WHAT’S ON Summer 2022
The Bhavan 4a Castletown Road West Kensington London W14 9HE 020 7381 3086/ 4608 www.bhavan.net
Rukmini Vijayakumara
Performances | Exhibitions | Workshops
Archival Image of pages from The Bhavan’s Journal Volume X1X No.1, August 1972, documenting the conception of the London Branch of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
BHAVAN 50
CELEBRATING 50 GRAND YEARS OF THE BHAVAN IN LONDON MAY 2022 APRIL 2023 Namaste, It is with much happiness that we launch the celebrations of The Bhavan's 50 years in the UK. So much has changed since 1972 when we offered just two language classes in a small room in Oxford Street to where we are now, delivering hundreds of hours of tuition each week across multiple subjects and presenting the largest Indian cultural event programme in the UK. The Bhavan is now in a time of significant transition and development. The COVID-19 pandemic forced us to close our doors for 18 months and I am delighted that our students, teachers, artists, and supporters have stayed with us as we emerge again to rebuild our cultural and educational programmes. We have always been committed to increasing access to Indian Classical Arts and the amazing range of world-class artists and events that we are presenting over the next 12 months is a testament to the enduring passion and relevance of these beautiful art forms in today's world. We could not be in this position without you. To everyone in our community that has supported The Bhavan's growth over the last 50 years: our first founders Dalal ji and Mathoor ji, our current Chair and Joint Chair Sri Joginder Sanger and Sri. Shantoo Ruparell, the trustees of the Executive Committee and to all the students, teachers, and artists past and present that have dedicated yourselves to learning, creating, finding inspiration in Indian Arts and nurturing in others the aspiration to do and be better, you have made Bhavan what it is today. From everyone at The Bhavan, thank you. M N Nandakumara Executive Director, The Bhavan UK
Detail of ‘Dead to me’, 2018, Tina Crawford
BHARATANATYAM PERFORMANCE AND WORKSHOP WITH SMT. VASUNDHARA DORASWAMY WORKSHOP Wed April 27 & Thu April 28 | 6 pm8 pm | £40
PERFORMANCE Sun May 1 | 4.30pm | £10 | (entry free for Bhavan students)
Mavin Khoo
Smt. Vasundhara will perform a one-hour recital at the Bhavan, showcasing some of the traditional pieces from the Bharatanatyam repertoire.
Smt. Vasundhara Doraswamy
Renowned dancer Dr. Vasundhara Doraswamy will conduct a two-day workshop in Bharatanatyam. Open to intermediate and advanced levels, this workshop will explore the nuances of the essential elements in Bharatanatyam.
MAVIN KHOO IN CONCERT Sat May 7 | 7 pm | £25, £20, £15 Mavin Khoo is an international dance artist renowned as a solo classical Bharatnatyam dancer as well as a contemporary dancer with a classical ballet background. He serves as Creative Associate with the Akram Khan Company in London. Khoo returns to his artistic and creative roots - the solo concert format of the Bharata Natyam repertoire. Through his many diverse creative explorations, this has always been - and remains his first love. In this intimate recital, Khoo will talk about his life and memories - weaving them within an evening of dance, live music, and improvisation. The evening will commence with Nadaswaram temple music. In the performance, Khoo will be accompanied by an orchestra composed of Vamshikrishna Vishnudas, M Balachandar, Divya Kasturi and Vijay Venkat. ‘AU FIL DES NOTES... AU FIL DES MOTS…’ French Drama Wed 11 May & Thur 12 May | 8 pm | £15, £10 (under 18 discount available) In the presence of a pianist performing live, the French drama group explores different comedy scenes from the French repertoire.
Rahul Vellal
Shri Dushyanth Sridhar
An evening of motivational and spiritual discourse by Shri Dushyanth Sridhar with an emphasis on the aspects of Lord Vishnu, followed by classical singing by Rahul Vellal. Accompanists: Violin - Sri. Balu Raguraman, Mridangam - Bangalore Prakash.
HOME I AWAY: NARRATIVES OF DISLOCATION AND ESTRANGEMENT Fri May 20 - Thu May 26 | 12am-6 pm Free, All Welcome. An art exhibition by Backitchen Curatorial Collective, showcasing artists from an Open Call.
RAADHA KALPA DANCE COMPANY PRESENTS TALATTU A MOTHER’S SONG AND A LOVER’S FAREWELL BY RUKMINI VIJAYAKUMARA Sat May 21 | 6 pm | £25, £20, £15 Talattu addresses two very strong bonds of love that we share in our lives the bond between a mother and child and the bond with a lover. The two bonds are very different. Talattu takes the examples of Yashodha and Radha and their love for Krishna. It shows their personal journeys of joys and sorrows and how they deal with Krishna’s departure in very different ways. Parents give up a part of themselves from the time a child is born. The role of a parent is immense in the growth of a child and the emotional attachment that parents have to their offspring is incomparable. This relationship of caregiver and child is immortalised as Yashoda and Krishna in Indian mythology. Their relationship is nuanced with the complexity of Yashoda being
Rukmini Vijayakumara
I for India presents - VAIKASI UTSAVAM 2022 Fri May 20 | 6 pm (doors open 5 pm) | £25, £20, £15 | Children’s discount £15, £12, £10
Krishna’s adoptive parent. Yashoda’s sense of ownership is questioned when she realises that Krishna is not her own son. Talattu, addresses the complexity of this relationship and the love that permeates through this confusion. The second relationship that Is explored in Talattu is that of a lover. The bond of love is the strongest bond that one shares in life. The romantic relationship offers comfort, and togetherness. The ability to sacrifice for another within this relationship is paralleled with the idea of spiritual surrender.
ADAVU EXPLORATIONS A 3 DAY WORKSHOP WITH RUKMINI VIJAYAKUMARA May 17, 18, 19 | 6 pm 8.30 pm | £100 for all 3 days | £40 per day This 3-day workshop is a unique opportunity to learn from Rukmini Vijaykumar and get a glimpse into her unique approach to Bharatanatyam. The class will work with the traditional adavu system (the basic movement sets of Bharatanatyam) and see how one can find different ways of utilising adavu in sequencing and choreography by changing some essential parameters. Open to intermediate and advanced students.
Sri. Lalgudi Krishnan and Smt. Lalgudi Vijaylakshmi
VIOLIN DUET - LALGUDI GJR KRISHNAN AND LALGUDI VIJAYLAKSHMI Sat May 28| 6 pm | £20, £15 (Young person’s discount available)
Join this two-day workshop and learn with the maestros Lalgudi Krishnan and Lalgudi Vijaylakshmi.
A scintillating recital by the Violin world's giants Sri. Lalgudi Krishnan and Smt. Lalgudi Vijaylakshmi. Join us for a recital to soak up the Lalgudi Bani. Accompanists - M. Balachandar on Mridangam, Pirasanna Thevarajan on Ghatam
Day 1 On the first day, the students will work with a popular Tyagaraja Krithi with notations and explore the subtleties and complexities of 'Manodharma' (improvisation) within Indian Classical Music.
LALGUDI PATHANTARA - A 2-day workshop on Lalgudi compositions. Thur May 26 & Fri May 27 | 6 pm 8 pm | £40 for two days | £25 per day
Day 2 On the second day, students will learn a Tana Varnam and conclude with a Thillana composed by Sri. Lalgudi Jayaraman. This is a great opportunity to learn directly from the lineage.
SHRADDHANJAI TO PANDIT BIRJU MAHARAJ BY SRI. PRATAP PAWAR Sun May 29 | 6 pm | £20, £15
Pt. Sanjay Mukherjee
Swati Natekar
Padmashri Guru Pratap Pawar MBE
‘India’s Divine Dancer’ Padmashri Guru Pratap Pawar MBE turns 80 this year. Still dancing after 65 years, Pawar has created this celebratory work honouring the spirit of his guru, Padmavibhusan Pt Birju Maharaj Ji.
SHRADDHANJALI A TRIBUTE TO BHARAT RATNA LATA MANGESHKAR BY SMT. SWATI NATEKAR Sun June 5 | 6 pm | £25, £20, £15 Renowned artist Swati Natekar will be presenting a very special collection of immortal songs of Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar ji, who has left a huge treasure behind. The evening will feature songs ranging from Classic Bollywood (40’s to 90’s), Raag based film songs to melodious Ghazals. She will be accompanied by fantastic U.K. based musicians. Violin by Kamalbir Singh Keyboard, Accordion by Sunil Jadhav Tabla, Percussion by Alok Verma Guitar by Siddharth Singh This event is supported by Krybaby
THE BHAVAN PRESENTS ‘THE ART OF TABLA’ - Performance and lecture demonstration by PT. SANJAY MUKHERJEE Lecture demonstration: Sat June 25 | 11 am 12 pm Performance: Sun June 26 | 6 PM | £20, £15 (price includes lec - dem). The Bhavan is proud to present a first of its kind event ‘THE ART OF TABLA’ Featuring a stalwart of the Farukhabad Gharana, the maestro Pt. Sanjay Mukherjee accompanied by Sri Hiranmay Mitra on Harmonium, the event offers a unique opportunity to all to witness the precision and the rhythmic vitality of the Tabla. This is a wonderful opportunity to watch a performance as well as attend a lecture demonstration by the artist and interact with them.
Essex Indians Charity presents Uttorsuri Generation Next Festival which will highlight Rabindranath Tagore’s legacy. It will feature the story of Visva Bharati right from its conception to its fruition. Audio visuals and memories of Santiniketan by ashramites (both past and present) juxtaposed with similar theatrical representation on stage will recreate Santiniketan on stage. Iconic festivals of Santiniketan like Briksharopon, Holokorshon, BasontoUtsav, Borshamongol and others will be showcased to the accompaniment of dance, music, and poetry, combining traditional with experimental. Grandiose choral performance of song-poetry-shloka will revisit the eternal philosophy of Tagore. MEGA INTERNATIONAL ART EXHIBITION LONDON 2022 Thu July 7- Weds July 13 | 11am - 7pm | All Welcome Dudhat Art Gallery was formed in 1993 by the veteran Indian traditional artist and 'KalaGuru' Shri.Bhanu Dudhat, with a vision to encourage, support and promote the Indian visual art culture. It incorporates the existing philanthropic works of the founder and provides a permanent independent body for the expansion of various visual art activities. Their current exhibition will showcase 30 artists works.
Aparna Raguraman
Balu Raguraman
SATOBORSHO PORE HUNDRED YEARS AFTER Sat 2 July | 6 pm | £20, £15, £10
PARAMPARA Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Sri Balu Raguraman at The Bhavan Sat 16 July | 5.45 pm | By invitation only Commemorating 25 years of Sri Balu Raguraman's musical services at The Bhavan, Aparna Raguraman presents her debut solo recital. ACCOMPANISTS Mridangam - Srimushnam V Raja Rao Khanjira - M Balachandar Ghatam - Bangalore R N Prakash DANCING NIKITA COMPANY - ANNUAL SUMMER PRODUCTION Sat July 9 | 3 pm | £20 Tickets dncstudio.com/summerproduction/ Dancing Nikita Company proudly presents their Annual Summer Production. More than 50 children, teenagers and adults currently training at DNC will perform an array of Kathak pieces in the traditional Lucknow Gharana. Taught under the able guidance of Nikita Thakrar, the evening will also include a special tribute to Pt. Birju Maharaji.
SUMMER SCHOOL 16 JUL - 7 AUG 2022
The UK’s most awaited 3-week intensive in Indian Classical Arts with renowned teachers from India. Concert dates below. SITAR BY VIDUSHI. REENA SHRIVASTAVA ACCOMPANIED BY PT. RAJKUMAR MISRA ON TABLA OPENING ACT - Sujaya Mathews, senior disciple of Bhavan's resident teacher Sri. Sanjay Guha. Accompanists - Dhanraj Persaud Sun 17 July | 6 pm | £15, £10 BHARATANATYAM BY NATYACHARYA DR. SREKALA BHARATH OPENING ACT - Abbeyrame Sriharan, senior disciple of Bhavan's resident teacher Sri. Prakash Yadagudde Sat 23 July | 6 pm | £15 / £10 HINDUSTANI VOCAL BY VIDUSHI. SURANJANA BOSE ACCOMPANIED BY PT. SUBRATA GUPTA ON TABLA OPENING ACT - Vaishali Parulekar, senior disciple of Bhavan's resident teacher Smt. Chandrima Misra. Dhanraj on Tabla Sun 24 July | 6 pm | £15, £10 KARNATIC VOCAL BY SRI. SAMPATH KUMARACHARY DARURI ACCOMPANIED BY H.S SUDHEENDRA ON MRIDANGAM OPENING ACT - Anirvinn Sudarshan, disciple of Bhavan's resident teacher Sri Sampath Kumarachary Daruri. Accompanists - Sri Balu Raguraman and Sri M Balachander Sat 30 July | 6 pm | £15, £10 KATHAK BY SRI. ABHAY SHANKAR MISHRA OPENING ACT - Nimita Bulsara, disciple of Bhavan's resident teachers Dhiya Arora and Amun Bhachu. Sun 31 July | 6 pm | £15, £10 SUMMER SCHOOL FINALE DAY 1 Sat 6 August | 3 pm | £12 SUMMER SCHOOL FINALE DAY 2 Sun 7 August | 3 pm | £12 SUMMER SCHOOL REGISTRATION & TICKETS www.bhavan.net/summerschool2022
WHAT’S ON
Sri. Lalgudi Krishnan and Smt. Lalgudi Vijaylakshmi
Summer 2022
Scan the code for Bhavan 50 celebratory events
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