Mahotsav 2009

The much awaited MAHOTSAV, has been hailed a great success. This was an event held at the Bhavan to showcase professional artistes and upcoming talent. A day-long programme of events was held in the two main performance areas of the Mountbatten Hall and Hathi Hall, with taster courses taking place in classrooms and elsewhere. The idea was to give people an insight into the immense talent that exists within the UK when it comes to Indian art and culture. Issued with a day pass, people were given the opportunity to walk around the Bhavan and experience a plethora of performances and workshops.

Wherever you went there were pleasant reminders of how alive the tradition of Indian culture is. In addition to the contribution of dancers and musicians, a henna workshop took place in the gallery, which attracted a lot of attention.

This MAHOTSAV festival was as much a platform for professionals as it was for up-and-coming talent. The main purpose was to show people the vast quantity of talent which exists amongst the younger generation and the artistic journey that many of them are beginning to take. This was very beautifully displayed by the Bhavan's degree students, who in their own styles and chosen fields, displayed their aptitude for learning.

There was literally something for everyone, from the soothing sounds of the sitar, to the mesmerising beats of the mridangam and tabla. Audiences were also given an insight into the Bhavan's Bharatnatyam, Kathak and Odissi classes, and how the students are taught.

And as if listening to these instruments in their traditional form wasn't enough, there were some great jugalbandis or collaborations, which left the audience gasping for more. One such item was a spell-binding display by the Bhavan's Mridangam teacher M. Balachandar and Taalis on drum kit.

Artistes who participated on the day included:

Sarangan Kanakaratnam, KT Sivaganesh, Rajkumar Misra, M.Balachandar, Pirasanna Thevaraja, Rupa Panesar, Subathra Raguraman, Chandra Chakraborty, Fida Hussein, Taalis, Pt Vishwa Prakash, Sanju Sahai, Dharambir Singh, Gurudev Singh, Kousic Sen, Surmeet Singh, Upneet Singh, Kaviraj Singh. Also assisting were the Bhavan's teachers, Chandrima Misra, Sivasakti Sivanesan, Balu Raguraman, Sanjay Guha, Abhay Shankar Mishra and Prakash Yadagude.

MAHOTSAV will now be an annual event in the Bhavan's calendar and we hope it goes from strength to strength.