The Indika Festival has established it’s self as one of the most significant festivals of Indian arts in Europe. Now in its fourth year, it brought together brilliant, innovative artists who created original concepts of collaboration and music making. The festival was held in conjunction with Milapfest who aim to unite heart through arts. It also brought together Indian dance, music and education to present at least four brand new European Premiers. Mesmerising morning ragas, delightful Doodles in the Dark and inspirational daily lecture demonstrations were also included.
The festival which ran from the 24th to the 31st July 2015 at the Capstone Theatre at Liverpool Hope University was well attended and contained a number of various artists including Anil Srinivasan who was in residence as a musical mentor to two of their national ensembles, Samyo and Tarang. He is a unique musician and was seen in various modes at this year’s festival.
Anil also responded to the mood of the festival atmosphere by performing in a unique, late night setting. This was called Doodles in the Dark. This was a set of three improvised sessions at the Cornerstone Buildings Grace Room and featured collaborators, themes and a few surprises along the way.
In the final session of the festival, there was a live performance by a First Half Madras String Quartet featuring artists including:
- VS. Narasimhan- First Violin
- Mohan Rao- Second Violin
- Sasikumar- Viola
- V.R Sekar- Cello
This was their first ever concert in Liverpool and combined South Indian Classical music with Western harmonic principles. After being founded in 1993 in Chennai, they performed the great compositions of Carnatic music to help integrate Indian and Western classical music.
In the second half of the concert, there was a Kathak dance performance by Prashant Shah. This was a tradition synonymous with its complex, rhythmical footwork, spins and storytelling. Prashant displayed energy, grace and power in equal abundance and uniquely blended modern and traditional approaches in his expression
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