A scion of the Salgaocar family, Isheta Salgaocar’s claim to fame nevertheless goes beyond this inheritance. Blessed with the same verve and passion for life and the arts as her parents, Dattaraj and Dipti Salgaocar, Isheta has carved a niche for herself. An achievement she credits in large measure to her parents. “My home was one which had a strong focus on learning about the Arts. My father was an art collector, but also a lover of music, literature and photography. He even encouraged me to paint when I was younger and my mother tirelessly supervised piano practices – I played for about eight years,” recalls this Deepvihar High School alumna. Confessing to enjoying art over literature for the sheer fact that “there is no greater beauty than a perfectly constructed and deliberate sentence”, Isheta also enjoys the visual arts and of-late photo-art.
Leaving
the shores of Goa was nevertheless an educative experience in itself, one that
served her well. “Sometimes, I believe one has to leave to realise what exactly
they left behind. Distance allows perspective in a way little else does.”
Travelling overseas, Isheta obtained a degree in English and political science
from Stanford and later a Masters in Journalism from Columbia University’s
School of Journalism. Her career graph is equally luminous – a management
consultant with Bain & Co, Associate producer on the Charlie Rose show in
New York and the famed Jeff Koons, among others.
“Being
in different situations allows you to gain perspective, and also teaches you
about people. All my experiences taught me a range of lessons, and also to
understand where my skill set lies. Learning to handle situations comes from
actually being in them and like my father says, if you never try, you will
never know,” reveals Isheta.
It is
this learning that she now applies to her role as executive producer of
Sensorium and for the future of Sunaparanta. “I am largely focussed on
Sensorium for now along with a few smaller projects. I have quite a bit to
learn from my father before I can entirely take over the reins,” maintains
Isheta. Of the firm belief that Goa is a canvas just waiting to be realised,
her vision for Sunaparanta is to make it a place where people tell stories
through their art – whatever their medium may be. “There is a great community
of artists in Goa, who are either Goan or have a close association with Goa or
some who have no association, yet call it home.”
Sensorium,
which she attributes to the genius thought of her father and the festival’s
honorary director, Siddharth Shanghvi, is aimed as a medium that would allow
for the mutual exchange of art, ideas and literature. “We have a fantastic show
on right now, ranging from Dayanita Singh’s work to Anusha Yadav’s. Sensorium
is best described in the words of Siddharth as a festival that is ‘small, but
serious’,” she avers.
To this
young lady who prepares to take over the reins of one of Goa’s most vibrant
hubs of the arts, art will always be an amalgamation of imagination and a
passionate telling of a story!