Sampad

We had a wonderful day contributing to the celebrations for the first year anniversary of the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital this week

👏 Thanks to all the artists and to Sampad's Interim Executive Director, Bhavik Parmar for being an excellent MC and getting everyone involved

Announcing Sampad's Ujala Season for Diwali 2025 - Sampad As the nights draw longer, Sampad are proud to announce a a vibrant and varied programme for Diwali. Join us to mark the Festival of Lights with dance, music, family […]

As the nights draw longer, Sampad are proud to announce a varied Diwali programme.

Join us to mark the Festival of Lights with dance, music, family celebrations & schools offers... there's something for everyone 🎇

Read more at sampad.org.uk/news/announcing-sampads-ujala-season-for-diwali-2025/

Looking back at South Asian Heritage Month with Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust - Sampad As we wrap up our summer programme, Sampad Executive Director Bhavik Parmar looks back on a brilliant partnership with the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust. Sampad were thrilled to […]

Today we have a new blog from Bhavik, looking back at a brilliant partnership with the Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust.

Read more at sampad.org.uk/news/looking-back-at-south-asian-heritage-month-with-sandwell-and-west-birmingham-nhs-trust/

News for teachers
💻 Sampad Associate Schools invite you to an online Q&A, Mon 22 Sept 4.30pm. We'll talk you through and answer Qs on our latest workshops, TiE, new projects, and much more. If you prefer to just listen, that's fine :)

Read more & request link here:
sampad.org.uk/event/sas-on...

🔸 Midday Mantra Artist Announcement 🔸
Gurdain Rayatt will be joining Satwinder Pal Singh at Midday Mantra

A tabla musician who has performed with many notable legends of the Indian Classical music

Sat 20 Sept, 1pm. Jennifer Blackwell Space, Symphony Hall
£5 🎟 sampad.org.uk/event/midday...

Poppy Jaman is a well-known leader in field of mental health awareness & care. She engages with communities & workplaces to devise mental health help projects.

Join us for Chai & Chat: My Marathon Sari with Poppy Jaman

📌 Thur 25 Sept, 6pm
🔸 Midlands Arts Centre,
🔹 Book: sampad.org.uk/events/

A table of brightly coloured felt material and hands seen working it.

🍂 Our Create & Change autumn workshops at Dolphin Women's Centre begin next week, with artist, Gugan Gill.

The craft sessions will introduce the group to the work of different SA women artists & offer space for the group to freely create

To get involved here:
sampad.org.uk/projects/cre... 🍂

Rekesh Chauhan, pianist and composer sitting at piano. Angle is face on.

🎵 2 Weeks Left to Apply
Sampad's £1000 music bursary closes on Mon 22 Sept (9am)

Are you a new or emerging musician specialising in string instruments? Apply for this amazing opportunity to perform a composition by Rekesh Chauhan with the CBSO

More details here 👇
sampad.org.uk/news/sampad-...

We're looking back to Padma Bhushan Pandit Ajoy Chakarabarty's visit to the city last month. A sublime evening of Hindustani music at B'ham Rep

Thank you to everyone who attended. Special thanks to Sanchita Pal, Bhavna Chaudhary, Anvaya Ganguly, Ajoy & his musicians & many others

Photos @gr_sohail

Commonwealth Symphony 2026 – Sampad Music Bursary - Sampad Sampad South Asian Arts and Heritage is delighted to offer a £1,000 music bursary to a new or emerging musician specialising in string instruments with a timbre similar to South Asian instruments such...

Artist Call-Out 🎶 Apply for Sampad's £1000 Music Bursary

We're delighted to offer a bursary to a new or emerging musician specialising in string instruments with a timbre similar to instruments such as the sitar, sarangi or veena (examples only).

Read more & apply:
sampad.org.uk/news/sampad-...

News for Schools 📣 Sampad Associate Schools have just announced Ujala: A Celebration of Diwali

The visiting artists will work with pupils to explore some of the less well known stories of Diwali & share some of the traditions that Hindu & Sikh families follow

Oct 2025
sampad.org.uk/ujala_school...

Our Learning Team have had a wonderful and busy end to our academic year. Read Gill's blog (Sampad's Learning Manager) about the varied work we have been doing, as she shares her Summer Term highlights.

Summer 2025 round-up from #sampadassociateschools
sampad.org.uk/news/summer-...

Devdas film poster featuring actor Aishwarya Rai holding a lit diya lamp

Be part of the movie experience at the outdoor screening of Devdas this Sat 16 Aug
Learn and have fun doing a few easy moves with a popular song from the film then join in when it's performed on screen! 💃🕺
Workshop 6.30pm. Outdoor Arena, Midlands Arts Centre

macbirmingham.co.uk/cinema/devdas

🔥Looking back at Midsummer Masti! Thank you to:

Dancers: India Island, Purbanat, Chitraleka, Bengali Association, Anjali Dance.

Creative team: Jaya Khazaei, DJ Palak, Vimal Korpal, Dharmesh Rajput, Sharonjit Kaur Sutton, Midlands Arts Centre & of course Team Sampad!

#SouthAsianHeritageMonth2025

It’s such an honour to be welcoming the revered Padma Bhushan Pt Ajoy Chakrabarty to Birmingham. ✨
Final rehearsals of the curtain raiser ensemble Sur-Nandan, led by @sanchitapalofficial are taking place ahead of this evening’s concert!
🎟️ Final tickets available via sampad.org.uk

Thank you Koyel Bhattacharya, Kuntal Das and Sagar Jilka for a 'mesmerising' Midday Mantra performance last Saturday ▶️ Watch the video to hear more audience comments.

Events for your calendar

📌 25 Jul - Ajoy Chakarabarty (few tkts left)
📌 3 Aug - Midsummer Masti
📌 20 Sep - Midday Mantra
#SAHM2025

Padma Bhushan Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty's long awaited UK tour comes to Birmingham Rep this Friday, 25 July. Hear the sublime artistry of masterful musician, guru and living legend

📷 from Ajoy's UK tour

"Just outstanding, mind-blowing" audience member comment

Tkt link:
sampad.org.uk/event/ajoy-c...

📣 Today marks the start of #SouthAsianHeritage Month2025! We thought it was the perfect time to re-introduce Sampad, and launch our new look ✨

🔸Across the next month for #SAHM2025, we’ll be sharing more of our story, our work and taking a trip down memory lane.

Image: Birmingham Weekender Parade

Indian classical musicians Koyal Battacharya singing and Kuntal Das playing tabla

This Saturday, Koyel Bhattacharya and Kuntal Das will be joined by keyboard player, Sagar Jilka for Midday Mantra: Summer Serenade

Join us and B:Music for semi-classical and popular Hindi songs 🎶 The concert starts 1pm

From £5, U16s Free
sampad.org.uk/event/midday...

1 teacher standing reading to 4 crouching teachers in a workshop

A group of teachers sitting on chairs in a circle formation at workshop

⌛️ How time flies in a school year. So much growth and change 😊

This academic year we've worked with 60 teachers providing CPD sessions

“This was great. So much variety and felt very enabled going forward.”

Teachers - look at our Sampad Associate Schools packages:
sampad.org.uk/.../sampad-a...

Bhushan Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty is busy making his way around the UK on his long awaited tour and we're looking forward to welcoming Ajoy and his masterful ensemble to B'ham Rep on Friday 25 July

Tickets for the concert can be booked at:
sampad.org.uk/events

▶️ Tour clip from his London concert

Only 2 weeks to go until Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty performs his joyous music at Birmingham Rep

🌟 A legend of Indian music - his UK tour brings him to Birmingham on Fri 25 Jul, 6.30pm

The concert opens with Sanchita Pal leading the Sur-Nandan ensemble

Get your Ajoy tickets at sampad.org.uk/events

In Bahadurpur with Anandita Khan - Sampad Written by Mia Goldberg Photography by Asif Musaddeque As a part of the British Council funded Neel Akash [Blue Sky], artist and collaborator Anandita Khan travelled to Bahadurpur – a […]

Click here to read about Anandita's visit to Bahadurpur, learning more about the impacts of climate change in rural Bangladeshi villages here...

The session attendees with Piali Ray (Sampad director) Rashmi Becker (step change studios) and guest speaker Abigail. They are all smiling at the camera.

Some attendees work on teaching dance to those who use wheelchairs, by remaining seated. They have one arm outstretched in the air.

Dancers with both arms outstretched in the air. This time they are working with Abigail, who uses a wheelchair, whilst the rest of them stand.

The group listen to Abigail. They sit on the studio floor whilst she speaks at the front.

A little over a week ago we collaborated with the Dance Leaders Group, hosting a session with Rashmi Becker from Step Change Studios on Disability Awareness and Inclusion for South Asian dance.

We regret to inform you that the Kalam session scheduled in Birmingham stands cancelled due to an unfortunate bereavement in Divya Prakash Dubey's family yesterday.

Our heartfelt condolences to Divya and his loved ones during this difficult time.

Origami boats laid out on wooden floor, each one used by children to talk about what they have learnt about and dream of in the future

Anandita Khan, a Bangladeshi dancer and current Sampad resident artist, in black trousers and top, her arm outstretched in front of her face, as her legs lunge backwards, one knee on the floor. She is mid dance.

A boat detailing 'I wish for everyone to be safe' written by one of the children.

A boat detailing 'I hope that there are more opportunities to be educated' written by a child.

Some shots from our visit to Yardley primary school on Tuesday, discussing climate change with year 5 and 6 children & engaging them through a dancer performance and origami workshop led by Anandita Khan 🥁

image of Sanchita Pal holding tanpura instrument

Fri 25th July at B'ham Rep, Pandit Ajoy Charabarty's concert brings together top classical musicians from across the globe

Curtain raiser is from Sanchita Pal, leading light of N. Indian Classical vocal music plus students of Sur-Nandan ensemble 🎶

Fri 25 Jul, 6.30
🎟️ sampad.org.uk/event/ajoy-c...

“I feel my ancestors, my power and my Divine energy when I drape a sari.”

Today we have another Sari Stories spotlight to celebrate pride month 🏳️‍⚧️

In her story, Mia Weston spoke about the connection between her gender expression and heritage.

🗓️ Sari Stories runs at MAC until 19th October.

⛅️ Bangladeshi dancer Anandita Khan has arrived in Birmingham for Neel Akash.

Translating to ‘Blue Sky,’ Neel Akash is an R & D project which explores the impact of the climate emergency on Bangladeshi communities.

Follow along on to see how the project develops!

Funded by the British Council.

Koyal

📣 Midday Mantra Artist Announcement

Settle down for a Summer lunchtime concert of excellent Indian classical vocal music from Koyel Bhattacharya and Kuntal Das on tabla.

☀️Midday Mantra: Summer Serenade
🔹Saturday 19 July, 1pm. £5
sampad.org.uk/event/midday...