After the phenomenal popularity of last years festival, Indika, Europe’s finest festival of Indian arts, returns to venues across Liverpool for 2018, bigger and better than ever! Since the first year of the event, 8 years ago, Indika has grown at a rapid pace and meaning that this year’s festival not only hosts two weeks of the biggest names and rising stars in Indian music and dance, but a brand new family-friendly kids concert on 25 October.
The music kicks off on Wednesday 17 October with a very special celebration launch concert by world renowned Bansuri flautist, Pravin Godkhindi, at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. Through sheer passion, dedication and creativity, Pravin has taken the musical world by storm, winning numerous awards and high acclaim around the world and is the perfect way to introduce people to India’s finest musical offerings.
The festival continues with big names such as Mandolin maestro, U. Rajesh, and veena superstar, Rajhesh Vaidya. This year’s Indika also sees the return of Arun Ghosh, the mesmerising clarinetist whose sell-out Liverpool Jazz Festival show was described as “positively rocking the house with its pile-driving rhythms” (Bido Lito, April 2018), marking Indika’s first collaboration with 24 Kitchen Street. Indika will also be heading to Liverpool favourite LEAF for the first time this year for a stunning musical concert from Guiliano Modarelli. The festival comes to a musical close on the 3rd of November with Woh Chand Khila, an incredible concert experience blending Indian classical with Bollywood, Punjabi Folk and Sufi music.
For those who want to find out more about the intricacies of Indian music, you can head on down to The Beatles Story where, as part of their Beatles in India season, Indika stars Pravin Godkhindi and U. Rajesh will be holding free public talks about their art forms on 19 October and 1 November.
Alongside the exhilarating music line up, Indika will also present visually stunning performances from the biggest names in Indian classical dance. Husband and wife dance-duo Abimanyu and Vidha Lal are set to take audiences on a journey through the evolution of the mesmerising Indian dance style, Kathak. Pioneer of the beautiful Bharatanatyam dance form, Dr Rukmini Vijayakumar, will take to the stage with a poignant production about the unbreakable bond between parent and child.
This is not merely a festival for those who are familiar with Indian culture however, the energy and passion in the versatile line-up will provide a new insight into Asian mediums and will be a fresh experience for people of all ages and preferences. Even if the music is not up your street, this year’s festival joins up with the team at FACT to showcase two films from the powerhouse of Indian cinema, Salman Khan. First up is Bajrangi Bhaijaan, the second highest grossing Bollywood film of all time, on 23 October, followed by action epic, Veer, on 30 October.
The kids concert is also a perfect way to introduce the younger members of your family to Indian classical music and dance! The double bill show features music from the extraordinary mandolin artiste U. Rajesh and dance from two of the greatest dancers on the Indian classical scene, Abimanyu & Vidha Lal.
So, whether your family are cultural veterans or simply just open to new experiences, you can grab your tickets now for this electrifying celebration of Indian culture that will have something to entice even the most apprehensive of family members.
For more information and a full line-up of events, visit milapfest.com/indika/
