For the first time in its history, the prestigious Sadler's Wells will witness a sensuous Indian summer this month. A festival bringing combinations of the best of Indian musicians and dancers to London, Sangeetham will foster new explorations of the dual strands of Carnatic and Hindustani styles and the dance forms of south India. Master proponents of the classical forms will be complemented by young blood in a range of styles and artistic synergies that glorify the continuity of tradition through individual innovation. There will be performances by Alarmel Valli (Bharatnatyam) and Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (Chitra Veena) among others.

Being a Good Sport

Kapil Dev with Shilpa Shetty at the award ceremony

The theme of the evening at London's Hilton could well have been double. Ask Tushar Patel, who won the Personality of the Year Award for up-and-coming British Asian sports personality of the year (wheelchair racing) constituted by SET Sports. What made the occasion doubly pleasurable was that he got the award from cricketing icon Kapil Dev. "I was shocked when my name was announced. It was an exceptional night," gushed Patel. "I never imagined that I would meet Dev one day!" Giving away awards to Kam Aujla (taekwondo; personality of the year), Gavin Heeroo (footballer; junior sports personality), Aarti Thobhani (taekwondo; female junior sports personality), Tom John (badminton; outstanding coach) and Abdul Ahmed (football; outstanding achievement), Dev said, "I feel that second and third generation British Asians are now exploring new career avenues and sport is high on the agenda. It is also nice to see that cricket isn't the only sport on the menu." Double realisation, see?

What the Deuce!

Bhupati (left); Paes with Navratilova

It has been mixed fortunes for former doubles' partners Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati at the US Open. Paes perished early in both the mixed and men's doubles but not before hogging the headlines for partnering tennis legend Martina Navratilova to an upset of the top seeds in the first round. Bhupati, on the other hand, has had a good run, reaching the quarter-finals with his new partner Max Mirnyi. Bhupati, bothered by his shoulder, has decided to take a couple of weeks off after the Open. Meaning, he has to pick between playing in the Davis Cup or the Asian Games. "Since the Games come once in four years, I would prefer playing there." And that will also be the moment when the pair is united again under the Indian flag. Stepping stone to a fresh reunion? Bhupati is non-committal. "We haven't thought about it and not spoken about it either. No reason to do so." Ouch!

Commercial Break

For a long time, scriptwriter Sabrina Dhawan kept refusing offers that came her way for lack of something exciting enough. Then Monsoon Wedding happened and things changed. Now the co-author of the hit flick is poised to notch one in that biggest of all commercial leagues: Bollywood, courtesy a script for a Yash Chopra film. "It is quite reassuring and wonderful. Bollywood has always been accused of not having a fine story," says Dhawan, who will temporarily move to Mumbai. Trust her to change the perception.

War and Piece

It's the fade-in, fade-out story, where the end of the protagonist merges into new beginnings for Independent India. Add to it two sisters who are society ladies and princesses to boot, some romance, lesbianism for good measure, a colonial Britain, sentiments of nationality and the chutzpah of The Maharajah's Daughters is complete. The play, set in 1893 against the backdrop of Britain, is presented by the critically acclaimed Asian theatre company Mehtab, which continues its success with national productions that started with Kali Salwar and Madhuri I Love You. The Maharajah's Daughters, written by Clive Bradley and directed by David Meyer, is to be presented at the Oval Theatre, London. From 1893 till 1948, the play traverses a long history. Now let's wait for its run.

No Playful Banter

A series of cultural events are to be held all over New York to mark the first anniversary of the September 11 disaster. Barriers, a new play by Rehana Mirza, premieres this week and captures the impact of the tragedy on an average South Asian family. Essentially, it focuses on the dilemma faced by South Asian Americans while dealing with the disaster and how they are handling the suspicion and racism of the surrounding communities.

Divine Presence

Birthday celebrations of the gods is serious business. No wonder over 55,000 people converged on the grounds of the Bhaktivedanta Manor, Hare Krishna temple, near Watford, for Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna. Pilgrims queued for hours to have a moment's audience with the deity, decorated in semi-precious stones and silks. "The Janmashtami festival took months of preparation with a workforce of 800 volunteers who worked on the grounds weeks in advance," said Radh Mohan Das of Bhaktivedanta temple. Activities over the weekend included drama, dance, music, multi-media shows and exhibitions. George Harrison had donated the manor to Srila Prabhupada, the founder of iskcon, in 1973. It has now become an important place of pilgrimage combining religious worship with community education, priestly training and cultural and social events.

-Bureau reports