The Bhavan's WHAT'S ON | Jan - April 2023

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WHAT’S ON Jan - Apr 2023 Performances | Exhibitions | Workshops

Sat 25 March, Sanjeev Abhyankar

The Bhavan 4a Castletown Road West Kensington London W14 9HE 020 7381 3086/ 4608 www.bhavan.net

MURTY FOUNDATION

WHATS ON JAN - APR 2023 Image: Simon Richardson

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PANEL DISCUSSION MULTICULTURALISM IN THE UK: THE HINDU PERSPECTIVE Sat 21 Jan | 6 pm | Entry free, registration required Speakers: Dr Sachin Nandha & Andrew Harrop The demographic diversity of the United Kingdom has grown significantly over the last 70 years, with immigrant communities from across the world, especially from the former Commonwealth, finding their homes here and becoming a vital part of British society.

Recent events in Leicester and Birmingham have, however, revealed that community cohesion issues are still alive in the UK today. What does ‘multiculturalism’ mean? How do communities with different values and worldviews interact to create a cohesive yet plural British society? In particular, how has the UK’s Hindu community built relationships with the rest of British society, and how do our ideas of multiculturalism stand up today in the light of the Hindu values of liberty, equality and pluralism?

Come and join us to discuss this crucial issue in Vichaar Manthan’s first in-person panel discussion of 2023.

THE BHAVAN’S FOUNDER’S DAY 2023 Sat 28 and Sun 29 Jan 2023 3 pm | £12 (£10 if booked online. Discount code BHAVAN50) The Bhavan is proud to host its annual celebration of students’ talents in a weekend extravaganza of performances. All the dance, music and language departments will showcase their art. Join us in this visual and artistic treat as we applaud, appreciate, and encourage our students and teachers for their dedication towards their art.

A DOUBLE BILL OF CLASSICAL DANCE AND SPECIAL LECTURE OF DANCE SCULPTURES AND TEMPLES OF INDIA Lecture ­ 6 pm. Dance performance ­ 7 pm LECTURE ON INDIAN TEMPLES AND DANCING SCULPTURES. Fri 3 Feb | 6 pm | £5 for lecture only | Hathi Hall Dr. K Sivakumar presents a special lecture on the temples of India known for their sculptures of dance which include Brihadeeshwara and Chidambaram. The art of Bharatanatyam began in the temples and continued in the kingly courts before finally moving to the present-day auditorium performances. This lecture is designed to give an insight into the dance performance following. It will throw light on the history of the sculptures, the movement/poses depicted in them, and the sculptures of music and instruments, concluding with a brief insight into the Natyashastra.

Fresh from her critically acclaimed work “To Varnam with love” that toured nationally,Divya brings a classical version to the Bhavan after more than a decade. A means to invoke and cherish the generosity of her esteemed Gurus, Divya presents this special Dance Offering as an ode to Tradition, Lineage, Ancestry and Guru-Parampara. Supported by a team of musicians - Sri Mavin Khoo (Nattuvangam) Sri Vamshikrishna Vishnudas (Vocal), Sri M. Balachander (Mridangam) and Sri Vijay Venkat (Flute). (Ticket price includes lecture.)

TRIBUTE TO LATA MANGESHKAR BY POOJA ANGRA AND KARAN RANA Sat 4 Feb | 6 pm | £22/£17/£14 (£20/£15/£12 if booked online. Discount code BHAVAN50).

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DIVYA KASTURI PRESENTS ‘VARNAM’ - THE MYRIAD SHADES A classical Bharatanatyam dance concert with live musicians.

Fri 3 Feb | 7 pm | £22/£17/£12 (£20/£15/£10 if booked online. Discount code BHAVAN50)

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Brother Sister duo Pooja and Karan return to the Bhavan to pay tribute to the Nightingale of India Swar Kokila Lata Mangeshkar. They will be performing timeless melodies spanning various genres from Lata Mangeshkar's repertoire.

INDIA’S REPUBLIC DAY CELEBRATIONS Chief Guest His Excellency Sri Vikram Doraiswami.

Thur 9 Feb | 6.30 pm snacks, 7 pm programme of speeches and patriotic songs and dances. All welcome.

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The Bhavan Youth Festival of Indian Classical Music and Dance Sat 11 Feb, Sun 12 Feb and Sun 19 Feb 2023 4.30 pm | £12 (£10 per day if booked online. Discount code BHAVAN50) Book all 3 days at £25 (young person’s discount ­ £8. All three days at £20)

The Bhavan announces the first edition of a spectacular festival celebrating young talent nurturing their art forms at The Bhavan. Join us to watch the future torch bearers of Indian Classical Arts in the UK.

DAY 1 Sat 11 Feb ­ NORTH INDIAN MUSIC Featuring senior disciples of Hindustani vocal, Sitar, and Tabla HINDUSTANI VOCAL ­ Chiraag Agarwal, Gaurav Uniyal, Shayonima Ghosh, Pramodini V Nayak. Trained by resident Guru Smt. Chandrima Misra SITAR ­ Sujaya Matthews, Sani Chawla, Naveen Kaiser, Caroline Macedo Guandalin.

Trained by resident Guru Sri Sanjay Guha TABLA ­ Dhanraj Persaud, Deeptarka Mukherjee, Soumyaraj Das, Madhavi Natarajan,A Ameya Narkhede, Amey Neerukonda, Manav Gadepalli, Aadit Jhureley, Siddhant Rana, Sriram Ganti, Akshay Sivaloganathan, Neil Puthur. Trained by resident Guru Pt. Rajkumar Misra

Day 2 Sun 12 Feb ­ SOUTH INDIAN MUSIC

DAY 3 Sun 19 Feb ­ DANCE

Featuring senior disciples of Karnatic vocal, Veena and Karnatic violin

Featuring senior disciples of Odissi, Kathak, Bharatanatyam

KARNATIC VOCAL ­ Srividhya Srinivasan, Balahari Balatkumar, Malathi Anton, Niharika Dasaka, Lakshmi Nair, and Sreeya Daruri Trained by resident Guru Sri Sampath Kumarachary Daruri Accompanists ­ Mridangam by Aniyanth Kannan

ODISSI ­ Richi Mohanty, Ashvini Ojha (Keshavan), Katrina Rute. Trained by resident Guru Katrina Rute.

VEENA ­ Shangary Rajendran, Pairaviy Rajendran, Shaaruka Vasudevan, Roshani Kulendran.Accompanists ­ Mridangam by Thayaparan Thanapalan

BHARATANATYAM ­ Lakshaajeni Thevapalan, Thivahene Thevapalan, Roshani Kulendran.

Trained by resident Guru Sri Prakash Yadagudde

KATHAK ­ Kiran Krishna, Anagha Mainkair, Amun Bhachu, Abhinav Mishra. Trained by resident teachers Amun Bhachu and Abhinav Mishra.

KARNATIC VIOLIN - Rachanna Chittari , Rohit Bharadwaj chivukula, Sharanya Ghanti, Aditi, Shri Prabhu, Rohith Vikram Prabhu, Agastya Iyer. Trained by resident Guru Sri Balu Raguraman Accompanists ­ Mridangam by Ramanath Iyer Vaidyanathan

Image: Simon Richardson Image does not represent the actual performers

SHIVARATRI

Sat 18 Feb | 5.30 pm | Entry free, booking required The Bhavan welcomes you to our annual Shivaratri puja celebrations. Join us for Vedic Puja, chanting, and music and dance performances by The Bhavan students. Prasad will be served in the form of dinner.

Event sponsored by Smt. Pratibha Sharma and family.

SANSKRUTI CENTRE FOR CULTURAL EXCELLENCE PRESENTS - SIVOHAM Fri, 24 Feb | Other details TBC The event highlights Sapta Tandava- the seven cosmic dances of Lord Shiva from Ananda Tandava to Samhara Tandava in a multidisciplinary format. The contexts and the stories related to each Tandava will be presented, enriching the cultural experience of the audience.

WORKSHOP SERIES WITH GLOBAL MUSIC WORKSHOP I : TOOLS FOR EDUCATION Voice, Body Percussion, Saxophone, Bass, Guitar, Drums Sat, 25 Feb | 10.30 - 11.30 AM | £15 (Both workshops - £25) Modal String Techniques with Martin Lillich ­ Bass and Alexey Wagner - Guitar.

Image-Max Hartung

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This workshop will look at finger technique and hand positions based on dividing the modes into their constituent tetrachords with exercises to develop control, fluency and flexibility when playing in a specific mode and in the pluck hand. Open to all string players.

Applying Modal Harmony to Carnatic Modes ­ In this interactive workshop members of the band will demonstrate how they approached the different modes used in the Carnatic Comfort Zone repertoire and what solutions they found to develop the compositions using both modal and functional harmony. Participants will also be able to experiment themselves, - Vocalists and Instrumentalists are welcome. The workshop is suitable for all ages interested and curious about learning.

WORKSHOP II : TOOLS FOR EDUCATION Rhythmic Independence with Professor Dietrich Woehrlin Sat, 25 Feb | 12.30 - 1.30 PM | £15 (Both workshops - £25) Rhythm can easily be experienced, internalised and re-created using the body. Body percussion is a practical way to learn and maintain rhythmic security. It allows the exploration of different rhythms without the need for instruments or written music. The body is the instrument. In body percussion we stamp with our feet, drum on the body, recite rhythmic (Sol-kattu) syllables, snap our fingers and sing. Body Percussion can be used for basic and advanced rhythmic training, but it also helps you to experience and understand polyrhythms. It is fun to do in a group or alone.

Image-Max Hartung

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THE CARNATIC COMFORT ZONE: Music Concert Sun, 26 Feb | 6 pm | £17/£12 (£15/£10 if booked online. Discount code BHAVAN50) Artists: Manickam Yogeswaran - Voice Kanchira, William Ramsay ­ Saxophone, Alexay Wagner ­ Guitar, Dietrich Wöhrlin ­ Drums, Martin Lillich ­ Bass, Balu Raguraman ­ Violin, M Balachandar ­ Mridangam, Lawrence Ball ­ Piano, Michael Tusch Light design The Berlin based German-Sri Lankan group, Carnatic Comfort Zone is led by the charismatic Sri Lankan singer and composer Manickam Yogeswaran.

SITAR CONCERT BY PUNITA GUPTA AND STUDENTS Sat, 25 Feb | 6.00 pm (Refreshments 5 pm) £22/£17/£12 (£20/£15/£10 if booked online.

Discount code BHAVAN50) Smt. Punita Gupta and her students present a special Sitar concert celebrating 50 years of her career as a Sitar player. A senior disciple of Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar, Smt. Punita Gupta is a renowned name in the field of Sitar. Tabla accompaniment- Udit Pankhania and Hevylen Seenan, Mridangam- M Balachandar

The Comfort Zone explores South Asian music traditions through Yogeswaran’s music, which combines poetry of Rabindranath Tagore and compositions based on the ancient Thirrukural, Thiruppugal and his own texts using some of the more unusual modes of the Melakartha Ragas with modal harmony, improvisation and funky bass lines.

The Carnatic Comfort Zone explores the fault lines between ancient and modern traditions playing haunting arrangements in a kaleidoscope, which reflects the diverse backgrounds of the musicians in the band.

Image-Peter Engelke

SPRING 2023 SHORT COURSES A THEATRE INTENSIVE SERIES -The Art of Expression Sat 21 Jan and Sun 22 Jan | 11 am ­ 1 pm, 2 pm ­ 4 pm | £15 per day/£25 for both days Join this two-day theatre intensive which focuses on emoting through the body, face, and text in theatre. Participants will explore the 9 universal emotions (as in the Classical Indian text ‘Natyashastra’) through individual and group exercises. Both the days will end with a short monologue performed by all.

Open to all over 18 years with an interest in theatre. Workshop lead by Anvi Prabhu.

This is the first in a series. Future intensives will delve more deeply into aspects of theatre, including Indian aesthetics and western methodologies. Please follow our website for further announcements.

Image: Simon Richardson

KARNATIC VIOLIN­ Music Appreciation and An Introduction to Karnatic Violin Mon 13 Feb ­ Fri 17 Feb | 5 pm ­ 6 pm | online only £75 This short course introduces the art of Karnatic violin. Students will learn basic ragas, playing techniques and an insight into music appreciation. Taught by resident Guru Balu Raguraman.

TABLA SHORT COURSE Mon 20 Feb ­ Wed 1 March (excluding Sat and Sun) 6 pm - 7.30 pm | £100 | In-person/zoom Join this Tabla short course to get a taster for our Tabla classes and an introduction to the north Indian percussion instrument.

Beginners also welcome. Taught by resident Guru Pt. Rajkumar Misra.

SITAR SHORT COURSE Cluster group raga and improvisation Mon 6 March ­ Wed 22 March (12 days for 3 weeks; every Mon, Tue, Wed) 6.30 pm - 8.00pm| £100 | In-person/zoom This specialist workshop explores the cluster Raga groups and introduces students to the art of improvisation. Open to all with a minimum 2 years of training in Sitar. Taught by resident Guru Sri Sanjay Guha.

HINDUSTANI VOCAL SHORT COURSE Pentatonic Ragas Mon 13 March ­ Fri 17 March | 6 pm ­ 8 pm | £110 Resident Hindustani Vocal Guru Smt. Chandrima Misra presents a short course focusing on pentatonic ragas. Pentatonic ragas are ragas (melodies) that contain only 5 notes. Students will get a deep insight into the structure of these ragas, their use as well as a few popular compositions in them.

NATTUVANGAM Mon 6 March ­ Mon 3 April | Every Monday, 6.30 pm ­ 8 pm | £75 | Online only Nattuvangam is an important part of a South Indian Classical dance recital. It is spoken rhythm and a main musical punctuation and guidance for the dancer. This course is open to dancers, singers, as well as anyone interested in learning this delightful art. Learn the basics of tala structure, rhythm accent, rhythm syllables, variations, creativity in composing, and the aspects of Laya. Advanced students can get an insight into the formula to composing in the 5 principal rhythms patterns. Taught by resident Guru Sri M Balachandar

SPOKEN HINDI SHORT COURSE 5 days a week for 2 weeks from Feb 7 ­ Feb 19 (Tue, Thur, Fri 5pm - 6pm; Sat and Sun 11am-12noon) £100 | Online only A short course on everyday spoken Hindi for beginners. Learn the basics of the language and get a strong foundation on conversational Hindi for easy everyday use such as names of fruits, vegetables, animals, birds, insects, comman use words in short simple sentences, as well as short stories and poems. The course is taught by Bhavan’s Hindi tutor Smt. Indu Barot

Yakshagana is a traditional dance theatre form form South Karnataka which features elaborate costumes, make up and masks to depict Indian mythological stories. Watch a stunning display by fourth generation Yakshagana artist Kermane Sridhar Hegde and his team.

SASVATAM PRESENTS ­ PRAVAHAM 2023 Sat 11 March | 4 pm | £15/£10 Sasvatam presents ‘Pravaham 2023’. Renowned artists will be performing alongwith other budding artists, dance teachers and students. It is an opportunity to share the stage with the renowned artists Guru Dr. Jayanthy Yogharajah, Guru Dr. Sri Ganesan (Malaysia). Salangai Narthanalaya Academy of fine Arts presenting Radhe Shyam dance drama. Register your interest via email at sasvatam2019@gmail.com closing date 18 January 2023.

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YAKSHAGANA PERFORMANCE BY KEREMANE SRIDHAR HEGDE AND TEAM (Sat 4 March, details tbc)

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Sitar by Kushal Das Tabla by Pt. Rajkumar Misra Sat 18 March 6 pm | £27, £22, £17 (£25, £20, £15 with Online code BHAVAN50) Kushal Das, an internationally acclaimed ‘Sitar and Surbahar’ player, was born in a highly enriched musical family of Kolkata.

His father Shri Sailen Das is a disciple of Late Pt. Lakhsman Bhattacharya. Kushal started his training under the guidance of his uncle and father. Later he received rigorous training under Pt. Sanjoy Banerjee, Late Pt. Ajoy Sinha Roy, vocal lessons from Late Pt. Manas Chakraborty and Late Pt. Ramkrishna Basu.

Event Sponsor Kamini and Vindi Banga Family Trust

Sat 18 & Sun 19 March, Sat 25 & Sun 26 March

Featuring vocalists and instrumentalists of South Indian Classical and North Indian Classical traditions over two weekends.

THE BHAVAN'S INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC FESTIVAL

SANGEET UTSAV

SANGEET UTSAV Violin duet by The Mysore Brothers Accompanied by double Mridangam Sri M Balachandar & Bangalore Prakash Sun 19 March | 6 pm £27, £22, £17 (£25, £20, £15 with Online discount code BHAVAN50) Amazingly gifted Violin Maestros Dr. Mysore Manjunath & Mysore Nagaraj, the sons and disciples of renowned violinist Prof.

Mahadevappa, were child prodigies who matured quickly to emerge as one of the Top Ranking Violinists in India today.

They designed a unique style of violin playing which is a perfect blend of emotive appeal, technical mastery and intellectual sophistication with a strict adherence to classicism.

Hindustani Vocal by Sanjeev Abhyankar Tabla by Pt. Rajkumar Misra, Harmonium by Abhishek G Shinkar Sat 25 March | 6 pm £27, £22, £17 (£25, £20, £15 Online discount code BHAVAN50) Pandit Sanjeev Abhyankar, the Maestro from the Mewati Gharana, is an artist of International acclaim in the field of Hindustani Classical and Devotional Music. He is an Iconic singer of his generation, he has been an inspiration for the last few generations. verses for an audio book project by the Govt of Maharashtra.

Event sponsor Dr. Radha Bhat and Family

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SANGEET UTSAV Karnatic Vocal by P Unnikrishnan Violin by Sri Balu Raguraman Mridangam by Sri M Balachandar and Ghatam by R R Prathap Sun 26 March | 6 pm £27, £22, £17 (£25, £20, £15 Online discount code BHAVAN50) A vesatile genius Unnikrishnan has been performing in varied realms of music ranging from Carnatic Music, Film Playback, Fusion to Light Music.

An accomplished Carnatic Musician active for the past 30 years, he has performed over 2000 concerts globally. He has performed a variety of thematic and fusion concerts with senior and contemporary musicians like the Eli Yamin Jazz Quartet, Mandolin U Srinivas,Pandit Vishwamohan Bhat, Chitraveena Ravi Kiran.

BENGALI NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS Sat 15 April | 6 pm | £10 including refreshments The Bengali New year celebrations are being held at The Bhavan with music and dance performances by renowned artists from London and India. More details to be announced on website in due course.

SA DHA ARTS PRESENTS ­ A CLASSICAL EVENING EXTRAVAGANZA­SAROD AND KATHAK - accompanied by Tabla and Harmonium Sun 23 April, 6 pm | £22 (£20 if booked online. Discount code BHAVAN50) Sa Dha Arts presents a classical evening extravaganza. Featuring a Sarod recital by Abhishek Borkar, accompanied on the Tabla by Pt. Rajkumar Misra. The musical part of the evening will be followed by a Kathak recital by Saberi Misra. She will be accompanied by Pt. Rajkumar Misra on Tabla and Siddhiie Kapshikarr on Harmonium. l Legacie ltura s Cu

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DVITVAM - An artistic presentation in Bharatanatyam by Season Unnikrishnan and Ritu Raj Sun 30 April | 5.30 pm | £20/£15/£10 Dvitvam is a visual exploration of space and time in dance expressing perspectives or interpretations of two dancers. Beyond the physicality of movement, it reinforces the deep philosophy of duality merging to create a space of oneness: the dancer merging with the dance, human with the divine, Prakriti with Purush, ultimately arriving at a point wherein remains no distinction between the two.

Dancers - Shri Season Unnikrishnan and Kumari Ritu Raj, Nattuvangam - Guru Smt. Meena Rajagopalan. Vocal - Shri Vamshikrishna Vishnudas, Mridangam - Shri Prathap Ramachandra, Violin - Shri Balu Raguraman, Flute - Shri Pitchaiappah Gnanavarathan

Sun 19 March - Violin duet by The Mysore Brothers

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The Bhavan

4a Castletown Road | West Kensington | London W14 9HE 020 7381 3086/ 4608 www.bhavan.net Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Ltd| Registered Charity No. 312879 | Company Registration No. 1090630

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