Olympics of the Art World

“Music fills the infinite between two souls.”

– Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore said it well; and this is true of not just music, but of all forms of art. The Olympics of art and culture; Delphic Games were introduced to the world as an initiative to bridge the gap between many souls across the cultural divide. As preparations for the much-awaited 5th Youth Delphic Games, which will be held from February 1 to 14, 2016 in Goa, are underway, we explore the idea behind the Games.

With a 2,500-year-old history, the Delphic Games is one of the four Panhellenic Games, and a twin sister of the Olympic Games. Held in Delphi in ancient Greece, the Games traditionally included a series of festivities of art, culture, theatre and music. This cultural fest was held to celebrate Apollo, the Greek God of artistic expression.

Forgotten for 1,500 years, the tradition was then revived by J Christian B Kirsch who formed the International Delphic Council (IDC) located in Berlin, Germany, in 1994. “I observed in the 1980s that education of art and culture in Europe was diminishing. Whenever I saw non-Europeans performing on stage, I wondered about a talent decline among Europeans. With the ambition to preserve my own culture, I decided to restore the Delphic Games,” says Christian Kirsch, initiator and founder of the world-wide Delphic Movement. The initial step in founding IDC was to create a competition among art disciplines. The Games, which are now referred to as ‘Delphic Games of the Modern Era’, are held every four years. It is said that while the Olympic Games lay focus on athletics and the physical body, the Delphic Games emphasise the artistic expression and the inner self. The games are held in two formats: Youth Delphic Games (age group 15-25 years) and Delphic Games (age group above 25 years).

“When we think of the world of entertainment, we find that Sports are much more popular than art – which is unfortunate. However, this can be changed,” opines Christian, who is also the Founder and Secretary General of IDC. He further adds, “From my study of Rabindranath Tagore’s works among others, I discovered that India has a strong spiritual base, which is of high value. I find this lacking in the Western society where money is valued more.”

After reviving the games, the Youth Delphic Games were held in Georgia, Philippines, South Africa and other nations, before making it to India. The 5th Youth Delphic Games will be conducted in Goa, in order to promote the Delphic Movement as well as underline the values existing in the society. India, being one of the oldest known living civilisations in the world with the youngest population, lays emphasis on culture, he says from observation. “We need to teach values besides being money,” he states.

So, why was Goa, chosen as the venue for 2016? “Because Goa is an amalgamation of cultures with its Portuguese, British and Indian connections,” he explains. This mother of festivals, the Delphic Games are a unification of the world in order to learn from and share with each other through a common language – art.

With six categories and 50 sub-categories to enroll in, there is something for every skill including musical forms, performing arts, language arts, ecological arts and even architecture, at the Delphic.

The Agora Friendship Village, a networking hub is expected to have a display of African, Asian and other cultures coming alive on the streets of Goa, come February. Famous Indian cultural icons like Alyque Padamsee, Dr Sonal Mansingh, Shiamak Davar and Pahlaj Nihalani are associated with the Youth Delphic Games. Incidentally, following the Youth Games would be the Delphic Games that will be conducted in the year 2017, at Jaipur.

Christian Kirsch imparts a message to Indians, “Curiosity is important for development, always stay curious. Don’t give up your dreams.”

Elita Enoch