India’s Republic Day in London: A show of patriotism & festivity

Jan 28, London: Republic Day of India was celebrated in London with gaiety and pomp recently with a rich cultural programme that demonstrated the vibrant diversity and heritage of India. 60 performers representing art and culture of 13 states and union territories displayed their prowess in song and dance presentations. Some unique and lesser-seen indigenous art forms covering North East, North, South, West, East of India were presented before 350+ enthralled audiences.

From Odissi dance by Dr. Pritha Dasmahapatra to Mathuri dance by Anuja Tirumalasetti, Vanamala Accha and Ananya, from Bhojpuri song by Sangeeta Prasad to shloka chants and songs by Shiva-The Indian Youth Choir of England, from folk art forms Kamsale of Karnataka to Kajari of Uttar Pradesh, from Rabindrik Nritya of West Bengal to Thiruvathira of Kerala- the presentations made an indelible mark. Dances such as Shondol of Ladakh, Gabar of Chhattisgarh, Rabha of Assam and Nyishi of Arunachal Pradesh were showcased for the very first time in Britain, making history in the performing arts scene.

Honourable Chief Ministers of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have both sent their best wishes for the special celebrations marking Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, reiterating the relevance of celebrating the heritage and culture. The impressive 2.5-hour stage tableau that started with a tribute to freedom fighters and a presentation by Sushil Rapatwar on Andaman & cellular jail created a festive atmosphere in Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan auditorium. Members of British Parliament Bob Blackman and Baroness Verma have spoken on the occasion.

The event was organised by Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence in association with the Nehru Centre (ICCR, London), High Commission of India and The Bhavan. “It took several months of preparations and arrangements for organising such a rich content event”, says Ragasudha Vinjamuri who conceptualised the event and presented the Vote of Thanks.

“We have engaged extensively with local communities for presenting the culture and art forms in their pristine authentic form. Glad that the attendees had an enriching experience and a glimpse of what Indian culture has to offer. Several audience members gave excellent feedback and said they felt they were in India rather than in Britain. That is a big compliment for all the performers and Gurus who taught them. We thank all volunteers, community leaders and organisations for the appreciation and support”

Video messages by Her Excellency High Commissioner of India Mrs Gaitri Issar Kumar, ICCR President Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Minister (Culture) and Director of Nehru Centre Amish Tripathi, Veer Savarkar’s grand nephew Ranjit Savakar were played.

Rabha dance was presented by Shouri Kokkonda & Sravanthi Tadakamalla, Nyishi dance was presented by Pinky Talegaonkar, Jahnavi Chitte and Harshada Bandreddi, Gabar dance was presented by Vishakha Tokikar and Mona Jethwa Patel, Kamsale/Kolata was presented by Harsha Srinivas, Hamsa Rajashekar, Akshata Bhat, Vyshali Gowda, Ramaa Rao, Sujatha Byrappa, Sriranjani Simha, Pratima Gowda, Sindhu Harsha, Rekha Kandikere, Rashmi Hegde and Neeti Prasad, Shondol dance was presented by Santhi Aripirala, Suvarchala Madireddy, & Swarnalata Pasupuleti.

Thiruvatira was presented by Manju Sunil, Deepa Nair, Maya Joseph, Ancy Joe, Lakshmi Aveen and Lakshmi Vineeth, Kalbelia of Rajasthan was presented by Dr Piyali Basu, Prerita Basu, Siya Malik, Reva Mehta and Varshita Vanka, Kajari was presented by Priya Amit Kumar’s Vishwam Dance Academy, by Vaishali Srivastava Nagpal, Karishma Dalal, Tanisha Atri, Rakshika Chaudhary, Sharda Chaudhri, Akanksha Sinha, & Neetu Singh, and Rabindrik Nritya representing Bengali culture was presented by Ankita Pal, Sanchita Bhattacharya, Sreyashi Deb Roy and Radhika Ghosh.

The event was anchored by Ravi Sharma of Lyca Media and Miss Chinmayee. Photo credits go to Vamshi Pasham and Gopi Casso.