Society of Poetry and Indian Music
News & Events (Upcoming & Current)
Tagore and Twilight | Asian Cultural Centre
From Jun 21, 2025 to Jun 21, 2025 in Manzil Way, Oxford OX4 1GH.
Asian Cultural Centre, Manzil Way, Oxford OX4 1GH
Saturday 21 June 2025 at 3pm
This is a collaborative concert presented by an acclaimed music group based in Oxford that predominately preaches Tagore's work - Udayan - its group performance and then, Saudha's haunting art-production Tagore and Twilight presented by one of the finest interpreters of Indian classical music Chandra Chakraborty and a prominent Belgian violinist Hans Vermeersch.
Curated by poet T M Ahmed Kaysher, Saudha's production will also feature presentation of visceral verses of Tagore by a talented poet and fictionist Shree Ganguly.
Chandra Chakraborty - One of the finest Hindustani classical vocalists, an author, a distinguished exponent of the Kirana Gharana, will grace the evening with her artistry. A national scholar and gold medallist of All India Radio, she trained under the legendary Pandit A. Kanan, Vidushi Malabika Kanan, and Padma Vibhushan Vidushi Girija Devi. Now based in London, Chandra is recognised as one of the leading exponents of North Indian classical and semi-classical vocal music in the UK.
Hans Vermeersch - internationally acclaimed, multiple award-winner violin soloist, will present a medley of violin repertoire. Hans has performed extensively across the globe and formerly conducted the Royal Harmony De Zeegalm en Strijkers in Knokke-Heist. A connoisseur of Indian fusion music, Hans has notably transcribed the works of Rabindranath Tagore into Western staff notation, bringing them to audiences worldwide.
The afternoon's programme will feature both solo and collaborative performances by Chandra Chakraborty and Hans Vermeersch. Short presentations by Udayan and Saudha will complement the concert, enriching the thematic tapestry of East and West in harmony.
Ticket link:
Saudha - Rhapsodies of River | Scottish Parliament
From May 19, 2025 to May 19, 2025 in Horse Wynd, Edinburgh EH99 1SP.
Scottish Parliament, Horse Wynd, Edinburgh EH99 1SP
Monday 19 May from 14:00 to 16:00
A haunting production of Indian classical, Bengali Folk Music and world-poetry that delves into the philosophical connotations of water.
Sponsored an facilitated by Mr Foysol Choudhury MSP, this production offers a seamless and mutually interpretative presentation of Indian classical, Bengali Folk Music and verses of poetry from a diverse cultural traditions, that, eventually intends to seek inner spiritual, anthropological, philosophical, poetic, metaphoric depth and beauty that rivers of the world carry within.
This unique art-productions features one of the finest Indian classical vocalists Chandra Chakraborty, a leading British-Indian poet and academic Prof Bashabi Fraser (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bashabi_Fraser), ), Professor Emeritus of art-history Murdo Macdonald (Murdo Macdonald HRSA - Bibliography | Royal Scottish Academy), poet T M Ahmed Kaysher ( poet T M Ahmed Kaysher (https://ahmedkaysher.wordpress.com/), A British-Tazakistani Bharatnatyam dancer Oxana Banshikova (https://www.cosmic-dance.com/oxana-banshikova.html), an acclaimed Scottish and Shaetlandian poet Christine De Luca (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_De_Luca), two talented Bharatnatyam dancers Debrata Pal & Tanwi Bhattacharya, Odissi dancer Shilpi Dhara, poet Donna Matthew, Dr Siddartha Kargupta, a Ukranian actor and spoken-word artist Kseniia Koziievska and more.
A world-leading filmmaker, a leading interpreter of South Asian cinema Goutam Ghose (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goutam_Ghose) will also appear at this production briefly and give a talk on life and river.
Free Registration link:
Saudha - Rhapsodies of Soul | Scottish Parliament Tickets, Mon, May 19, 2025 at 2:00 PM | Eventbrite
A Coffee Morning With Internationally Acclaimed Director Goutam Ghose
From May 12, 2025 to May 12, 2025 in The Mayor Parlour, 1 Town Square Dagenham,IG11 7LU.
The Mayor Parlour, 1 Town Square Dagenham,IG11 7LU
Monday 12 May at 9:30am
The Mayor of Barking & Degenhal in collaboration with Saudha invites you to this Coffee Morning - an interactive session with a a leading interpreter of Post-Satyajit Indian cinema Goutam Ghose ( Goutam Ghose - Wikipedia ), an Oscar nominated and internationally acclaimed director of Padmanodir Majhi, Paar, Moner Manush, Antarjali Jatra, Raahgir and many more.
A very limited capacity at the Mayor Parlour - so please book your position ASAP before this is run out.
Saudha with Director Goutam Ghose | Screening of 'In the Forest Again' | Leeds University
From May 20, 2025 to May 20, 2025 in 12 Cavendish Road, Woodhouse, Leeds LS2 3AR.
12 Cavendish Road, Woodhouse, Leeds LS2 3AR
Tuesday 20 May 2025 at 17:30
The Screening of an internationally acclaimed Indian film IN THE FOREST AGAIN ( ABAR ARANYE) + A Q/A session with the director Goutam Ghose at Lecture Theatre 1 (LT1) of Leeds University Music School.
Curated by Associate Professor of World Cinemas Dr Christopher Homewood and lecturer of music aesthetics of school of music at University of Leeds Dr Matt Pritchard and the director of Saudha poet Ahmed Kaysher, this session is featuring a screening of internationally acclaimed Indian Bengali film In The Forest Again, a unique interpretation of Satyajit Ray's Days and Nights in the Forest by a leading interpreter of Post-Satyajit Indian cinema Goutam Ghose ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goutam_Ghose), a critically acclaimed director of Padmanodir Majhi, Moner Manush, Antarjali Jatra, Raahgir and many more.
The film ( Abar Aranye - Wikipedia ) features the characters from Satyajit Ray 's Aranyer Din Ratri , returning to the forest over thirty years later. Asim, Sanjoy, Harinath and Aparna have grown old in this film; Shekhar has died. They set out on a journey to break off every link with civilisation for a few days. However, the trip turns sour when Asim and Aparna's daughter, Amrita, goes missing. It transpires that she is being held for ransom by local tribespeople. Police intervene and the kidnapped girl is returned to her parents, albeit against her own wishes.
The film starred Soumitra Chatterjee as Asim
- Sharmila Tagore as Aparna (wife of Asim)
- Subhendu Chatterjee as Sanjoy
- Gulshan Ara Akter Champa As Champa (wife of Sanjoy)
- Tabu as Amrita (daughter of Ashim & Aparna
The session is being hosted by Saudha in collaboration with The Centre for World Cinema and the School of Music of University of Leeds.
Registration link:
Saudha International Literature Festival | Sue Hubbard | David Lee Morgan | Snezhina Gulubova
From May 31, 2025 to May 31, 2025 in Kobi Nazrul Centre, 30 Hanbury Street, London, E1 6QR.
Kobi Nazrul Centre, 30 Hanbury Street, London, E1 6QR
Saturday 31 May 2025 at 17:30
The festival preaches the art and beauty of imagination, languages from different cultural heritages through talks, reading, performances.
This is part of Saudha's critically acclaimed literature Festival that contemplates on re-reading/ re-interpreting the works of literary giants of the world and explores the philosophical insights on many unconventional literary themes and movements through reading, performances, poetry-theatres, talks etc.
Curated by T M Ahmed Kaysher, this session mainly focuses on book-Lunch for three wonderful poetry books by three talented voices of this time in the UK – a British Bulgarian poet Snezhina Gulubova’s (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-Whispers.../dp/B0DQSVZCTF...) TIME WHISPERS, British American poet, fictionist and playwright David Lee Morgan’s (https://www.davidword.com/) HAITI AND THE WHIPPING MACHINE and an award-winning poet, novelist and art-critic Sue Hubbard’s (https://suehubbard.com/) Radium Dreams. So it entails reading from the book by authors, critical takes on the books by speakers – mainly poets/writers and academics - as well as a few more poetry performances by well-known spoken-word artists and other performers – dancers/ musicians.
Kobi Nazrul Centre has been offered as support in kind by Tower Hamlet Council.
Registration Link:
Saudha Bangla Music Festival | Keats House | Sonali & Amith Dey
From Jun 6, 2025 to Jun 6, 2025 in Keats House London, 10 Keats Grove, London NW3 2RR.
Keats House London, 10 Keats Grove, London NW3 2RR
Friday 6 June 2025 at 18:30
Saudha Bangla Music Festival is returning for the 12th year with presentations of wide genres of Bengali music by the best of UK & abroad.
Curated by a leading Indian classical singer Chandra Chakraborty and poet Ahmed Kaysher, the festival brings the evolution of exciting genres of Bengali music that originated from 730AD.
Counted as 'The largest and top presentations of Bengali music outside Indian subcontinent' - the festival presents diverse genres of Bengali music from ancient Charajapada, Vaishnav, Ramprasadi, Toppa to Ponchokobi and modern experimental music with English translation and relevant commentaries in different venues around London and other cities.
Registration link:
Saudha Bangla Music Festival | Keats House London Tickets, Fri, Jun 6, 2025 at 6:30 PM | Eventbrite
The session at Keats House is bringing the reflection and poetic affinity of Keats' idea Romanticism and Bengali / Indian classical and semi-classical romantic music in 19th century through haunting presentation of music & poetry by a very talented interpreter of indian classical music from India Srimati Sonali and a versatile British-Bengali singer Amith Dey. They will be accompanied on Tabla by Sri Aniruddha Mukherjee.
Saudha International Literature Festival | Manzu Islam | Godzilla & The Song Bird - Book launch
From Jun 14, 2025 to Jun 14, 2025 in Kobi Nazrul Centre, 30 Hanbury Street, London, E1 6QR.
Kobi Nazrul Centre, 30 Hanbury Street, London, E1 6QR
Saturday 14 June 2025 at 17:30
The festival preaches the art and beauty of imagination, languages from different cultural heritages through talks, reading, performances.
This is part of Saudha's critically acclaimed literature Festival that contemplates on re-reading/ re-interpreting the works of literary giants of the world and explores the philosophical insights on many unconventional literary themes and movements through reading, performances, poetry-theatres, talks etc.
Curated by T M Ahmed Kaysher, this session mainly focuses on book-Lunch for a very powerful fiction with extremely unique, original and intriguing storytelling called GODZILLA AND THE SONG BIRD by an acclaimed British Asian fictionist Manzu Islam.
Manzu Islam was born in East Pakistan (later Bangladesh) where he lived through the 1971 war, walking the swamps for weeks to reach the refugee camps in India, then returning to fight as a freedom fighter. He came to England as a political refugee and, after studying for a degree and working as a racial harassment officer in East London, he became interested in writing. He has a doctorate and taught at the University of Gloucestershire, specialising in postcolonial literature and creative writing. He has written four earlier books including The Mapmakers of Spitalfields (1997), an anthology of short stories set both in Bangladesh and the East End, Burrow (2004) about an illegal immigrant in East London and The Song of our Swampland (2011).
His writing grows out of his memories of Bangladesh and the experience of working as a racial harassment officer in East London at the height of the National Front provoked epidemic of ‘Paki-bashing’ which terrorised the lives of many Bangladeshis and other Asians in the area. Experiences from these years fed into the stories in The Mapmakers of Spitalfields, which reflect both the trauma of racism, but also the creativity and achievement of Bangladeshis remaking their lives in Britain. Equally, the stories that reflect on memories of Bangladesh focus both on the bloody atrocities of the civil war which brought Bangladesh independence from Pakistan and of a rich culture which sustains the exiled imagination in the deepest ways.
He is also the author of a non fiction book, The Ethics of Travel: from Marco Polo to Kafka (Manchester University Press, 1996) which explores the question: how is it possible for us to encounter those who are different from us - racially, culturally and geographically - and what are the consequences of such encounters?
Kobi Nazrul Centre has been offered as support in kind by Tower Hamlet Council.
Registration link:
Saudha Initiative - Planting Poetry, Music & Dance in the Park
From Jul 27, 2025 to Jul 27, 2025 in Victoria Park, Bandstand, Grove Road, London E3 5TB.
Victoria Park, Bandstand, Grove Road, London E3 5TB
Sunday 27 July 2025 from 1pm to 5pm
An ecstasy of #Music. #Dance & #Poetry in the #VictorialPark #London.
Please join us for an exciting #picnic in the park on Sunday 27 July from 2pm onward.
An ecstasy of #music . #dance & #Poetry at the lap of the nature in #VictorialPark featuring Saudha's wonderful line of poets, musicians and dancers.
The session is happening at the beautiful bandstand by the grove road entrance and nurtured by Friends of Victoria Park.
Registration link: