EXCLUSIVE: After its major success in 2016, Britain’s biggest Gujarati cultural festival, Rangeelu Gujarat by Red Lotus Events, is back with a bang. The event ropes in prominent brands – mainstream and South-Asian – to promote the three-day event which takes place on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of September at Roe Green Park in Kingsbury, London. Follows the tagline #OWNIT, as a way to encourage British Gujaratis to embrace their roots and heritage. The festival also has the support of Brent Council.
An exclusive feat is having Kumon, the UK’s largest supplementary education provider, has been secured as the Educational Partner for the event. Nikolina Tekeloglou – Kumon Area Manager says: “Kumon is thrilled to be supporting the Rangeelu Gujarat festival! We are looking forward to learning more about the culture of Gujarat and meeting many local families. It will be a great chance to share how Kumon can support your children not just with Maths and English but also to realise their full potential! Please come and meet your local Instructors at the event and find out more about our programmes.”
Filme Shilmy is also on board as the Digital Media Partner. Other established brands like HSBC, Habib Bank AG Zurich, Shana Foods, Sony TV and Lyca Radio are also key partners/sponsors of the event. Gujarat’s first-ever streaming platform, OHO, founded by acclaimed filmmaker Abhishek Jain (Bey Yaar), is the official OTT Partner.
Kulvinder Singh Shokar – Business Development Manager (International Propositions, Indian Diaspora at HSBC conveys: “HSBC UK is delighted to be a sponsor of the Rangeelu Gujarat Festival. Community is at the heart of our local banking and the event is a great chance for HSBC UK to be a part of the community in which we live, work and serve. We are extremely excited! Please come and meet the team and find out more about our services and the support we can offer for financial well-being.”
On our social media, we announced the first confirmed artist, Hardik Chauhan. Based in Germany, Chauhan is a bioengineer-turned-singer who is known for the fusion of Gujarati folk music with Collegium Vocale. Homegrown, Ahmedabad-based Hip-Hop group Aghori Muzik is confirmed. Another talent who will also be performing is Spoken Thiiird (Kishan Shah). Shah is a talented poet, author and rapper. His rap artistry is a beautiful expression of relatable themes like self-worth, happiness, spirituality, endurance, pain and history. Many of these contribute to the uniqueness of being a British Indian.
Speaking more about these collaborations, Nidhi Sharma, Director of Mango Marketing & Events shares: “We are extremely proud to be the official marketing partners for Rangeelu Gujarat. Mira and Pritee, the dynamic duo behind the company, are known for their exceptional creativity and execution. Their goal is clear – to inspire the next generation of South Asians to embrace their culture and heritage. I witnessed their talent firsthand during their preparation of RG in 2016 and this year it’s reaching new heights! With the support of major brands like Kumon, HSBC, and Habib Bank AG Zurich, it is evident that the South Asian community in the UK is thriving and we are honoured to be a part of the journey.”
As a dynamic way to promote the show, Red Lotus Events founders Pritee Varsani and Mira Salat painted London city with vibrant colours from the Indian state by shooting a video with hundreds of professional and non-professional artists, across various ages. The music anthem, which is now streaming on Spotify, features Varsani, Maulik Nayak and Kushal Chokshi in key vocals and Benjo by Nikul Vaishnav.
The video stars some established talents like dancer/choreographer and Bollywood Queen star Dhyey Kotak, Bollywood Jazz Singer Anjna Chauhan and popular British-Asian musician, Navin Kundra, among others. The video also marks the presence of comedian, performer, presenter and producer, Parle Patel.
Sharing a few words about the video and this year’s programme, co-founder Varsani says: “Rangeelu Gujarat is vital for the British Gujaratis at this time, it provides a sense of belonging and understanding of our cultural identity through the arts. It’s about time we come together to support ownership of who we are.” Mira, also a founder of the company, says: “The festival is more than just an event, it’s laying the foundations of growth for the next generation of Gujarati kids. Culture represents so much of who we are, under-representation for years has engrained a sense of disconnect, Rangeelu Gujarat is a step towards creating that connection.”
The three-day festival is designed to recapture the cultural pride and encourage people of all backgrounds to recognise the rich history, heritage and culture of Gujarat. It creates platforms digitally, physically and emotionally. Through workshops, performances and installations people of all ages and knowledge can find an access point of interest at the festival.
Taking place from 1st September to the 3rd, it will host themes of handcraft/loom, food, lifestyle, music, textiles, literature, heritage, history, cinema, theatre and dance. Early Bird tickets are now on offer. Visit the website for more details.
