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 The Bhavan's Founder's Day 2023 Photos: Felipe Diehl February 6, 2023 The Bhavan celebrated its annual Founder's Day event on 28th and 29th of January 2023. The weekend proved to be a visual and artistic treat. Being the largest organisation for Indian classical Arts in the UK, The Bhavan, London, boasts of over 700 students who come to train with its resident teachers over 16 courses across music, dance and languages in a year; and the event showcased the very best in each department.  Students from all classical dance, music, instrumental and language courses performed on The Bhavan stage and presented their training and talent. The audience was treated to a variety of performances, which gave a glimpse not only into the depth and breadth of classical Indian Arts, but also the rigorous training that The Bhavan invests in to produce the future torchbearers of our art forms. It was a chance for the public to applaud, appreciate and encourage the students and teachers for their dedication towards their art. Students also received their certificates for successfully completing their diplomas and post diplomas.  This year's event also gave a platform to other students training at The Bhavan to share their experiences and speak to the audience. It was refreshing to see people from all ages and all walks of life come together at The Bhavan for learning and immersing in our classical Arts.  Saturday event began with a Sanskrit prayer by executive director Dr. Nandakumara, and on Sunday by Raghu Nandakumara. Nikhil Rajan, manager, London airport, Air India was the chief guest. He spoke about the importance of inculcating Arts in our lives and its therapeutic effects. He also spoke about the continued support, partnership, and friendship with Air India. On Sunday, Candida Connolly, Chair of The Bhavan's Education Committee, was the chief guest and she spoke briefly about the history of The Bhavan and the important work it has been doing to propagate Indian Arts in the UK, while giving equal importance to quality of training and performances. Parvati Nair anchored the event on both days. The vote of thanks was proposed by Anvi Prabhu and Shanti Venkatesh on Saturday and Sunday respectively. As Bhavan continues to celebrate 50 years of being in London, the Founder's Day proved a successful start to this year's calendar. |
