Indian arts to feature prominently in Croydon’s ‘year of culture’

A South Asian arts organisation has been awarded a grant to deliver creative activities that will teach Croydon schoolchildren and community groups about the rich cultural heritage of India.

Subrang Arts is getting £23,661 from Arts Council England for the project, called Kalasetu, which will be part of Croydon’s London Borough of Culture celebrations, and the funding has come through the National Lottery Project Grants programme.

Subrang Arts will be teaming up with internationally renowned arts organisation Kinetika to deliver the project, which will have a focus on Batik silk painting – the art of decorating cloth using hot wax and dye.

In workshops led by the two organisations that will kick off in April, pupils from Norbury Manor Girls School, in Kensington Avenue, Thornton Heath, will research creative and cultural Indian traditions, including dance and design, and will also create 25 beautiful silk flags and 25 silk scarves.

The silk flags and scarves will be used by Subrang Arts at some of This is Croydon – The Mayor’s London Borough of Culture 2023’s flagship events, such as the Croydon Mela in Wandle Park on July 16 and the Croydon Carnival 2023.

Local community groups will also take part in workshops and will create a costume for an installation of a model Indian Queen, named ‘Mother India’ for the Croydon Mela.

Tonya Nelson, of Arts Council England, said: “Croydon’s year as The Mayor’s London Borough of Culture is a fantastic celebration of the creativity which is at the heart of the flourishing and multi-cultural South London borough.

“It will ensure that local people across a range of ages and backgrounds can come together, get creative, and celebrate the different people, backgrounds and heritages that are integral to Croydon’s vibrancy.”

Lata Desai, of Subrang Arts, said: “The project will reflect the borough’s unique diversity, diverse communities, rich heritage and cultural expressions.”

Pictured top: A Kinetika studio in Purfleet – a flavour of the arts and crafts that will be coming to Croydon in the months ahead (Picture: Sheena Patel)