Dearmembersandfriends, BelatedHappyNewYear2024!
Ifeelhappytobecommunicatingwithyouaftera longgap.AtTheBhavan,activitieshavecomeback toournormallevel–thankstothesupportfrom artistes,members,students,teachers,andfriends likeyou.
InthisissueyouwillseereportsonourDiwaliGala, Founder’sDayandRepublicDaycelebrations.We weresoveryhonouredbythepresenceofourChief GuestH.E.VikramDoraiswami,HighCommissioner ofIndiaandGuestofHonourAnoushkaShankar, whostoletheshow,atourDiwaliGala.
Therearemanyinterestingandimportanteventsat TheBhavaninthecomingweeksandmonths. Pleasehavealookatourwebsite www.bhavan.net
Letnoblethoughts cometous fromeveryside - Rgveda1-89-
IwouldliketoconcludewithaquotefromValmiki Ramayana:
“Wehavecomeclosertoeachotherlikelogsofwood comingclosetoeachotherintheocean.Theyare togetheruntilanotherwaveseparatesthem.Soletus dosomethingmeaningfulinthisworldwhenweare together”.
Chairman
MrSubhanuSaxena
Joint Chairman
MrShantoo Ruparell MBE
Editor
DrMN Nandakumara
Photographs byBhupendraJethwaforFoundersDay (bjethwa9@gmail.com)and RajTakhar
CoverPhoto: PoornakumbhSwagat toH.E.Vikram DoraiswamibyDrNandakumaraandSubhanuSaxena
M.N. NANDAKUMARA EditorSANGEETUTSAV-Sat9March
CarnaticvocalbySriNeyveliSanthanagopalan
AccompaniedbySriMBalachandar,SriBaluRaguraman andSriBangaloreRNPrakash
SANGEETUTSAV-Sun10March
ViolinbyAKanyakumari
SupportedbySriBaluRaguraman,MBalachandarand SriRRPratap
SANGEETUTSAV-Sat16March
HindustaniVocalbySajanMisraandSwaranshMishra withPt.RajkumarMisra
(SANGEETUTSAV SupportedbyChellaramFoundation)
Sun24March
SOLOKUCHIPUDIPERFORMANCE-AVIJITDAS
Sat27&Sun28April
WORLDDANCEDAY2024
TheBhavanorganisedacelebrationofIndia’s RepublicDayonThursday,February8,2024.Wewere honouredtohaveHisExcellencySriVikram Doraiswami,HighCommissionerofIndiaasourChief Guest.TheeventbeganwithatraditionalVedicprayer byExecutiveDirectorDr.MNNandakumaraMBE, afterwhichTheChairmanSriSubhanuSaxenagave thewelcomeaddress.Thiswasfollowedbyan addressbyAndrewSlaughter,theLabourMPfor Hammersmith.Hespokeabouttheimportantwork thatTheBhavanwasdoinginpromotingIndian culturewhileinunitingpeoplethroughcultureinthe Borough.
Themainaddressoftheeveningwasdeliveredbythe ChiefGuestHESriVikramDoraiswami.Hesaidthatin today’sageofmaterialism,thepowerofartand learningopensourperceptions,andwegaindeeper andbroaderinsights.Thebeautyofartisthatone neednotbeanIndiantocometoTheBhavanand enjoytheartsbeingtaughtandpracticedhere. TherearemoreIndianstudents,businesses,and expatsintheUKthaneverbefore.Thesecommunities
arekeentostayconnectedtotheIndianculture, whichgivesusagreatopportunitytopropagateour artsculture.
TheVoteofThankswasgivenbyDr.SurekhaMehta (Vice-Chair).ShethankedtheHighCommissioner’s constantsupportforTheBhavan.Shethrewlight onhowIndiaismakingremarkablestridesinthe fieldofArtificialIntelligence,focusingoninclusion andempowermentthroughtheinitiativeof‘AIfor everyone’.CompaniesinIndiaarerapidly integratingAIacrossvariousfieldsincluding healthcare,banking,e-commerce,education, agriculture,andspaceprograms.Theyare revolutionisinghealthcarewithsolutionsforearly detectionofillnesses,quotingseveralother examplesforallfieldsthatareheraldingmajor achievements.
Thespeecheswerefollowedbycultural performancesbyTheBhavan’smusicanddance students.TheeventconcludedwithourNational Anthem.
On25November2023,weheldourannualDiwaliGala attheLondonMarriotthotel,GrosvenorSquare.We werehonouredtohaveHEMr.VikramDoraiswami, theHighCommissionerofIndia,London,asourChief Guest,andAnoushkaShankarasourGuestofHonour. MrRaghuNandakumaraandMiraManekcompered theevent.
DrNandakumaraofferedaprayerafterwhichThe Bhavan’sChairmanMr.SubhanuSaxenagavethe welcomeaddressandspokeabouttheresponsibility ofcarryingforwardthelegacy,whilethankingthe serviceofourstaff,teachers,andthededicationofour students.
AnoushkaShankaraddressedtheaudienceandspoke fondlyabouthermemoriesatTheBhavan.She rememberedherfirstvisittowatch‘Theadventuresof Mowgli’asachild,andrecountedotherinstancesof hertimespentatTheBhavanalongwithherfather BharatRatnaPt.RaviShankar.SheexpressedthatThe Bhavanremainsthego-toplaceforIndianArts,and thatanyonewhowantstoexplore,learnand experienceshouldcometoTheBhavan.
H.EMr.VikramDoraiswamispokewithinsighton Indiancultureandhowwedonothavethe philosophicalconceptof‘separation’,andhowour conceptofart,God,andGurustillholdvaluefor thecurrentgenerationandbeyond.Ourartshave survivedthousandsofyearsandarestilllearnt, taught,andperformedwidelyacrosstheglobe.He appreciatedTheBhavan’scontinualeffortsin makingsureofthesame.ViceChairof
TheBhavan,Dr.SurekhaMehtagavetheVoteof Thanks.
Theculturalsegmentshowcasedlive performancesbystudentsofHindustanivocal, Tabla,Mridangam,Kathak,Bharatanatyamand Odissidance,endingwithashortfilm.
WeareverygratefultoLordandLadyDholakia, LordPaul,LordandLadyPopat,LordandLady Ranger,Mr.andMrs.DeepakChoudhary,Mr.Kapil DevfromtheHighCommission,friendsfromthe MediaandPress,andmanyotherdistinguished people.Theeventwaswarmlyreceivedbyallthe guests,andweareproudandenthusiasticto continueourworkintheClassicalArts.
TheBhavanhelditsannualFounder’sDaycelebrations overtheweekendof27and28January2024.
Founder’sDayatTheBhavanwasaveryspecial experienceforperformersandaudiencealike.Itwas upliftingtoseethequalityandconfidenceofthe studentsonstagepresentingtheirvariedartformsfrom Bengalimusic,SitarandTablatableau,Flute whisperings,Mridangaminterplays,Violinmelodies; therhythms,andintricaciesofOdissi,Kuchipudi, Kathak,andBharatanatyam;andthebeautyof languagesandpoetryinSanskrit,Hindi,andBengali.
Atthisevent,68studentsreceivedtheirDiploma(Grade 5)andPostDiploma(Grade8)certificates;showingtheir progressfrombeginnerstothisaccomplishedlevel taughtbythecommittedandlongstandingteachersof TheBhavan.
Itisatrulyremarkableachievementforthepast50 years,thateveryyearthereisthisturnoverofnewly educatedBritishyouth.Theytrulybringthecultureof ancientIndiaaliveintheoldChurchbuildingwhichwas visitedbyGandhijiduringhislegalstudiesinLondonin thelate1880’s.Thesestudentsactasthebridge betweenTheUKandIndiaforthenextgeneration.They openthedoortothewealthofinsightthattheIndian performingartsbringthroughitsbeautystorytelling andvaluesofrespectandeducation.TheBhavanalumni bringtheirconfidenceandartistrytotheUKwithpride andfortitude.
OurChiefGuestforthefirstdaywasMrDeepak Choudhary,Minister(Coordination),HighCommission ofIndia,London.
OntheseconddayMsAparnaNathanKC,Barristerand SeniorTaxLawyer,andmemberofTheBhavan’s EducationCommitteegracedusasourChiefGuest. WewerealsohonouredtohavethepresenceofMithila SharmafromArtsCouncilEnglandwithus.
Theeventhasbeenagreatbeginningfortheyearand hassetthetoneforwhat’stocome.Wethankour students,parents,andouraudienceforsupportingusas always.
Yatratookplaceon24and25February,2024,followingan opencall,toatotalof18groups-allyoungartistsand practitionersofIndianClassicaldanceandmusicgenres. Thename‘YATRA’wasalsocarefullychosentomarkthe journeyoftheyoungartistsandourjourneywiththem.
ParvatiNairandAnviPrabhutookchargeoforganising andprogrammingtheeventrightfromthecallouttothe curation.WesawInstrumental,KarnaticandHindustani stylesandfusionwithWesterninstrumentsinterspersed withstunningdanceformsofKathak,Bharatanatyam, Odissiandfolk-classicalfusion.Itwasheart-warmingto seesomanyyoungsterswithsuchcreativityandtalentas wellasthehardworkanddedicationtobringtheirart formsinabreath-takingdisplayonstage.Therewas varietyanduniquenessinconcept,choreography, costumes,andtheuseofstage.
Theteamswhoperformedwere-SitarTeam,TheBhavan, SangeetPrabhatEnsemble,YagnaEnsemble,SaiMayur Bharatanatyamdanceschool,OdissiTeam,TheBhavan, Srishti-NinaRajaraniDanceCreations,NatyanjaliDance School–Cambridge,KathakTeam,TheBhavan,Team Niyati,andKirtiKalaMandirUK,GeetanjaliAcademyof FineArts,TeamSangamam,TheBhavan,TeamAnubhava, TeamPratidhi,DancingNikitaCompany,NitalDance, DivyaKasturiCompany-YoungTalentsandNaadCommunityGroupofPagravDancecompany.
WehadthepleasureofthepresenceofMrDhruvGadhvi fromZeeTVsupportingtheevent.WealsohadMrVinod ThakrarandSmt.RubyBunker,membersofTheBhavan’s Executivecommitteeattheevent.Theteamisgratefulto TheBhavan’sExecutiveDirectorMatturNandakumara MBEforhissupporttowardssuchnewventures,aswellas theentireBhavanstafffortheirconstantsupport.The techniciansMr.Shankarandhisfantasticteamdidagreat jobofhandlingthelightandsoundseamlesslyoverboth thedays.ThecaterersNileshandhisteam,andthe Goenkasistersprovidedmouth-wateringsnacksfor everyonebeforeandaftertheevent.
ParvatiNairsaid–‘Thefirststepofthisjourney(Yatra)has begun.Wedidnotwanttodefinethedestinationpointfor thisaswewantedtokeepitopenended,andtoseehowit cangrowinthecomingyears.Forthischapterthe destinationwasthatofcomingtogether,andofjoyanda celebrationoftheyouth’stalent.’
Anviprabhusaid–‘Itwassofulfillingtoseeourvision broughttofruition.Thenewperspectivesandcreativity wereinspiringtoseeandweonlyhopetomakethisYatra biggerandbetterinthecomingyears.’
