South Asian Heritage Month marked by Sanskruti Centre
July 2023
Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence, an arts charity based in the UK marked the South Asian Heritage Month with an important talk on the relevance of Natyashastra- the ancient Indian classic on performing & creative arts. Organised at the Nehru Centre recently, the event had oration by eminent authority on Natyashastra Professor Radhavallabh Tripathi, a multi-award recipient author and one of the senior-most scholars in Sanskrit and Hindi literature.
While Amish Tripathi, Director of the Nehru Centre and Dr MN Nandakumara, Executive Director of The Bhavan gave the opening and closing words, the invocations of song and dance were presented by Atmadeep Bhattacharjee, Priya Kushwaha, and Manju Sunil. The 4 types of instruments and their renditions as per Natyashastra were presented by Dr Anjali Sharma Tiwari.
Prof. Radhavallabh explained different chapters of Natyashastra on dramatics, architecture, lore, fine arts, diction, music, musical instruments, dance, abhinaya and aesthetics, and later interacted with the members of the audience during a Q&A session. Ragasudha Vinjamuri and Prof. Radhavallabh also spoke on another important 14th-century Sanskrit work on dance titled Sangitacandra, and outlined the efforts carried out by Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence in translating 750 of the 2100 shlokas so far. The translation shall be published soon, which will be a huge value-addition to the world of Sanskrit literature and dance. Dignitaries including Dr Nanda, Prof. Tripathi, Cllr. Sharad Jha, Cllr Chandra Muvvala, Cllr Govind Bharadia together with the Trustees of Sanskruti presented the cursory look of Sangitacandra on the occasion.
The exhibition ‘Unsung Heroes of World War I’ featured historical artifacts, photos and news clippings on the Asian (Indian, Nepalese Bangladeshi – the Indian subcontinent, along with Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesian soldiers in WW1, as well as other moments in South Asian history.
As the saying goes, “Like mother, like daughter.” In the case of creative talents, this couldn’t be more true. The influence of a mother’s creativity can leave a lasting impact on her children, shaping their own artistic endeavours and passions. In this journal I explore the profound impact my mother’s creative legacy has influenced me and how Sohavi was truly born. Roots to routes explores my late mothers life journey from birth in Kenya to India as a teenager and eventually returning to Kenya in her 20’s , to marry my father Sardar Tirlochan Singh Dhamu, to emigrate to London from Nairobi in October 1973 and live out the rest of her life. Despite experiencing loss and trauma, she endured difficulties n her younger years and made the best of her life in my fathers trusting hand, he led her to a new life in London.
As an update from my last article, I can say that the past year has been both adventurous and fulfilling. I’ve faced a mix of opportunities
South Asian Heritage Month dates changed to "July" from 2026 — Learn more here →
