INDIKA

Indika is one of Europe’s largest festivals of Indian classical arts, taking place biennially in Liverpool for an entire week during November.  The festival offers something for everyone with an incredible mix of music and dance performance, talks, workshops and film all of which feature both internationally renowned and British talent. 

Milap’s INDIKA Festival returned to Liverpool in 2023 for 12 days celebrating Indian music, dance and culture. For the first time in its history, the festival took place across multiple venues in the city, giving a larger and more diverse audience the opportunity to enjoy the very best of Indian arts.

Milap’s Artistic Director & CEO, Alok Nayak, reflects on Indika 2023:

As I write this, it is exactly 4 weeks since the end of Indika 2023, a festival that has created some of our happiest memories. We’re grateful for the chance to share our passion for Indian arts and culture with people around the world, in live events and online productions, but this year, the new Indika was born in our Liverpool home, taking place over 12 days, 22 events in 9 different venues, and Milap produced new performances, introduced you to new artists, took Indian arts to places and people it had never reached before. Now, in our annual Christmas series, 12 days of Milap, we recount 1-12 November at the Indika Festival.

We loved meeting our new and returning audiences in brilliant spaces for Indian arts, ranging from Music Room, and The Unity, two venues we have visited since the 1990s, to new and unusual performance venues, like Bundobust, 92 degrees and The Reader at Calderstones Park, all perfect places to enjoy Indian arts and culture. The festival gave space to some incredible artists sharing their ideas, and we could also bring you two new Milap productions: Sita’s Magical Forest by Apsaras Arts (Singapore) and the new Indika Collective. This was a festival to uplift you, inspire you with ideas, and help transport you to different parts of the Indian subcontinent.

Indika is made distinctive and memorable by the city where it belongs, and the positive energy and vibes brought by the unique ingredients of its audiences, artists and supporters. Though Milap works across England and around the world, we know there’s nowhere else we could produce a festival quite like this.

Thank you!

INDIKA 2023: The highlights!

Day One – Wednesday, 1st November

Looking back at a beautiful sold out show with Shakir Khan and Shahbaz Hussain – Tabla at Liverpool Philharmonic’s Music Room… the perfect evening to launch Indika Festival 2023!

“Thank you for having us, it was a wonderful audience, and we love you Milap!” – Shakir Khan

“We had a fantastic concert tonight in Liverpool for Milap and The Indika Festival. Fantastic festival, fantastic audience, and we really really enjoyed it.” – Shahbaz Hussain

Day Two – Thursday, 2nd November

Looking back at two magical performances of Sita’s Magical Forest at The Unity Theatre, with Apsaras Arts Dance Company…

“The standard of every Milap event I have ever attendeded has always been unfailingly world class. I have been performing in and around Liverpool all my life and this organisation is the jewel in the City’s cultural crown beyond any doubt.” – Audience Member

Day Three – Friday, 3rd November

Looking back on a beautiful UK debut performance from the Sarod Sisters, accompanied by Kousic Sen at the Liverpool Philharmonic Music Room…

“a splendid 12-day extravaganza celebrating the diverse facets of Indian music, dance, arts, and culture” – World Music Central

Looking back on a wonderful #bharatanatyam performance from Mohanapriyan Thavarajah, presented by Apsaras Arts Dance Company…

“I feel absolutely delightful. Everywhere in the world where we take this production – it is very well received. Presented to an urban audience in a modern world, the themes are very relevant – and it transcends age barriers and other differences that we have. It has been a delightful journey bringing Parama Padam to the UK”. – Mohanapriyan Thavarajah

Day Four – Saturday, 4th November

Looking back on a mesmerising performance and spiritual experience, bringing many to tears. A beautiful moment with Harinie Jeevitha at The Unity Theatre.

”We were blessed to watch her performance. An amazing artist, a mesmerising performance. Thanks Milap for this wonderful opportunity.” – Audience Member

Day Five – Sunday, 5th November

Looking back on the moments captured at Talvin Singh’s headline performance at The Tung Auditorium…

“This is apparently only the second time they’ve played pieces from Talvin Singh’s new album, due out in 2024, though you’d never know it. Their musical prowess and ability to pick up on and run with each other’s cues makes for an evening’s entertainment that is as unrepeatably individual as it is deeply moving.” – Ed Barrett / Broken Spine Arts

Day Six – Monday, 6th November

“Our partnership with 92 Degrees was one of the most exciting new partnerships we embraced during Indika Festival! The opportunity to work together to showcase the amazing work of Indian and UK based artists, Innee Singh and Pritpal Ajimal, during the festival, broadened the festival offering, making Indian arts free and accessible to all. We really look forward to working with 92 Degrees in the years to come and thank Gerard and all his team for their support during the exhibitions and DJ sessions.” – Pravinder Singh, Head of Programmes & Planning

Looking back on a magical morning bringing families together…

Ran by the wonderful Story Hunters at The Storybarn at The Reader, children got to meet and interact with others, take part in Diwali inspired storytelling and create their own tales and craft.

Day Seven, Tuesday 7th November

Looking back at the Moore, Modarelli and Rayatt trio at Indika Festival…

“Hello, I am Gurdain Rayatt, and I’ve just been here performing with my colleagues and musician friends, Giuliano Modarelli on guitar and Olivia Moore on violin. We presented a lovely trio-performance, combining guitar, violin and tabla. We had done a number of trios during the lockdown period, so we’ve been able to present this live for Milap – at this beautiful auditorium, The Tung Auditorium. It’s great to be back here in #Liverpool, and we had a lovely time. The audience was very responsive – it’s great to be here, and to be a part of Indika Festival!” – Gurdain Rayatt, Tabla Player

Day Eight, Wednesday 8th November

Looking back on a wonderful evening of Bollywood classics, indian ragas, ghazals & contemporary music with Swati Natekar at Liverpool Philharmonic Music Room…

“It was a great experience to perform for Milap at Indika Festival in Liverpool. Everything from the organisation, up to the audience, everything was just amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed coming here and performing, along with my fabulous team for this audience, and for Milap. I wish them all the best and would love to work more with them in the future! I have done many concerts before with Milap – and all these years we’ve had a great collaboration.” – Swati Natekar

Day Nine, Thursday 9th November

Looking back on a brilliant collaboration from SJ Downes, Vedanth Bharadwaj and Richie Vegas, for Milap X Mellowtone…

“The two guitarists find lovely space between Eastern and Western influences. […] If there are nerves, then both Downes and Bharadwaj show no sign of them whatsoever. Completely lost in these new sound worlds they have created, it marks for a very nice evening indeed.” – Simon Kirk / Sun 13

Day Ten, Friday 10th November

Looking back at a mesmerising journey of dance and performance, The Forest Dream by Payal Ramchandani & ensemble…

“It was out of this world! We really enjoyed the performance tonight… so beautiful, and so touching.” – Audience member

Day Eleven, Saturday 11th November

Looking back at The Indika Collective, a fantastic group of musicians brought together especially for Indika Festival 2023…

“Such a beautiful evening of music poetry and music traversing time regions and philosophies. Thank you Milap, and Bindhumalini and team. You were all fantastic.” – Audience member  

Day Twelve, Sunday 12th November

The final day of Indika Festival 2023 concluded with a magnificent Milap X Bundobust Diwali Brunch!