RATHA YATRA FESTIVAL OF INDIA 2025 STAGE SCHEDULE

Hi There! You are early! We are working on our 2025 live cultural entertainment auditions and schedule. If you are interested in bringing your talents to our festival stage as a musician, dancer, etc., please contact our Artist Program Coordinator below. Here is a sample of previous years’ artists featured at Montreal’s Ratha Yatra Festival of India.

Artist Biographies

Ashima Singh learned Kathak under the guidance of gurus late Pdt. Arjun Mishra and his son, Anuj Mishra, in Lucknow, followed by Luna Poddar in Kolkata. She started learning Kathak at the young age of 5 in 2000 and completed a 5 year course from the Prayag Sangeet Samiti. She performed in avenues such as Doordarshan Lucknow, Kala Mandir and Gyaan Manch in Kolkata. Aashima has attended workshops conducted by Pdt. Birju Maharaj in Kolkata for 3 years. Currently living in Toronto and working as a software engineer, she is continuing to perform at different avenues in Montreal such as NexGen, Artasia, Natyanjali, Festival Orientalys, the Ratha Yatra Festival of India Montreal and for other programmes organized by the India Canada Association of Montreal. She also teaches semi-classical and Bollywood workshops in her spare time.

Akhila Sannapuri is from Hyderabad, Telangana, India. She’s a professional Kuchipudi Classical Dancer with 18 years of learning experience and 4 years of teaching experience. She has performed more than 200 times on stage nationally and internationally. Her Gurus are Jwalamukhi Pinna Garu (Doordarshan “A” Grade Artist) and Chinta Ravi BalaKrishna Garu (Bismillah Khan Awardee). Under the guidance of Jwalamukhi Garu, she completed the Certificate Course in Kuchipudi Dance in the year 2016 at Potti SreeRamulu Telugu University, Nampally, Hyderabad-India. She completed a diploma course in Kuchipudi Dance in the year 2018 at Potti Sree Ramulu Telugu University, Nampally, Hyderabad-India. Under the guidance both of her gurus and Pasumarthi Keshav Prasad Garu (Late), she completed a Master’s Degree (MA-Kuchipudi) in the year 2021 at Krishna University, Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. She has participated in State and District Level Youth Festivals and achieved 1st place in Kuchipudi Dance, 2nd in Folk Dance. She performed folk dances like Lambaddi, Bathukamma Dances, and Dhimsa.

Anita Pandey is a Toronto-based Kathak dancer, choreographer, and educator. She received advanced training in Kathak under Guru Urmila Sharma in India, and expanded her movement vocabulary through a mentorship with Tanveer Alam. Among several highlights as a dance artist, Anita recently completed a Canada tour with the Kathak production Khoj (Usha Gupta Dance Ensemble), performed as a solo artist for Festival du Monde Arabe for a sold-out audience at Theatre Rialto, and was awarded first place in the Sangeet Natak Akademi state-level competition. Currently, Anita is developing a new dance work, Astitva, in collaboration with Gouri Kundu with support from the Waterloo Region Arts Council. As an educator, Anita is employed in the capacity of a workshop facilitator with Dance ‘N’ Culture Inc., Arts Etobicoke, and several other organizations across the Greater Toronto Area. Anita teaches at her self founded school with three branches currently open in Toronto and Montreal.

Arjun Ashok started learning Carnatic Music at the age of 10 from Smt. Bhagyalakshmi Ganesan in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. Since then, he has participated and won prizes in several Carnatic Music competitions. Arjun performed at the Pongal music festival of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Coimbatore in 2019 under the upcoming artists category. Since 2022, Arjun has been under the guidance of Vidwan Bharat Sundar, focusing on advanced Krithis and Manodharma. Arjun performs regularly in and around Montréal. Music aside, Arjun is a Research Scientist at ServiceNow Research and a PhD Student in AI at Université de Montréal.

Bader Soma discovered kirtan in 2016. He then went on a six-month pilgrimage in India. Since 2018, Bader started performing kirtan often. On the 16th of April, 2022, Bader released his first kirtan album of original compositions entitled “Govinda’s Grace” in Montreal, in which he sang, played guitar, piano, and harmonium. He then went on a tour to share the album in Toronto, New York, and at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. Bader also organizes kirtan events, retreats, and festivals. The Kirtan Festival Celebration in Mascouche was attended by 300+ people last year.

Bader is now working on his second album “From Here to Eternity.” It will be released later this year. Bader will also be sharing original kirtan melodies during the 2024 Ratha Yatra Festival of India

https://badersoma.com/

https://www.facebook.com/purnimastudios/

https://www.instagram.com/badersoma108/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2hLhLfBIZncph1OSOQi9QW?si=H4gO8aHSR7-MvdvOIdqsNQ

https://soundcloud.com/badersoma

CaMaLa: The Classical Music-Loving Adults Group is an informal group of experts in various types of classical music. Catch CaMaLa’s creative passion, love and enjoyment for music in a range of new themes and contexts at diverse platforms.

Deeksha Arya and Maitri Arya began their trysts with Bharatanatyam at the young ages of six years at the Prabhath Academy for Music and Performing Arts under chief choreographer and instructor Guru Smt. Nirmala Madhava. The sisters continued their Bharatanatyam classes under the tutelage of Guru Kalamandalam Smt. Usha Datar at the Datar Institute of Fine Arts. They completed their junior and senior level exams in the art form, conducted by the Karnataka State Education Board, as well as their Bharatanatyam Arangetrams, with the guidance of Guru Sri Karthik Datar. In addition, they have given over 100 dance performances and performed in multiple cultural events across India, and now in Canada. Having relocated to two different cities to pursue their higher education, the sisters began conceptualizing, choreographing, and producing virtual dance videos, laying emphasis to perfecting coordination to simulate an in-person performance. Both Deeksha and Maitri are also training in Mohiniattam under Guru Smt. Dhanya Santhosh since 2013 and have performed the dance form at multiple festivals. The sisters regularly volunteer for social causes alongside pursuing professional careers and strive to maintain a perfect balance between all these interests.

Medha Srinivasan is currently a student at McGill University, pursuing a BSc in Physiology with a minor in Neuroscience. Her journey in Carnatic vocal music began at the age of 2 under the tutelage of her mother, Smt. Sree Meenakshi Srinivasan. She continued her training with Smt. Uma Kumar, granddaughter of Vidwan Sathur A.G.Subramaniam. For the past 15 years, she has devoted herself to Carnatic vocal music under the guidance of Dr. Subba Narasiah, a disciple of Sangeetha Kalanidhi Vidwan Nedunuri Krishnamurthy. Medha has performed extensively on stage in Montreal and Ottawa, both as a soloist and in group and dance performances.

Rajesh Chenthy will perform a classical Bharatnatyam dance at this year’s festival.

Saranya Rajesh’s passion for dance started since childhood since her first guru was her mother, a dance teacher. Her trainings consisted of kathakali under guru Thiruvattar Jagadeesam from the age of 8 and Mohiniattam dance training under the guidance of Guru Smt Kshemavathi, Guru Sreedevi Unni and Sri Venkatesh. Saranya has performed on various stages in India and Canada and also had an opportunity to represent India in Greece with her dance gurus. Saranya is also an IT professional and a Mother of two.

Dr. R. Saraswati Sainath is the Founder-Director of Vidyasthanam: School of Indian Music, Culture and Languages. She had her training in Veena notably under Srimati Jnanam Chudamani, disciple of the legendary Veena player Srimati Ranganayaki Rajagopalan. Saraswati has given Veena performances in India and in Canada. She has given many performances in St. John’s, Newfoundland, at the Hindu Temple, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Friends of India Association and Multicultural Women’s Association. In Montréal she has performed at McGill University, Durgai Amman Temple, PorchFest NDG and Hindu Mandir to name a few. She is a regular performer at Bharatiya Sangeetha Sangham, Montréal and actively participates in its activities. She teaches Veena, Vocal and Sanskrit for students in Canada and in India. Dr. Sainath is performing a veena instrumental duo with her student and daughter:

Aparna Sainath started learning Veena at the age of four under her mother and Guru Dr. R. Saraswati Sainath. She performed her Arangetram on August 13, 2022. She performs regularly for the Bharatiya Sangeetha Sangham, Montréal, and has also given a Youth Performance. She participates at the various events of Vidyasthanam. She has performed at the Tamilagam Québec Music Festival, PorchFest NDG, at musical events organized by the Sri Lankan Tamil community, Durgai Amman Temple, Montréal and at the recent Tamilagam Québec Tamil New Year Celebrations. Besides the Veena, Aparna is also trained in vocal music and enjoys being involved in artistic activities.

Shreyas Gowrishanker began learning Carnatic vocal music at the age of 9. He began his training under Smt. Uma Kumar, granddaughter of Vidwan Sathur A.G.Subramaniam and continued his instruction with Smt.Vidya Srikanth. He then began learning from Dr. Narasiah, a disciple of Sangitha Kalanidhi Vidwan Nedunuri Krishnamurthy. He currently learns from Dr. Gokul Chandramouli Iyer. Shreyas has several on-stage performances to his credit, as a soloist and in group performances, He has also participated in the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana.

Sridevi Acharya’s dance journey began at age five, with the encouragement of her mother and she started learning Kuchipudi dance from a local tutor. Further classical dance training was pursued under the guidance of Dr. P. B. Krishna Bharathi, disciple of Late Padma Shri Dr. K. Shobha Naidu at Pallavi Academy Hyderabad. With over 15 years of learning experience, Sridevi continued to deepen her love for dance: dance remained a constant source of joy and motivation. Echoing the words of Kathak maestro Shri. Birju Maharaj, “The art will never ditch you.” Sridevi continued to practice during visits to India and has performed on various local, national, and international stages, participating in Dance Ballets like ‘Kaliya Mardanam’ and solo pieces such as ‘Shabdams,’ ‘Keertanas, thilanas and ‘Tarangams.’ Sridevi was also featured as a background classical dancer in movies and tele-serials. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Kuchipudi Dance from Silicon Andhra University under the guidance of Dr.Yashoda Thakore, Dr. Anupama kylash and Yamini kurati.

To share this beautiful art with the next generation, two years ago Sridevi founded “Sri Nrityalayam” – The Kuchipudi Dance Academy. Lessons are available both online and offline. Sridevi’s goal is to spread the joy of dance and continue the legacy of this art form.

Sudeshna Maulik is a spectacularly talented Indian Classical dancer based in Canada and India. She maintains an active performing arts career that spans North America, Europe and Asia.

Sudeshna Maulik has been studying Indian dance since the age of seven, beginning her training in Calcutta, India, under teacher and guru Pt. Chitresh Das, and went on to study with Shri Ram Bharatiya Kala Kendra in New Delhi and at the National Kathak Institute under the mentorship of Padmabhibhushan Birju Maharaj. She has been a part of numerous productions for more than one decade in India and abroad, which has been sponsored by the I.C.C.R., I.T.D.C, and numerous Dance Companies Internationally. She is a graded artist in Delhi Doordarshan (National Television) and has performed in C.P.C. (Central Production Center) in different ballets choreographed by Guru Pundit Birju Maharaj Ji, Kumudini Lakhia, and Aditi Mangal Das amongst many other revered teachers of the art. A renowned performer in India, Maulik has danced in Russia, China, Taiwan, the United States, and all over Europe, and given workshops and lecture-demonstrations all over the world.

Since 2007, Mrs. Maulik has adopted Montreal (Canada) as her second home. Since then in this short span, she has accomplished participating in major dance festivals like Kalanidhi International festival (Toronto), Dancing on the edge (Vancouver) , Kathak Mahotsava (Toronto), Festival Du Monde (Sherbrooke), Halifax multicultural fest (Halifax), to name but a few. The majority of her work and activities have been accepted and supported by Canada Council for the Arts and the Quebec Arts Council who recognized her talent by honouring her with grants. She has been sincerely teaching in Montreal and established a Montreal Indian dance ensemble, a collective of talented dancers who are dedicated towards propagating Indian dance, More….

https://www.sudeshnamaulik.com/

https://www.facebook.com/danceskathak

https://www.instagram.com/sudeshnamaulik

https://www.youtube.com/@theartofkathak

Uwe Neumann

Recipient of the Ravi Shankar Memorial Award, Uwe Neumann is a performer, teacher and lover of Indian Classical music and culture. Undergoing 10 years of full time training in the 90’s with sitar maestro Pandit Indranil Bhattacharya, Uwe received a Bachelors and Masters degree from the Indian University in Shantiniketan with a scholarship of ICCR and a Merit scholarship from the Indian Government. He has been receiving advanced training from Sri Partha Bose since 2009.

Since founding Ragleela in 1990, Uwe has performed at major classical and world-music events in India, Europe and the Americas.

On December 31st, 1999 he performed a Millennial concert on the shores of the river Ganges in Benares. Guests of honour included H.H. the Dalai Lama and now Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a live audience of over 10,000 spectators.

Uwe arrived in Canada in the year 2000 and has been sharing the treasures of this music at more than 500 concerts. Highlights include the Montreal International Jazz Festival, Cultural Festival in Zacatecas, Mexico, International Theater Festival in Sibiu, Romania, Collingwood Music Festival, Sunfest and Summerfolk in Ontario, Festival des Traditions du Monde in Sherbrooke, with the Symphony Orchestra of World Musicians in Montreal, the Festival Musique Multi Montreal, Diversity, Starbelly, Vancouver Folk- and Artswells Festivals in BC…

Aside from his work with Ragleela, Uwe has also performed with his Indian classical group Sitaria, being accompanied by E. Shankar, Jagjit Singh, Shawn Mativetsky, Hindole Mazumder, Subir Dev, Subhen Chatterjee, Debasish Das, Subhajyoti Guha and Partha Sarathi Mukherjee on tablas.

https://u-we.live/

https://www.facebook.com/sitaruwe

https://www.youtube.com/user/sitaruwe

https://ragleela.bandcamp.com/

For the Program Coordinator, please contact:

(514) 260-3889