The Bhavan London - Newsletter January 2020

NEWSLETTER January 2020 Step inside and discover the beauty of India’s art and culture

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

The Bhavan’s Diwali Gala Read the full story on page 3...

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Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Ltd Registered Charity no. 312879 Company Reg. Number 1090630

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EDITORIAL

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side - Rgveda 1-89-i

From our Executive Director...

Dear members and friends,

H.E Mrs. Ruchi Ghanashyam as our Chief Guest and Rt. Hon Rishi Sunak MP as our joint Chief Guest.

Happy new year to each and every one of you. 2019 has given birth to 2020. May the new year bring us the fragrance of our classical Arts and culture through the classes and performances of our students and the artists who visit us to teach and perform.

In addition, we were so very lucky to have had the presence of Anoushka Shankar and her mother (also our patron) Sukanya Shankar. Details found elsewhere in this issue.

Last year was a year filled with a variety of programmes, projects, workshops, Lecture – demonstrations, exhibitions. This year we look forward to your support more than ever before as we celebrate the 100th year of Bharat Ratna Pt. Ravi Shankar through various activities and events throughout the year. Our Diwali Gala event of 2019 went exceedingly well with our High Commissioner

Our major event for this term is the dance ballet on Draupadi – ‘Krishnaa – Fire to Frost’ by a group of 20 dancers from Abhinava Dance Company from India at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank Centre.

Do book your seats in advance as we are expecting a sold-out show. Looking forward to seeing you at The Bhavan in the near future.

I would like to conclude with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi - “Necessity is not only the mother of invention, it is the mother also of Art. We should therefore, beware of that art which has not necessity as its basis.”

CONTENTS Editorial 2 Featured Story 3 Review 4 Reports 5 Image Gallery 6- 11 Forthcoming Events 12-14

M.N. NANDAKUMARA Editor

THE BHAVAN CELEBRATES INDIA’S REPUBLIC DAY Sun 16 , 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm, Free Entry

Chairman

In the presence of the Chief Guest of Honour

Mr Joginder Sanger

MR CHARANJEET SINGH

Joint Chairman

Deputy High Commissioner of India, London

Mr Shantoo Ruparell MBE

Editor

NEW MEMBERS

Dr M N Nandakumara

Newsletter Editorial Group

5 YEAR MEMBERS Mr. Rajesh Kumar Chechani

Padma Shri Dr. John Marr - Chairman Mrs. Wendy Marr Contributions from Bhavan staff, and others.

Photographs by Raj Tahkar unless otherwise stated.

Cover Photo: (from L to R) : Mr Joginder Sanger, Anoushka Shankar,

Sukanya Shankar and H.E. Mrs Ruchi Ghanashyam

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FEATURED STORY The Bhavan’s Diwali Gala

Rt Hon. Rishi Sunak MP, H.E Ruchi Ghanashyam, Mrs Akshata Murthy, Mr. Joginder Sanger

On November 23 2019, we held our annual Diwali Gala to a very warm and receptive audience of patrons, supporters and artists. The event took place at the InterContinental London Park Lane hotel in London’s Mayfair.

the public to support The Bhavan and its work. Vice Chairman of The Bhavan Dr. Surekha Mehta, who was also the overall in charge of the entire event gave the Vote of Thanks. Mr. Subhanu Saxena, a trustee of The Bhavan, was the Master of Ceremonies who brought a lively atmosphere with his introductions.

We were honoured to have Her Excellency Mrs. Ruchi Ghanashyam, the High Commissioner of India London as our Chief Guest. Rt. Hon. Rishi Sunak MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, graced us as our Joint Chief Guest. Chairman of The Bhavan Mr. Joginder Sanger in his speech mentioned about the history of The Bhavan. The audience was thrilled to learn about little known facts of The Bhavan’s journey from its beginning days its struggles and achievements to reach where it stands today.

Before dinner was served, The Bhavan students put on a wonderful show of Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Odissi. The Bhavan’s new orchestra gave their first presentation. The event saw the presence of Lord Paul, Lord Dholakia, Lord Loomba, Lord Rami Ranger, Amish Tripathi, Director of The Nehru Centre, GP Hinduja among many others.

We also had the honour of having Anoushka Shankar, daughter of late Bharat Ratna Pt. Ravi Shankar at our event. Her mother, Sukanya Shankar who is a patron of The Bhavan was also present.

The Chief Guest Mrs Ruchi Ghanashyam’s speech was very well received. She highlighted some of the major achievements and progress that India was making and mentioned about the contributions of The Bhavan not just to the Indian diaspora but to the UK community at large.

Mr. GP Hinduja spoke a few words and appealed to 3

The dinner by Ragamama caterers, cultural performances and the entire event was well received and appreciated by our supporters, enabling us to spread our message of the beauty of Indian Classical dance and music further.

- Anvi

REVIEW Dr Shastry Memorial Talk

Dr Shatavadhani Ganesh at the Dr Shastry Memorial lecture series

For this year’s Dr. Shastry memorial talks, we were honoured to have Shatavadhani Dr. R Ganesh with us.

The talk was chaired by one of The Bhavan’s trustees Mr. Subhanu Saxena, who also proposed the vote of thanks.

In the first day’s lecture, ‘Natyashastra Unravelled’, Dr. R Ganesh spoke about the essence of the Natyashastra and how it is made up of the four Vedas. He also spoke of the continuing relevance of the Natyashastra and how its teachings have evolved through the centuries. This text is the Bible for all Indian classical dance and drama genres, as well as for the folk styles that we see across India. The Vedas, apart from being the basis of Natyashastra, are also the bedrock of the Hindu Philosophy. Dr. John Marr proposed the vote of thanks after the talk.

The final lecture was the ‘Art of the Avadhanam’. Dr. Ganesh is credited for having revived the art form in Kannada. An ancient literary performance art form, the poet/performer is surrounded by eight scholars and experts who test him with questions and challenges.

The talk was followed by a demonstration. His student, Girish, challenged him to compose poetic verses on spot and threw challenges in between by limiting the use of specific words and letters.

The audience were also invited to suggest words to him on which he composed poetic verses. The event concluded with a vote of thanks by Bhavan’s Executive Director Dr. M. N. Nandakumara.

The second lecture was ‘The Beauty of Sanskrit Poetry – a Cultural Study’. Touching upon the works of Valmiki, Bhasa, and Kalidasa, Dr. Ganesh shone a light on the uniqueness of Sanskrit language, touching upon the problems of translation. Sanskrit lends itself to a whole variety of options in the use and choice of words by having multiple words for a single object/action.

We are thankful to Dr. Ganesh for his wonderful series and grateful to Smt. Sudha Murthy, chairman of Infosys Foundation, for her support in making the event possible.

-Anvi 4

REPORTS The Bhavan’s Christmas choir The Bhavan’s Christmas choir performed at the annual Christmas Concert on December 15, directed by James Marr. The 34 singers of all ages presented a programme of five carols from genres as varied as 15th Century English folk arrangements to a Dominican Republic carol sung in Spanish and a late 20th Century arrangement of John Rutter’s Star Carol. As ever, the singers were cheerfully accompanied by pianist Anna-Maria Raffa.

The Vicar of St John’s Church in Fulham, Rev. Chris Rankine, shared an inspiring message reflecting on the deeper themes of Christmas. The programme concluded with dances by students from Bhavan’s 2nd year Bharatantyam class giving their first public performance and by students from the Bhavan’s Odissi class.

Students choir with James Marr and Anna Maria Raffa

Dr John Marr, Vice Chair of the Bhavan and father of the choir Director James Marr, gave a final vote of thanks.

- Patrick Holden

Visit by Pujya Swami Swaroopananda

Christmas message by Rev. Chris Rankine, Vicar of St. John’s Church, Fulham

On September 24, we were delighted to welcome Pujya Swami Swaroopananda, Global Head of Chinmaya Mission to The Bhavan. Swamiji gave his blessings to the newly opened Chinmaya Vani bookshop, as we celebrated a new partnership of Chinmaya Mission with The Bhavan.

The bookshop is run entirely by volunteers and stocks a vast range of publications with books and audios on self-knowledge, meditation, spirituality and mindful living - all based on authentic Indian philosophy. There is also a wide range of children’s books and home decor items. Opening hours are 10.30am - 8.30pm on Saturdays & Sundays only.

Pujya Swami Swaroopananda with Dr. Nandakumara, Chinmaya Mission and Bhavan staff members.

For queries, please contact info@chinmayauk.org 5

IMAGE GALLERY The Bhavan’s Diwali Gala

H.E Ruchi Ghanashyam adressinng at The Bhavan’s Diwali Gala

Kathak

Manubhai Ramji, Cllr Daryl Brown, Mr Benito Brown, Lord Suri and Mr Amish Tripathi

Mr and Mrs Manmeet Singh Narang, Anoushka Shankar

H.E Ruchi Ghanashyam & Mrs Sunita Sanger

Mr. Rajni and Dr. Surekha Mehta and friends

Mr. Subhanu Saxena talking to H.E Ruchi Ghanashyam

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Lord Rami Ranger, Lord Loomba, H.E Ruchi Ghanashyam, Mr G P Hinduja, Lord Dholakia

Mr Joginder Sanger with Lord Paul

Lord Dholakia, H.E Ruchi Ghanashyam and Mr. Joginder Sanger

The RT. Hon Rishi Sunak MP, Mrs Akshata Murthy and Lord Dholakia

Mrs Sunita Sanger and Mrs Sunita Hinduja

Lord and Lady Loomba with H.E Ruchi Ghanashyam

Loyal toasts by H.E Ruchi Ghanashyam and Sri Joginder Sanger

Lord Suri and Mr Varinder Singh

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H.E Ruchi Ghanashyam & Sri Ghanashyam, Sri Amish Tripathi with Bhavan Chairman Sri Joginder Sanger, Dr. Surekha Mehta, Mrs Sunita Sanger and Dr. Nandakumara

H.E Ruchi Ghanashyam with Mr. Raju Patel & Mrs. Asma Suterwala

Smt Parvati Nair and Mr Joginder Sanger welcoming H.E Ruchi Ghanashyam

Dr. Surekha Mehta, Anoushka Shankar, Sukanya Shankar, Lord Paul

Mrs and Mr Vinod Thakarar with H.E Ruchi Ghanashyam and Dr. Surekha Mehta

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Mrs Sukanya Shankar, Anoushka Shankar, Mr Amish Tripathi and Rt. Hon Rishi Sunak MP

Mr and Mrs Maru with friends

H.E Ruchi Ghanashyam & Dr. Surekha Mehta

Bharatanatyam

Mr J Sanger with Mr. Anil Maken, Mr S Jadhav, Regional Manager, Air India

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Anoushka Shankar, Mr. Subhanu Saxena, Mrs Manju Saxena, Aradhana Saxena and Sukanya Shankar

Sanjana and Mihir with Anoushka Shankar and Sukanya Shankar

Lord and Lady Paul with Anushka Shankar and Mrs. Sukanya Shankar

Odissi

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The Bhavan staff - B V Narayan, Dr. Nandakumara, Shanti Venkatesh, Darshana Vora, Patrick Holden, Parvati Nair, Anvi and Bihari Khamar

Patrick Holden speaking about the Giving programme

The Giving programme

The Bhavan’s student orchestra

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SAVE THE DATE Forthcoming Events

FEBRUARY 29 ekatA - Bharatanatyam Concert by Nina Rajarani MBE Sat Feb 29 | 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm | £15

MARCH 22 The Bhavan presents ‘KRISHNAA – Fire to Frost’ at South Bank Centre Sun March 22 | 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm | £22 (Concessions available) please book in advance

Award-winning choreographer and dancer Nina Rajarani MBE will present a solo Bharatanatyam recital of dance pieces she has choreographed to the music compositions of her husband Y Yadavan who will accompany on vocals. The performance will also feature a curtain raiser to be performed by emerging young dancers who have taken part in a masterclass with Nina, as well as a dynamic finale by Nina’s youth group.

Meet tragic heroine Draupadi, also known as ‘Krishnaa’, from the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, in a fantastical dance production. Said to be born of fire, Draupadi led a life full of incident and drama. The production depicts key moments in her story from the perspective of the divinity Krishna.

This performance is part of a tour funded by Arts Council England and supported in kind by Harrow Arts Centre, the Bhavan and New Dimensions.

Abhinava Dance Company are one of India’s most popular and cutting-edge production houses, performing for over 25 years to more than seven million people across five continents.

The company was founded by couple Nirupama and Rajendra, who are involved as dancers, choreographers, artistic directors and producers, and showcases a variety of Indian dance forms.

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MARCH 28 The Bhavan presents Sitar concert by Pt Kushal Das Sat March 28 | 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm £20 / £15 / £10 The Bhavan invites you to a muchawaited Sitar concert by Pandit Kushal Das.Accompanying artist – Pt. Rajkumar Misra on Tabla.

Pt Kushal Das, an internationally acclaimed ‘Sitar and Surbahar’ player, was born in a highly enriched musical family of Kolkata. Kushal started his training from the age of five under the guidance of his uncle and father.

Later he received rigorous training in advanced sitar techniques and the art of creating music, under the affectionate guidance of Pt. Sanjoy Banerjee. He is a “top-grade” musician of All India Radio and Television.

Kushal has participated in most of the major concert festivals in India and abroad and has several CDs released from across the Globe.

MARCH 29 The Bhavan presents Carnatic Violin - Veena duet Sri. Balu Raguraman and Smt. Subathra Raguraman Sun March 29 | 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm | £15 / 12.50 The Bhavan proudly presents an evening of scintillating Karnatic violin - veena duet by popular gurus Smt Subathra Raguraman and Sri Balu Raguraman.

Accompanying Artistes: Sri Mannargudi Easwaran Mridangam , Sri R N Prakash – Ghatam

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS LIST

MARCH (contd.)

CARNATIC VIOLIN - VEENA DUET BY SRI. BALU RAGURAMAN AND SMT. SUBATHRA RAGURAMAN Sun 29 | 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm | £15 / 312.50.

Presented by The Bhavan.

JANUARY THE BHAVAN’S FOUNDER’S DAY – DAY 1 Sat 25 | 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm | £10 online (£12 at venue)

APRIL SANJOG – ‘AN EVENING OF SUBLIME MUSIC’ Fri 3 | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm | £12, £10

THE BHAVAN’S FOUNDER’S DAY – DAY 2 Sun 26 | 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm | £10 online (£12 at venue)

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FEBRUARY

NĀRITVA Sat 2 | 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm | £5, £8, £10

THE BHAVAN’S REPUBLIC DAY CELEBRATIONS Sun 16 | 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm | Free Entry

JUNE SWARA NRITYA SAMARPAN Sun 28 | 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm | £20

THE BHAVAN CELEBRATES SHIVARATRI Fri 21 | 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm | Free Entry

All tickets on www.bhavan.net. All information correct at the time of printing.

ekatA - BHARATANATYAM CONCERT BY NINA RAJARANI MBE Sat 29 | 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm | £15

CONDOLENCES

MARCH GAYAKI – THE SINGING SITAR: A TRIBUTE TO USTAD VILAYAT KHAN Fri 13 | 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm | £20, £15, £10 NARRATIVES OF 0s AND 1s Sat 21 | 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm | £10 (Online) / £12 (At venue) Lt. Gen. L M Rajgopal, AVSM (Retd.) who had a glorious career in the Indian Army, spanning thirty-eight years retired as DGEME and had received the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal for his distinguished service, passed away on 25 December 2019. He was our secretary Shanti Venkatesh’s father and was a genuine admirer of our Bhavan and its work. We send our deepest condolences and sympathies to Shanti and her family.

‘KRISHNAA – FIRE TO FROST’ Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank Centre Sun 22 | 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm | £22 (Concessions available) please book in advance. Presented by The Bhavan.

ANJALI ODISSI FESTIVAL Sun 22 | 4.30 pm -6 pm | 7:00 pm -8.30 pm | £12 THE BHAVAN PRESENTS – SITAR CONCERT BY KUSHAL DAS Sat 28 | 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm | £20, £15, £10

“He was a saint soldier and gentleman.”

- Lt Gen TSA Narayanan (Commandant, MCEME)

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