[A] taste of India’s vibrant culture has been added to the Autumn programme at Tullie House Museum to celebrate Diwali – the Hindu festival of light.
On Saturday 21 October, Priya Sundar and a group of dancers and musicians will perform Bharartanatyam, a beautiful Indian classical dance form which uses hand gestures to tell stories in two special performances.
A 60-minute performance at 4pm is aimed at families and Priya will use spectacular movements and costume to tell stories from the Hindu religion.
A second performance, for adults will take place at 7pm and will last for an hour and a half.
Earlier in the day, a family drop-in session will take place where children will have the opportunity to decorate their own Diwali tea light holders and on Monday 23 October a second drop-in will involve Rangoli art creations with every day materials.
To coincide with the Indian half term activities, a small exhibition in the museum’s Atrium will also be on display from Saturday 7 October until Wednesday 25 October and includes four watercolour paintings that have never been on public display before. Dating from the turn of the 20th century these jewel-coloured works depict the joyous subject-matter of deities, dancing and dressing and provide a tantalising glimpse of how Britain viewed India during this time.
Anna Smalley, Head of Collections and Engagement said “this is a fantastic opportunity to bring out items from our collection that the public haven’t seen before. It is also a great opportunity to work with Priya and provide our visitors with the opportunity to learn more about, and celebrate other festivals.”
Anna added “we are still doing our usual October activities with pumpkin carving, ghost tours and Halloween crafts, but we are starting the week off with the Diwali themed drop-ins – it’s nice to be able to offer something different to our families.”
The drop-in sessions are free to families who have purchased one of the museum’s new annual tickets. Further details on all events, including prices can be found on the website www.tulliehouse.co.uk or by contacting the box office on 01228 618700.
