Amish Tripathi

Amish, a graduate of IIM-Calcutta has written 6 books on Indian mythology. His books have been the fastest selling book series with translation into 19 Indian and International languages.

Makarand R. Paranjape is currently Director, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla. He was educated at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he earned a Masters and PhD in English. He has been Professor of English at Jawaharlal Nehru University for twenty years. A critic, poet, and novelist, he is the author of some twenty-five and editor of another two-dozen books, in addition to hundreds of academic papers and popular articles. His latest books include Swami Vivekananda: Hinduism and India’s Road to Modernity (forthcoming), Debating the ‘Post’ Condition in India (Routledge, 2018), and The Death and Afterlife of Mahatma Gandhi (Penguin Random House, 2015). Makarand is currently a columnist in Open, Mail Today and The Print.

This event will include speeches from both Swapan Dasgupta and Makarand Paranjape, followed by a Q & A session.

This Bharatnatyam recital will portray the equality between man and woman, how they are so similar yet so different. It will show the lasya bhava of shakti, and the tandava bhava of shiva.

Swarup Menon was drawn towards Bharatanatyam due to his inherent interest in the art form and started learning dance from the age of 3 and performing since the age of 5. Swarup’s first Guru was Sri. Sukumaran in Kerala, where he underwent training briefly during his short vacation trips to Kerala. Thereafter, he started Bharatanatyam classes in the UK from Sadanam Unnikrishnan, ex alumni of the Kalakshetra Fine Arts College, Chennai India. Later on, Swarup continued his training at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Institute, London, under the able guidance of Sri. Prakash Yadagudde. In 2007 he performed his Arangetram – Bharatanatyam graduation ceremony at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, London, under Sri. Prakash Yadagudde’s guidance.

Swarup for the past 12 years has been doing advanced training under Sri. Santosh Menon, ex-faculty member of Kalakshetra, Chennai) and he is also one of the senior dancers for Kshetra Dance Company.

Sowbhakya Rajabojan developed an interest in Bharathanatyam since the age of 6. Her first guru was Shri. Krishnamoorthi Iyer, in Coimbatore who taught the dance in Pandhanalur dance form. She continued her training under him for 10 years. Sowbhakya later trained under Smt. Tharani, and Smt.Vijayalakshmi Parameshwarn who were both Ex-faculty member of Kalaikaveri, Trichy.With their coaching and guidance she did her PG Diploma in Bharatanatyam in the year 2009, from Bharathiyar University – Coimbatore in Kalakshetra style and succeeded with Distinction. Sowbhakaya is currently learning Bharatanatyam under the guidance of Santosh Menon for the past 5 years and is also part of his company Kshetra Dance Company.

Andrew will be in conversation with Dr Yasmin Khan, who is an associate professor of history at the University of Oxford. Her books include The Great Partition: the making of India and Pakistan and The Raj at War: a people’s history of India’s Second World War. She is an editor of History Workshop Journal.

In 1998 she visited Lahore to record an album with the Late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, named Samandar mein Samandar.

Music unites and dissolves diff erences is Mehtab’s great belief. She practices as Barrister from Lincoln’s Inn, London and is a Senior Lecturer in Law.

Accompanied By

Af Malhotra – Tabla

Ikram khan – Sarangi

Junaid Khan – Sarangi

Directed by one of the torch bearers of Hindustani classical music in the West Vidushi Chandra Chakraborty, the performance session entails recital from Tagore’s music influenced by his real life characters by a prominent exponent of Tagore in UK Dr Imtiaz Ahmed, a talented semi-classical singer Amith Dey and others; poetry recitation from Tagore with English translation by elocutionists Soma Das, Shaheen Mituli and Tanjina Nur –E-Siddique etc.

Anchored by poet Ahmed Kaysher, the session will feature brief solo talks on the real life characters of Tagore who influenced his works as well as the application of Rembrandt’s idea in photography. The speakers include poet and photographer Erik Schelander, Pablo Khaled, art connoisseur Gopali Chakravorti –Ghosh and the editor of the Gronthee poet Shamim Shahan.

Puja Mehra Gupta is a singer of Urdu Poetry and has sung at solo shows at several venues across Countries including the iconic India Habitat Center – New Delhi, the Attic – New Delhi, the Epicenter at Gurgaon, Neemrana Hotels at Rajasthan, the India International Center -New Delhi, Fitzroy House –London to name a few.

Born with a deep love for music, Puja has begun her journey of music by grounding herself in Khayal gayaki at the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya in Delhi. Subsequently as a disciple of the celebrated Padma Bhushan Shanti Hiranand, herself a disciple of the legendary Malika-e- ghazal Begum Akhtar, Puja got introduced to the great poets and their poetry and instantly fell in love with the soul stirring emotions.

Her style of singing is distinct with a clear voice and true notes, which caress the poetry to bring forth its emotions, painting a vivid picture of the expressions of the poet. She sings from the heart and wears her passion on her sleeve.

Puja sings for the love of music her endeavour is keep poetry of the Great Masters alive. And she does not hesitate to share wonderful English translations of the poetry rendered in a riveting manner interspersed with the singing, so that audiences of diverse ethnicity can enjoy it. Th e rich singing style of the great iconic singers like Begum Akhtar, Iqbal Bano and Noor Jehan lend an old-world charm and take the listeners to an era long gone.

Puja lives in New Delhi and shuttles oft en between India and UK.

With guest Musicians.

In Association with SAMA Arts Network Ltd.

The singers and musicians are highly talented artists from Kolkata such as Prakrity Ganguly, qualified as Sangeet Vibhakar and Sangeet Visharad and who has performed for all India Radio and Kolkata Doordarshan and Sanjoy Dey an extremely talented and popular young singer from London who owns a musical school in East London and teaches Rabindrasangeet and Bengali music. He has received the RD Burman award.

Accompanied By:

Tabla – Piyas Barua

Keyboard- Pretom Saha

Guitar- Moinak Biswas

Dance by Chandrima Siil.

In Association with Rhea Banerjea

Ten characters of Tagore from both real life and his works have been photographed using the form of powerful, poetic and strong visual way of Rembrandt’s painting by an award-winning photographer Pablo Khaled.

First of its kind exhibition will offer a stunning visual revival of Tagore’s popular characters e.g. Kadamvari Devi, Krishnakali through few models from the North Indrani Ghosh Sen, Nishat Afza and others by the selection of characteristically prominent moments and expressions. The costumes and set have been researched and designed by Gopali Chakraort-Ghosh.

The exhibition also entails a session of talk, recitation of poetry and music performance on Thursday 5 December in relation to the theme of photography from Tagore’s work (with English translation) that will contribute more insight on the exhibition.

Pablo Khaled: A Bolton based photographer, currently awarded by Federation of Indian Photography and Kolkata Journalist Club for his tremendous work on street and portrait photography. Pablo has a highly acclaimed photography exhibition recently at Poplar Union in East London on the reflection of Tagore’s idea of feminism. The exhibition was co-presented by Rona Bhattacharya and directed by Dr Debashis Bhattacharya as part of Nari Chetona’s celebration of International Women’s Day.

In Association with The Gronthee

The Gronthee is an award-winning literary platform and has been serving for world literature for last 28 years through nurturing new voice, new styles, offering platform for experimental literature both from Bengali and non-Bengali traditions. The Gronthee has been publishing its ground-breaking literary magazine both in Bengali and English and it’s being critically acclaimed by contemporary prominent poets and writers from all across the world.

He became interested in singing Ghazals when he was inspired by Jagjit Singh in 1974 on Radio. As the violin was his first passion and he carried on playing violin in various concerts in India, Germany, Holland and England including Tansen Sangeet Samaroh in Gwalior followed by prestigious appearances at the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Barbican Centre, WDR Philharmonic Orchestra in Cologne, Germany and many other venues and as both as soloist and as an accompanist to many artists like Anup Jalota and Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan.

He was the first Indian musician to play in West End in a famous musical ‘The Far Pavilions’. Also played violin pieces in a few films including ‘Bride and Prejudice’.

He also wrote and composed for a film ‘A Winter in Love’.

Following his deep interest towards Ghazals he came in touch with Jagjit Singh in 2003 who guided him thereafter.

Accompanied By

Manjit Singh Rasiya – tabla

Ikram Khan – Sarangi

In Association with SAMA Arts Network Ltd.