A visually captivating musical event celebrating Indian classical music and folk dance marked special Diwali celebrations at British Museum in London, organised recently by Subrang Arts.
British Museum’s Learning team is at the forefront of increasing cross-cultural exchange and engagement with the culture and heritage of the Indian diasporic communities. This was one such event that they supported and brought many communities together in the Great Hall and the South Asia Gallery of the Museum.
The fun-filled event was a continuation of the month-long Diwali celebration by the diaspora, bringing a feast of music, dance, arts, crafts, workshops and storytelling.
The registered charity, Subrang Arts, is a London-based leading South Asian arts organisation. They have organised the cultural programs in tandem with the collections of the British Museum, thereby helping to deepen community knowledge and the India-UK bond.
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Subrang Arts collaborated with British Museum to highlight how diasporic communities celebrate important festivals. The dance performances were vibrant and colourful, which told the story of Diwali. A group of dancers from BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Temple in Neasden also collaborated.
There were opportunities for families to participate in craft activities like Saree draping, henna painting, clay pot decorating, and dance workshop.
In the South Asia Gallery, veteran Tabla artist Sanju Sahai and Sitarist/Vocalist Debipriya Das gave a sublime performance. Many artefacts in the gallery, like a Sitar played by Pandit Ravi Shankar and a Tabla played by Ustad Allah Rakha, seemed to have come to life with their performances.
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Debbie Guneratne told beautiful stories about the Birth of Sita and the Story of the First Saree. Her stories also animated several objects in the gallery, which was a very educational exercise for the general public. Both galleries were packed with families enjoying the true spirit of Diwali.
“I aimed to show how migration, for whatever reason, creates disruptions and how culture creates the bridge through which the new generations navigate their lives through acculturation,” said the curator of the event, Lata Desai.
Her endeavours have given the Gujarati diaspora in the UK a sense of equilibrium and pride in their culture without abandoning their need to integrate meaningfully into their new environment.
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“Through common songs, proverbs, stories, anecdotes, cuisines, clothing, arts, music and dances, all these people can see their common humanity, and British Museum gave a wonderful platform to showcase all these,” she added.
This event was part of a heritage project, ‘Roots and Changes Gujarati Influences’, and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.