The Bhavan Newsletter - March 2020

NEWSLETTER March 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 Republic Day Celebrations Read the full story on page 3...

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,

On Sunday the 16th of February, we were honoured by the visit of our Deputy High Commissioner Sri. Charanjeet Singh as our Chief Guest on the occasion of India’s Republic Day celebrations.

Happy Holi. We are so very pleased that our Founders’ day events on 25th and 26th of January went really well and as always supported by students, friends and families. Both the days saw a packed and cheering audience, much to the delight of the performing students.

This year happens to be the centenary year of Bharatratna Pandit Ravishankar, and we are joining hundreds of others all over the world in honouring the memory of Panditji by organising concerts as part of the centenary celebrations.

We were happy to welcome the Director of the Nehru Centre Mr. Amish Tripathi and Regional Manager Air India Mr. Suhas Jadhav as our Chief Guests for the Founders’ Day Celebrations.

I would like to conclude with a quote form Gandhiji - ‘Just and rightful objective, capacity to bear immense limitless pain, determination to never indulge in violence nor harbour any hatred or ill feelings is the recipe for success’.

Please find a short report and photographs elsewhere in this issue.

M.N. NANDAKUMARA Editor

CONTENTS Editorial 2 Featured Story 3 Report 4 Image Gallery 5- 9 Forthcoming Events 10

CELEBRATE INDIA’S CULTURE INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY Sun 21 June | 11.30am - 3.30pm | All Welcome Demonstration by Kumari Khushi (yoga expert from India) and free yoga sessions.

(Details on www.bhavan.net)

Chairman

Mr Joginder Sanger

Joint Chairman

WORLD DANCE DAY Sun 26 April (details coming soon) Performances | Seminar | Dance film screenings

Mr Shantoo Ruparell MBE

Editor Dr M N Nandakumara

Newsletter Editorial Group

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

Photographs by Sharad Raval unless otherwise stated.

Cover Photo: Bharatanatyam on Republic Day celebrations

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FEATURED STORY The Bhavan’s Republic Day Celebrations

Deputy High Commissioner speaking. Sitting L-R Mr Virendra Sharma MP, Mayor Cllr Daryl Brown, Dr. Surekha Mehta and Lord Suri

Deputy High Commissioner of India, Mr Charanjeet Singh, visited The Bhavan as Chief Guest at the Bhavan’s Republic Day celebrations on 16th February.

praise of his own for the achievements of the Indian diaspora in the UK and across the world that had done much to spread the shared values of tolerance, equality and understanding.

The Executive Director of The Bhavan, Dr Nandakumara, opened the evening with a Vedic prayer and The Bhavan’s Trustee and Chair of the evening, Dr Surekha Mehta, welcomed attendees and special guests Lord Suri, Mr Virendra Sharma MP and Mayor Daryl Brown.

Mrs Daryl Brown said she was delighted to have The Bhavan in her constituency and highlighted the need for such multi-cutlural institutions in the UK.

In his Republic Day message, Mr Charanjeet Singh spoke of the great strides that India had made in decades since forming the republic. He praised the work of the Bhavan which shared the ethos of inclusivity enshrined within the Indian constitution and which have been at the foundation of India’s social and India’s economic development over the last 70 years. Mr Singh also noted the improvement of services offered by the High Commission to Indian nationals in the UK.

Mr Sharma spoke of India’s progress as a democracy since forming the republic in 1950. He complimented The Bhavan on its decades of work in London and highlighted the bridge formed between the two countries of India and Gt. Britain by UK Indians.

The speeches were followed by a short cultural programme of songs in Tamil, Bengali and Hindi and dance by students of Bharatanatyam and Kathak. The event closed with the Indian National Anthem and a vote of thanks by Dr Nandakumara.

Lord Suri, previous trustee and longstanding supporter of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan added

- Patrick Holden 3

REPORTS Founders’ Day Celebrations The Bhavan celebrated its annual Founder’s Day event on 25th and 26th of January 2020.

It was an extravagant weekend event where each department showcases their respective art styles. This year, students from the 23 courses performed in Mountbatten Hall and showcased their training and talent.

Chief Guest Shri Amish Tripathi presenting certificates

The audience was treated to performances by the new Bhavan orchestra, music and dance ensembles and recitations in 3 languages.

Students also received their diploma and post diploma certificates . They are witness to the traditions being carried forward by young artists being nurtured at The Bhavan.

On Saturday the 25th, we were honoured with the presence of Shri Amish Tripathi, renowned author and Director of the Nehru Centre, London as our chief guest. Dr. John Marr proposed the vote of thanks.

Chief Guest Mr. Suhas Jadhav presenting certificates

On Sunday the 26th, our chief guest was Mr. Suhas Jadhav, regional manager, UK/Ireland and Europe, Air India. The Bhavan director Dr. Mattur Nandakumara proposed the vote of thanks after the day's splendid display of music and dance.

-Anvi Bharatanatyam

Diploma and Post Diploma awardees with Mr. Suhas Jadhav

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IMAGE GALLERY Republic Day Celebrations

L-R: Dr Surekha Mehta, Mr Charanjeet Singh, Lord Suri, Mr Vinod Thakrar, Mr Raju Patel, Mr Manubhai Ramji and Mr Kaushik Nathwani

Kathak

National Anthem

Hindi patriotic song

Mayor Cllr Daryl Brown with The Bhavan’s students

Bengali patriotic song

Tamil patriotic song

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IMAGE GALLERY Founders’ Day 1 and 2

Odissi

Diploma and Post Diploma awardees withSri Amish Tripathy

Sitar

Karnatic Vocal

Violin

Mridangam

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Sitar

Tabla

Hindi recitation

Hindustani vocal

Mrs Wendy Marr, Dr John Marr, Sri Amish Tripathy, Mr Balram Puri, Nandaji

Bharatanatyam

Kathak

Sanskrit recitation

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Hindustani vocal

Tabla

Mridangam

Kathak

Odissi

Sivasakthi Sivanesan addressing the audience

Flute

Karnatic Vocal

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Bharatanatyam

Hindustani vocal

The Bhavan Orchestra

Sitar

Tabla

Bengali recitation

Bengali vocal

Bengali vocal

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS

MAY NĀRITVA Sat 2 | 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm | £5, £8, £10 RUKMINI VIJAYKUMAR IN TALATTU Sun 10 | 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm | £25 / £20 / £15

MARCH

THE NEO FINE ARTS MEETS ISTANBUL ART 17-22 May, 11 am-7:00 pm | All Welcome Presented by Mirer Art Gallery

GAYAKI – THE SINGING SITAR: A TRIBUTE TO USTAD VILAYAT KHAN Fri 13 | 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm | £20, £15, £10

BODY, MIND AND SOUL 26 May - 1 June 2020 | Free- All Welcome Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture from India

NARRATIVES OF 0s AND 1s Sat 21 | 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm | £10 (Online) / £12 (At venue)

JUNE

‘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.

HINDUSTANI VOCAL CONCERT BY SANJEEV ABHYANKAR Sat 6 | 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm | £20 / £15 / £10 HINDUSTANI FLUTE BY RAKESH CHAURASIA Sun 7 | 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm | £20 / £15 / £10

ANJALI ODISSI FESTIVAL Sun 22 | 4.30 pm -6 pm | 7:00 pm -8.30 pm | £12

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

THE VALUE OF VALUES Core Values of The Bhagavad Gita by Brahmacharini Shripriya Chaitany Wed 25 - 7:00 pm | Thu 26 - 8:30 pm

By Chinmaya Mission UK

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

SUMMER SCHOOL 2020 18 July- 9 August

THE BHAVAN PRESENTS – SITAR CONCERT BY KUSHAL DAS Sat 28 | 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm | £20, £15, £10

The Bhavan’s much loved Summer School intensive offers the most inspiring teachers in Indian classical dance and music in a three week intensive training. All the details regarding registration; workshop dates, timetables, fees; and the showcase concerts will be up soon! Save your dates for this fantastic training opportunity!

CARNATIC VIOLIN - VEENA DUET BY SRI. BALU RAGURAMAN AND SMT. SUBATHRA RAGURAMAN Sun 29 | 5:00 pm | £15 / £12.50 Presented by The Bhavan.

APRIL

Karnatic vocal - Smt. Sudha Ragunathan Hindustani Vocal - Smt. Suranjana Bose Tabla - Sri. Subrata Gupta Violin - Sri. Lalgudi G.J.R Krishnan Sitar - Sri. Gaurav Mazumdar Mridangam - Sri. M. Balachander Kathak - Smt. Shikha Khare Bharatanatyam - Smt. Priya Jayaraman Assisted by The Bhavan’s resident teachers

SANJOG – ‘AN EVENING OF SUBLIME MUSIC’ Fri 3 | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm | £12, £10 ART HISTORY LECTURE SERIES (3 modules) Thursdays from April 16 | 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm | £50 per Module - check website for details.

BENGALI NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS Sat 18 | 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm | £10 (including snacks) 10

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