NEWSLETTER April 2019 Step inside and discover the beauty of India’s art and culture
Dalalji’s Book Release
The Bhavan 4a Castletown Road West Kensington London W14 9HE 020 7381 3086/4608 www.bhavan.net
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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...
a grand success with over eighteen performances from Indian dance schools around London as well as The Bhavan’s own students, playing to a full house.
Dear friends, Summer is on its way. Spring has spread its wings all around and at The Bhavan we had a string of activities from dance and music to storytelling and lectures. Our Pt Ravi Shankar Music Festival was the highlight of our recent events which included performances by brilliant artistes like Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia, Vidvan T V Sankaranarayanan mesmerising the audiences.
The coming weeks and months will bring you a variety of activities at The Bhavan such as Alla Rakha Centenary concerts, International Yoga Day and other programmes. July-August will see our annual Summer School with a garland of brilliant artistes from India, to be part of the 40th year celebration of The Bhavan in Hammersmith.
We also had three stunning shows of a dance production, ‘Tad Bharatham- That! is India’ by Abhinava Dance Company from India. See reports elsewhere in the issue.
We were all so very pleased that Mrs Sudha Narayana Murty, one of our principal sponsors, visited us and spent time at The Bhavan giving her valuable suggestions.
This year, our World Dance Day event was also
Our marketing department is strengthened by the addition of our young, energetic and artistic new officer, Ms Anvi. Anvi is a Bharathanatyam dancer/choreographer, visual artist, writer, actress/ filmmaker from Bangalore India; based in London on an exceptional Talent Endorsement by Arts Council England. She is the founder and Director of ‘Mid Light Productions’; an independent film company specifically set up to create dance and art films.
CONTENTS Editorial 2 Featured Story 3 Reviews 4 News 8 Image Gallery 9 Forthcoming Events 10
We look forward to welcoming you at The Bhavan in the coming weeks and months.
Mr Shantoo Ruparell MBE
I would like to conclude with a quote from Gandhiji“Why should I need an artist to explain a work of art to me? Why should it not speak out to me itself? I want art and literature that can speak to the millions.”
Editor
M.N. NANDAKUMARA
Chairman
Mr Joginder Sanger
Joint Chairman
Editor
Dr M N Nandakumara
Newsletter Editorial Group
Padma Shri Dr. John Marr - Chairman Mrs. Wendy Marr Contributions from Bhavan staff, teachers and students Photographs by Sharad Raval unless otherwise stated
Cover Photo: (from LtoR) : Mr Golder, Mr Sethia, Ms Dalal, Dr Marr, Mr Fernandes, Lord Bilimoria Photo credit: photo@sharadraval.com
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FEATURED STORY Maneck Dalal, An Indian in Britain - Book release function
L to R : Suzie Dalal, Dr John Marr, Mr Debashis Golder, Mr Fernandes
On Sunday 17 March 2019, a book of memoirs of Bhavan’s late chairman Maneck Dalal OBE was jointly released by Padma Shri Dr John Marr, Vice Chairman Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mr Debashis Golder, Regional Manager, UK and Europe, Air India and Dalalji’s daughter, Ms Suzie Dalal.
Mathoorji was well-nigh magical. In the unavoidable absence of our dear director Dr Nandakumara, proceedings were opened by his son, Mr Raghu Nandakumara who had known Dalalji from a very young age. Raghu shared many childhood memories of being presented to Dalalji by his father with the intention that some Dalalji’s finer qualities such as focus, academic discipline and not talking too much might hopefully rub off! Lord Bilimoria, Mr Indra Sethia Bhavan’s Hon. Treasurer and Mr Fernandez from Indian YMCA all shared very fond memories of working with Dalalji who had inspired and shaped them all as future community and business leaders. Dr Nandakumara’s message was read by his secretary Ms Shanti Venkatesh who also read a few passages from the book.
The book, entitled Maneck Dalal, An Indian in Britain, was collated and edited by Suzie Dalal. It contains a number of chapters under different headings from his earliest years and up to recent times. The enormous range of chapter titles testify to Dalalji’s wide familiarity with a number of important strands of public life both in India and in Britain. These include his upbringing both in India and in Britain, his marriage to the delightful Kay, the tumultuous first month of India’s Independence and his subsequent professional life, partly as a lawyer and administrator connected with the start-up of Air India in Europe. He went on to be intimately concerned with many bodies including the Royal Overseas League, United World College, the Indian YMCA and our Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
Concluding remarks were movingly given by Ms Suzie Dalal. We were delighted that her sister Ms Caroline Dalal was also present, and we were only sorry that their Mother, our dear Kay, could not also attend.
Dalalji was an enabler, someone who makes things happen as distinct from merely being talked about, and so many bodies in this country have reaped the benefit thereof not least our Bhavan where his collaboration with and inspiration to our dear
The book itself was released by Dr Marr, Mr Golder and Suzie Dalal and a final vote of thanks was given by Patrick Holden, Business Manager, The Bhavan. The event was followed by a reception in the art gallery. 3
REVIEWS Second Ravi Shankar Memorial Music Festival
L to R : Subhankar Banerjee, Julia, Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia, Marcelo, Jean Christophe, Parvati Nair
Image credit: Dinesh Mahathevan
The Bhavan’s second Pt. Ravi Shankar Memorial Music Festival 2019 was one of our most successful festivals over the years. Raviji has been the artiste whom The Bhavan has most respected and adored for his total support for our activities over the years. Apart from being the only artiste who gave all his services free, he brought so many new friends to our Bhavan including George Harrison and family. Now Sukanyaji and Anoushka have continued the tradition for which we are indeed genuinely grateful.
On 6 April, legendary Flautist, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia gave not one but two mesmerising concerts! One in the morning with morning and afternoon Ragas and the other in the evening with evening Ragas. He was ably accompanied on the Tabla by Subhankar Banerjee, a brilliant artiste from India. Hariji was supported by two of his senior disciples Jean Christophe and Julia on the flute and Marcelo on the Tanpura. His concerts were sponsored by The Kamini & Vindi Banga Family Trust.
On 30 March, Raviji’s dear disciple Punita Gupta gave a beautiful concert along with her students. She was accompanied by Balu Raguraman, M Balachandar, Sanjay Jhala and Hevlyn on Violin, Mridangam and Tabla respectively. This was a concert to raise funds for The Bhavan. Everyone appreciated the beautiful music performed by the artistes.
The concluding concert of the festival on Sunday 7 April was by one the finest vocalists, Padma Bhushan T V Shankaranarayanan, a doyen of Karnatic music. He was accompanied by Balu Raguraman on Violin, M Balachandar on Mridangam and Bangalore Prakash on Ghatam. The range of TVS’s voice is beyond words. He could coo like a Kokila bird and roar like a lion! It was a riveting concert of non-stop three and a quarter hours.
On 31 March, a leading figure from the younger generation, Jayateerth Mevundi of Kirana Gharana gave a brilliant vocal concert, ably supported by Pt. Rajkumar Misra on Tabla and Sunil Jadhav on Harmonium. This was Mevundi’s first concert at The Bhavan and this rising star was greatly appreciated by the audience. This concert was sponsored by Dr Radha Bhat and family.
We are extremely grateful to Smt Sudha Murty of the Infosys Foundation who has been supporting all our activities for the past several years without whom we would not have been able to present so many events annually. We can never thank Arts Council enough for their support for over two and a half decades and the help we receive from Air India and State Bank of India are much appreciated. 4
T V Sankaranarayanan
L to R: M Balachandar, Bangalore Prakash, T V Sankaranarayanan, Balu Raguraman, Parvati Nair
“Ravi ji loved Charukesi.” explains T.V Sankaranarayanan before commencing. This concert is part of a special series of performances at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in celebration of what would have been the legendary sitarist’s 99th birthday. TVS therefore curated a special selection of ragas that Pt. Ravi Shankar ji would have loved to have listened to.
Image credit: Dinesh Mahathevan
Other ragas of the evening include Hindolam (a tribute to another one of Ravi ji’s favourite ragas, Malkauns), Mohanam (known as Bhoopali in the North), and Atana. ‘Krishna Nee Begane’ in Ragam Yamankalyani is beautifully rendered with absolute ‘bhakti’. The concert soon comes to an end and I feel like I have experienced every emotion. TVS is one of the last living legends of Carnatic music and it has been an honor to watch this special tribute to Pt. Ravi Shankar ji. I am indebted to the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan for inviting me and for making such a unique event possible. I cannot wait for the next one!
From the first devotional song in praise of Lord Ganapathy, I am immediately stunned by his command of manodharmam (improvisation). Following this piece in Hamsadhwani, an uncommon raga, Lathangi, is now explored. At one point in his alapanai (an improvisational section) I notice TVS deliberately omitting the first note (Sa) and the fifth note (Pa) to introduce new shades of color to the 63rd Melakarta ragam. The highlight of the evening for me is T V S‘s rendition of Charukesi, in honor of Ravi ji. The composition selected is ‘Adamodi’ by Saint Thyagaraja. Throughout the song, he engages constantly with his talented team of musicians. As an intermediary piece, he chooses to render ‘English Note’, a delightful composition by Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar, popularized by Madurai Mani Iyer Sir.
- Praveen Prathapan (Indian Classical musician) 5
REVIEWS Tad Bharatham! That! Is India! Over the weekend of 12-14 April, London witnessed the creativity and choreographic finesse of Bangalore-based dance duo Nirupama and Rajendra. Envisaged as a conversation between the Himalayas at the Northern edge and the ocean in the Southern tip, the passion and the reverence for their motherland was evident from the very first moment on stage. The team depicted moments from the daily life of Indians, giving a glimpse into the routines of the common man. The epics Ramayana and Mahabharata were used to show the memories that the land holds from the North to South and East to West respectively. Another scene which stood out was of Shakunthala being chased by the bee and the king Dushyantha coming to her rescue from Kalidasa’s ‘Abhignana Shakunthala’. Steering away from the usual romantic approach, the choreography took on a light-hearted, playful perspective. The group choreography had some very memorable punctuations and intelligent moments. We were also given a glimpse into ‘Madanotsava’; a month-long festival celebrated during the reign of Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara Kingdom.
Abhinava Dance Company
Image credit : Patrick Holden
Abhinava Dance Company
Image credit : Patrick Holden
One of the trademarks of Abhinava is their stunning visual element coupled with their spectacular choreography. This production as well featured visually stunning costumes, minimal yet effective props, the usage of multimedia projection (designed by Vinod Gowda) and effective lighting. The audience got to see the art of the Karanas embedded into the technique of Kathak. The confidence of the dancers on stage as they dialogued with each other through movements was noteworthy. welcomed the unique imaginative vision of Abhinava Dance Company with houseful shows and a responsive audience.
- Anvi 6
ReRooted Dance Collective
6 young dancers of London, together known as the ‘ReRooted Dance Collective, held their premier at The Bhavan on April 5. Though one wondered why they chose to call it as a ‘sharing’ of their work and not as a performance, their confidence and hold over their pieces was noteworthy considering it was their first as a collective. The first thing that struck was the fact that each dancer maintained her ‘solo’ identity with solo pieces. The collective worked more as a thread that held the 6 together to bring out ideas and choreographic intentions which in the end was portrayed in the solo format. The two Kathak dancers choreographed on each other; as did the Bharathanatyam and Odissi dancers. The familiarity with the specific techniques of their dance forms would have made the choreographic process balanced with equal attention to the concept and to its presentation; and it would be very interesting to see what results would emerge if each choreographed on a dancer of a different dance style in the future.
Shivangee Agarwal
Elena Catalona
Taking Tim Ingold’s text on Lines as the starting point of their process, ‘Transformations of the Line’ was a smooth run of 6 very different pieces solo held together by music (Jesse Bannister) and occasional moments of transition where more than one dancer was present on stage. The solos by Meera Patel (choreographed by Parbati Chaudhary) and the solo by Pallavi Vijay (choreographed by Elena Catalona) especially stood out for their freshness of thought. The repeated use of specific mudras in the Bharathanatyam piece choreographed by Shivangee Agarwal on Swati Seshadri was effective in communicating the theme of ‘search; while Swati’s choreography on Shivangee created a playful, cheery mood.
Image credit : Patrick Holden
With 6 different bodies and ways of moving, the evening was a glimpse into the new possibilities within classical idioms; which was further delineated in the Q and A session at the end of the show. Funded by Arts Council England and supported by The Bhavan; mentored by Mayuri Boonham. Dancers - Bharatanatyam (Shivaangee Agrawal and Swati Seshadri), Kathak (Meera Patel and Parbati Chaudhury) Odissi (Elena Catalano and Pallavi Basak Vijay). - Anvi
Image credit : Patrick Holden
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NEWS We are very happy to share with you the news that Sri Pratap Pawar, Padma Shri awardee, was recently honoured with an MBE by Her Majesty The Queen. He was The Bhavan’s very first fulltime Kathak teacher in the early 80’s and has remained Bhavan’s supporter.
Pratap Pawar
We are very happy to announce that one of our Bhavan’s senior education committee members Aparna Nathan has been appointed as Queen’s Counsel. Aparna and her entire family have been associated with The Bhavan for over three decades. We wish Aparna a great future.
Aparna Nathan
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Image credits: Bhupendrasingh Jethwa
IMAGE GALLERY
The Bhavan’s Odissi students at the British Library for ‘Faiths in Tune’
Luitporia Nasoni and her group do a Bihu Dance piece at World Dance Day
Young author Deeva Karnani Shah with her award-winning book at The Bhavan
Subhankar Banerjee conducting a masterclass forThe Bhavan’s students
Punita Gupta and her students with M Balachandar, Balu Raguraman and The Bhavan’s students
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Image credits: Patrick Holden and others
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
UNDER AN OAK TREE Fri 14 June | 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm | Invitees only| Email: anuj@baigtheatrefoundation.com OSCAR ET LA DAME ROSE (French Drama) Wed 19 & Thu 20 June | 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm | £12- 15 (On the Door - £15 £20)
SANSKRIT CLASS FOR BEGINNERS - TERM II Mondays | April 23 – June 24 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm | £100 for 10 lectures
PARAMPARA Fri 21 June | 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm | £10
DÉPENDANCES (French Drama) Thu 9 May | 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm | £25
INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY - ANIL KUMAR Fri 21 June | 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm | Free Entry
ALEX IN WONDERLAND Fri 10 May | 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm | £25, £30
LALAN FAKIR O’ RABITHAKUR & CHANDALIKA | Sat 22 June | 6:30 pm – 10.30 pm | £10 DANCE PERFORMANCE AND WORKSHOP – BALADEVI CHANDRASHEKAR June 21 – 23 | £25 (incl music)
MUSIC OF DHARWAD – NANDANAM HINDUSTANI VOCAL AND SITAR CONCERT Day 1 | Sat 11 May | 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm | £7.50, £10 & £12.50
BRIHADEESWARA – FORM TO FORMLESS, THROUGH THE EYES OF A DEVARADIYAAL Sun June 23 | 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm | £15, £10
Day 2 |Sun 12 May | 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm | £7.50, 10 & 12.50 | (£5 discount for booking both days)
HANDCRAFTED HERITAGE Sat 22 June – Sun 30 June | 11:00 am – 6:30 pm | Exhibition - Free Entry | Weaving Masterclass - £145
BEST OF THE YOUNG GENERATION Sun 19 May | 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm | £10, £15
FAIS PAS TON FEYDEAU! (French Drama) Thu 27 and Fri 28 June | 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm |£15
ART HISTORY LECTURE SERIES BY DR KANDIAH SIVAKUMAR Thursdays 6.30 pm- 8:00pm | £50 per Module (50% off for Dip/PGDip Bhavan students) Module 2: May 23, 30, June 6, 13. Module 3: June 20, 27, July 4, 11.
SUHANA SAFAR Sun 30 June | 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm | £10 SWARAVEENARCHANA Carnatic Music Guinness World Record Attempt Mon -Thu July 1- 4 | Audience entry free – 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
DOUBLE BILL – AYAN SENGUPTA ON SITAR AND BRAJESWAR MUKHERJEE HINDUSTANI VOCAL Sat 25 May | 6:00 pm - 9:00pm | £10, £15
DNC SUMMER PRODUCTION 2019 Sat 6 July | 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm | £20 Adult, £15 Child
ART ELEMENTS 2 Sat 1 June – Mon 3 June | 11:00 am – 6:00 pm Opening - Sat 1 June | 11:30 am | Art Workshops - Sun 2, Mon 3 June | 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
GURUDEV & MAHATMA Sun 7 July | 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm | £12, £15 DOHAR Sat 13 July | 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm | £25, £20, £15
100th YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF USTAD ALLA RAKHA Day 1| Sat 8 June | 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm | Free Entry (Registration required) Day 2 | Sun 9 June | 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm | £25, £20 and £15
THE BHAVAN’S SUMMER SCHOOL 20 July - 11 August 2019 (Odissi Dance Summer School: 6 -14 July) Registrations commence on Sat 20 July | 2:00 pm SUMMER SCHOOL FINALE Sat 10 & Sun 11 Aug, 4:00 pm | £12 (£10 if booked online)
QULI: DILON KA SHAHZAADA Fri 14 June | 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm | Invitees only | Email: anuj@baigtheatrefoundation.com
Note: All tickets online www.bhavan.net unless otherwise specified. All information correct at the time of printing.
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