

KOCHI: JT PAC, an art centre, at The Choice School, Tripunithura designed on international standards, will be dedicated to artists and art lovers on Wednesday. The Choice group, in association with cine actor Mohanlal and director T K Rajiv Kumar, has designed this art centre to preserve and popularise Indian art and also to introduce international art forms.
The inaugural session will be blessed with the presence of celebrities including Kalamandalam Gopi, P K Narayanan Nambiar, Janardhanan Nedungadi, Mattannoor Sankaran Kutty, Kalamandalam Leelamma, Kavalam Narayana Panicker and Pookkam Panicker representing the seven different art forms kathakali, percussion(mizhavu), sopana sangeetham, chenda, mohiniyattom, theatre and folk arts respectively.
This will be followed by an exclusive cultural programme, The Rhythm, conceived and directed by Soorya Krishnamoorthy.
“Through this unique venture the Choice group plans to enter the cultural scenario of Kerala and also to contribute to world theatre,” said Jose Thomas, chairman and managing director of Choice Group, in a press meet here on Tuesday. This will be a common platform for various languishing Indian art forms and world classics, he said. The idea was born from a vision of an art ecosystem that encompasses the need to preserve, nurture, celebrate and showcase the countless performing arts that we are blessed with, he added.
“We have plans to do various projects,” said Mohanlal, chairman of JT PAC. “The scripting of our first project, The Tempest, is complete and we expect it to be staged within a year. And JT PAC is not just a performing centre. We have plans to spread our wings to other aspects of art, like opening a research centre, honouring renowned artists, extending a helping hand to performing artists in need,” Mohanlal said. “My theatrical dreams with the thespian Kavalam Narayana Panicker will also be moulded in this art Village,” he said.
There will be tie ups with worldwide art centres to present amazing cultural evenings for Kochiites. Every month an artist will be honoured by JT PAC and special theatre workshops and artists’ get togethers will be organised exclusively for students to enable them to interact with the great maestros.
The first programme at JT PAC will be a musical evening with violin maestro L Subrahmanyam and singer Kavitha Krishnamoorthy on March 7.
A membership pattern is designed for JT PAC and the criteria for membership will be announced officially on February 28. JT PAC is also planning a 75 piece symphony orchestra, JT PAC Symphony, in which instrumentalists from all over the world will perform.
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