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 'Sadhana: A Tribute', a Singaporean tribute to Dr. Shovana Narayan- Dr. Siri Ramae-mail: sirirama@hotmail.com December 9, 2025 A major program, 'Sadhana: A Tribute' took place on November 23, 2025 in Singapore to honour Dr. Shovana Narayan for her immense contribution to Kathak and Indian classical arts. It was organised by the Global Indian Cultural Centre (GICC), which operates from the premises of Global Indian International School (GIIS), a cultural community hub in Singapore, in collaboration with Praya Dance. The GICC team consisted of Sarita Alurkar, Senior Director and Head, and Rimpy Narula, Singapore Coordinator for GICC. Sarita Alurkar said, "This event reaffirmed our mission of creating meaningful cultural experiences for the entire community in Singapore. Sadhana: A Tribute, aligned with our ongoing commitment to organise events that enrich, inspire and bring people together through the arts and continue to be a cultural hub for the Indian community in Singapore."  GICC in recent times has been at the forefront at organising major cultural events, with another recent event organised by the centre, celebrating the legendary dancer Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam, that also drew together all the major arts Singapore organisations offering Bharatanatyam. GICC played a central role in conceptualising and hosting the tribute event by curating the programme and coordinated with the participating institutes and facilitated all organisational aspects - from venue arrangements to ensuring a seamless flow of performances. Ms Pooja Tillu, Deputy High Commissioner of India to Singapore, was the esteemed Guest of Honour. The event also featured international book launch of Dr. Shovana Narayan's biography by author Dr. Maya Parijat. 'I Am a Fleeting Moment in Time' is an in-depth biography that traces Dr. Shovana Narayan's life journey - from her early training in Kathak to her rise as one of India's most respected classical dancers. The book highlights her artistic vision, her pioneering approach to storytelling through dance, her scholarly pursuits, and her role as a cultural ambassador shaping the global understanding of Kathak. One of the enriching segments of 'Sadhana: A Tribute' was the deeply insightful 'on stage' chat with Dr. Shovana, led by Singapore's Cultural Medallion holder (which is equivalent to Padma Awards in India), Aravinth Kumarasamy. Through thoughtful questions and meaningful reflections, the conversation opened a window into Dr. Shovana's artistic journey, philosophy, research and the layers of thought that shape her work.  Aravinth Kumarasamy (Apsaras Arts Academy), Meenakshy Bhaskar (Bhaskar's Arts Academy), Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society (SIFAS), and senior students of Dr. Shovana like Puja Rajeev participated in the event in a spirit of collaboration. All the participating organisations came together to honour Dr. Shovana by offering a lotus flower, symbolising the collective pranam of the Kathak community in Singapore to her extraordinary legacy. The event was well attended and showed the soft power of Indian classical arts in creating bridges between Indian artistes and the diaspora at large.  Dr. Siri Rama is a lecturer, author, performer, choreographer , instructor and research scholar of Indian classical dance and cultural traditions. She holds a doctoral degree in dance research from The University of Hong Kong (Dept. of Fine Arts) and has taught as adjunct faculty at Singapore Management University, Indian Institute of Information Technology (India) and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts- Singapore. Siri has authored a book, 'Dance Divine: Dancing Deities of India' (2021), Shubhi Publications (New Delhi). |
