of Rajasthani Folk.  

· Smart Filming: how to use your smart phone to compose and create fiction and documentary by Karthik Ganesh (made the first ever feature film to be shot on a phone called Side A side B)

·  The Secrets of Independent Film Making by Q (Qaushiq Mukherjee known for eclectic, politically charged cinema, art and music)

· Rich Mix: Arts and Culture of Rajasthan all connected by the inspiration of the state’s golden architecture, its people and the vast desert 

Laila Vaziralli and Dipankar Jojo Chaki, Co-curators Reth says, "It is our belief as curators that the most powerful and meaningful learning experiences are created with transactional and experiential learning approaches. Cultural learning styles are greatly influenced by how a culture socializes with its young people. As a result, the transmission of culture in the form of attitudes, values, beliefs, art and skills, can be expressed as an evolving system constantly being influenced and altered over time."

They further added, "Reth is our humble attempt to curate, preserve and embody cultural learning through a truly unique experience in the beautiful royal setting of Jaislamer in the Thar desert."

After the day full of learnings, the evenings are to celebrate. Unwind, interact, chat with facilitators, and experience the two heritage havelis walking distance from the golden fort, with carved archways and sunlit courtyards havelis in all their glory at night. Enjoy the evening in the company of folk music by Champe Khan and Troupe, the women folk music group or interesting short film screenings while enjoying the local cuisine.

Curators of Reth:

Laila Vaziralli: Entrepreneur, Curator and Artist. She has over 10 years of experience organising art and music festivals, and creative workshops across India. She founded Kitsch Mandi, a flea market art festival that successfully ran for 6 years in Bangalore and Mumbai until she started The Village Studio Goa, A cultural venue that hosted theatre, live music, poetry, and fine art events. Laila has also curated artists for festivals like Dharavi Bienalle by welLcome trust, The Coalition by OML, Under 25, as well as designed decor and stages for many festival across the country. Her work focuses on the emerging art scene, creating platforms for creative entrepreneurs, young artists, and upcoming musicians. 

Dipankar Jojo Chaki: Producer, creator and curator, and has been working in the media and entertainment industry for over 20 years. As music producer he has worked extensively with musicians across the planet and has his own recording label since 2018, which records and distributes contemporary ethno music globally. His music initiatives include ‘Floating Point’, a pop up ethno music event, which has travelled across India, France and the United States and ‘Music Stories of Bengal’, a narrative musical from the southern villages of Bengal. As a film producer he’s credited with feature films, which have been screened at Berlin Film Festival, BFI London and Busan Film Festival winning awards. His personal achievements include winning the National Film Award, Filmfare Award and Zee Cine Award for his work in Cinemas. Reth is his dream project to curate the experience of converging art, music, films and a community in the city of Jaisalmer.