'Bhangra Nation': Exploring the clash of cultures and identity
There was quite a bit of bhangra, but there was also a pleasing khichri of Bollywood dancing, kathak, ghazals and coloured dust being tossed around
By Amit RoyMar 11, 2024
EASTERN EYE readers had better hurry if they want to catch Bhangra Nation: A New Musical at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre where it is on only until next Saturday (16).
I went last week and I’m glad I did, as the evening turned out to be very enjoyable.
The Rep is surprisingly good at putting on new works that prove to be big hits.
The biggest was in 1996, when I went to the first night of Ayub Khan Din’s East is East. People brighten visibly and tell me, “Oh, I’ve seen the film, with (the late, lamented) Om Puri.”
I have to resist the urge to tell them: “Ah, yes, but the play was much better.”
Even on first night, I recognised East is East was something special. Looking back, I reckon it is the best play that has been written in the past 50 years in Britain. At least, it is the play I have enjoyed the most.
Zaynah Ahmed and Mervin Noronha in 'Bhangra Nation'
I am not saying that Bhangra Nation... is going to be as big a hit, but it certainly deserves a tour of the UK and even a West End run. It turned out to be very different from what I had thought it would be.
I had assumed it would be a very noisy “Balle, balle” Punjabi evening, with youngsters throwing themselves around on stage, to the accompaniment of a deafening dhol.
There was quite a bit of bhangra, but there was also a pleasing khichri of Bollywood dancing, kathak, ghazals and coloured dust being tossed around as though we were in the middle of the festival of Holi.
At one point, it was Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bombay Dreams meets West Side Story.
A couple of touches reminded me of East is East. Especially when one of the characters waves around a papier mache of a woman’s uterus.
In East is East, Saleem is one of the boys who tells his (Pakistani) father that he is an engineering student, but has secretly enrolled on an arts course. He crosses a line with even his indulgent (English) mother when he comes home with a depiction of the female anatomy. And there are imaginary strings to be cut, or jumped over, in East is East and in Bhangra Nation...
The first thing to say about Bhangra Nation... is that it is set not in Birmingham, the home of British bhangra, but in an imaginary college in Lansing, Michigan.
The husband and wife team of Mike Lew and Rehana Mirza, who have taken 10 years to finesse their story to the version we saw at the Rep, have built the singing and dancing, plus the colourful costumes and innovative stage design, around quite a subtle story.
It is about cultural purity and what second generation Asians have to do to prove they are “real desis”.
There is gathering tension and, eventually, a falling out between the two leading members of the T.I.G.R.E.S bhangra team – the initials are an acronym for “True Indian Gujus Running Everything…Shukria”.
Having come first in bhangra at the Michigan state level, the team has to work out its routine before facing other teams in the national competition.
Preeti (played by Zaynah Ahmed) remembers trips to Chandigarh to see her relatives and wants bhangra to be the real thing – as she sees it.
She wants to “bring integrity” and “lead with Punjabi authenticity”.
But Mary Darshini Clarke (played by Jena Pandya), the daughter of an English father and an Indian mother, wants to experiment by mixing in a little kathak.
“I want to put kathak in routine!” she sings. But Preeti won’t have it: “We’re not putting kathak in our bhangra routine. If anything, we need more bhangra, less everything else.”
She says someone else might be the team captain, but “I’m Punjabi – as is bhangra – and this is a bhangra team.”
Mary persists: “Yeah, but bhangra and kathak are both Indian dance forms.”
Preeti is unmoved: “I’m not jamming in kathak like this routine is some all-desi cultural tour of south Asia.”
Mary suggests: “Instead of shooting down my idea, let’s just try it.”
Preeti then plays the race card: “This sounds like a white girl idea and I don’t want to do it.”
Mary, who is deeply wounded, remembers her late mother, who taught her kathak: “You know my mom’s Indian? Well, if that’s how you feel, I’m not sure I should be here.”
It’s at this point that the musical really takes off, as Mary wonders whether – being of mixed parentage – she will ever be accepted as a 100 per cent desi.
Her friend Sunita (Siobhan Athwal) tries to discourage her from sending Preeti a letter: “So, when you say I have white-girl ideas, are you saying I’m not Indian enough? Or I’m not Indian at all? Because, frankly, I doubt most white girls even know what kathak is. And I even reminded you about my mom being Indian, so as someone biracial, that hurts.”
Sunita tries to reassure Mary: “You don’t have to send this because you proved your own point. How many white girls know that desi refers to a larger diaspora of south Asian people originating from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal… It doesn’t matter! This girl’s getting in your head. I hate (it) when people think that just because you’re not being Indian in their way, you’re not even desi at all. We’re not one thing. Like this – is it art, is it desi art, is it awesome art?
“It’s all of those things. It’s my papier mache uterus made of the Kama Sutra protesting the exotification of Asian women. I can be a striking visual artist and a pharmacology major, we contain multitudes.”
Preeti’s barbs have disturbed Mary: “I dunno, according to Preeti, I just contain a multitude of white girl ideas. Sunita, what if she’s right? What if I’m not Indian enough?”
She points out that her father, whom she loves, is white: “I don’t speak Hindi, or wear a bindi, or go to the pujas every night.”
In the end, Mary starts her own team, the Bhangra Wood Ducks, and takes on a coach. Rekha (Sohm Kapil) escaped from India to seek freedom in the west, where she dispenses Indian snacks and culture from her Samosa Hut.
She won’t take on Mary as a pupil until she is shown due deference and addressed as Rekhaji: “I do bhangra, Bollywood, bharatanatyam, (dandiya) raas, kathak and tap. And I don’t audition for you, you audition for me.”
I won’t reveal how the differences between Mary and Preeti are eventually resolved, but as one of the characters said, “To me, this team is about desis coming together”.
The real lesson, even if included in a bhangra musical, is that we should beware of any attempt to seek racial purity.
Bhangra Nation: A New Musical is on at the Birmingham Rep until next Saturday (16)
Fragments of Belonging is Nitin Ganatra’s first solo exhibition
Opens Saturday, September 27, at London Art Exchange in Soho Square
Show explores themes of memory, displacement, identity, and reinvention
Runs from 3:30 PM to 9:00 PM, doors open at 3:15 PM
From screen to canvas
Actor Nitin Ganatra, known for his roles in EastEnders, Bride & Prejudice, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, is embarking on a new artistic chapter with his debut solo exhibition.
Titled Fragments of Belonging, the show marks his transition from performance to painting, presenting a deeply personal series of works at the London Art Exchange in Soho Square on September 27.
Exploring memory and identity
Through abstract forms, bold colour, and layered compositions, Ganatra’s paintings reflect themes of memory, displacement, and cultural inheritance. The exhibition has been described as a “visual diary,” with each piece representing fragments of lived experience shaped by migration and reinvention.
What visitors can expect
The exhibition will showcase original paintings alongside Ganatra’s personal reflections on identity and belonging. The London Art Exchange promises an intimate setting in the heart of Soho, where visitors can engage with the artist’s work and connect with fellow creatives, collectors, and fans.
The event runs from 3:30 PM to 9:00 PM on September 27, and is open to all ages.
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£1 tickets available for families receiving Universal Credit
The Peter Rabbit™ Adventure runs at Hampton Court Palace from 25 July to 7 September 2025
Trail includes interactive games, riddles and character encounters across the gardens
Children can meet a larger-than-life Peter Rabbit in the Kitchen Garden
Special themed menu items available at the Tiltyard Café
£1 tickets available for families receiving Universal Credit and other benefits
Peter Rabbit comes to life at Hampton Court
This summer, families visiting Hampton Court Palace can step into the world of Beatrix Potter as The Peter Rabbit™ Adventure takes over the palace gardens from 25 July to 7 September 2025.
Explore the Kitchen Garden, Tiltyard and WildernessHRP
The family trail, officially licensed by Penguin Ventures on behalf of Frederick Warne & Co., combines the palace’s historic gardens with the much-loved tales of Beatrix Potter. Visitors will encounter interactive activities, puzzles and games while exploring the Kitchen Garden, Tiltyard and Wilderness.
Interactive activities and wildlife learning
Along the trail, children can try Mrs Tiggy-winkle’s washing equipment to make music, search for Peter Rabbit under wheelbarrows, or test their hopping skills alongside Beatrix Potter’s characters.
The experience also highlights Potter’s role as a committed environmentalist. Young visitors are encouraged to look for real wildlife such as hedgehogs, squirrels and toads while learning about habitats and conservation in the palace grounds.
Children can meet a larger-than-life Peter Rabbit HRP
Meet Peter Rabbit and enjoy themed treats
Peter Rabbit himself will make appearances in the Kitchen Garden at set times each day, where families can take photos among the seasonal produce. Fresh fruit and vegetables grown in the gardens will feature in special Peter Rabbit™ menu items at the Tiltyard Café.
After completing the trail, children can also explore the Magic Garden playground or visit Henry VIII’s Kitchens inside the palace, where live cookery demonstrations take place each weekend.
Tickets and access
The Peter Rabbit™ Adventure is included in general admission:
Off-peak (weekdays and bank holidays): Adults £27.20, Children (5–15) £13.60, Concessions £21.80
Peak (weekends and events): Adults £30.00, Children £15.00, Concessions £24.00
HRP Members go free
Families in receipt of Universal Credit and other means-tested benefits can access £1 tickets throughout the summer (advance booking required).
Membership offers unlimited visits to Hampton Court Palace and other Historic Royal Palaces sites, including seasonal events such as the Hampton Court Palace Food Festival and Henry VIII’s Joust.
For more details and booking, visit
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Gary Lineker named best TV presenter, breaking Ant and Dec’s 23-year run
Former Match of the Day host left BBC after social media controversies
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Gavin & Stacey takes home the comedy award
I’m a Celebrity wins in the reality competition category
Lineker takes presenter prize after BBC departure
Gary Lineker has ended Ant and Dec’s record 23-year winning streak at the National Television Awards (NTAs). The former Match of the Day presenter was voted best TV presenter by viewers at the ceremony on Wednesday.
Lineker stepped down from Match of the Day in May after 26 years, following controversy around his social media posts. Accepting the award, he thanked colleagues and said the prize showed “it is OK to use your platform to speak up on behalf of those who have no voice.” He added: “It’s not lost on me why I might have won this award.”
Asked if he might work with the BBC again, Lineker said he was uncertain but was “really looking forward to working with ITV.”
The last winner before Ant and Dec’s run was Michael Barrymore in 2000.
Netflix drama Adolescence scores double win
Netflix’s hit drama Adolescence won best new drama and best drama performance for 15-year-old Owen Cooper. The show, which follows the story of a teenage boy accused of murder, became a national talking point earlier this year.
Cooper beat fellow nominee Stephen Graham, who plays his on-screen father, though neither attended the event.
Gavin & Stacey named best comedy
Gavin & Stacey’s Christmas finale, watched by more than 20 million viewers, was named best comedy. Ruth Jones, who plays Nessa, accepted the award and joked: “Alright, calm down. I’m going to the bar now for a pint of wine.”
Backstage, Jones paid tribute to co-writer and co-star James Corden, who could not attend, and addressed reports of a new Apple TV+ project, saying nothing had yet been confirmed.
I’m a Celebrity beats The Traitors
In the reality competition category, I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! triumphed over The Traitors, Love Island, and Race Across the World. Presenters including Coleen Rooney and Oti Mabuse collected the award.
Other winners of the night
Michael McIntyre’s Big Show won the Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award
Molly-Mae Hague’s Behind It All won best authored documentary
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UN human rights office urges India to drop cases against Arundhati Roy
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Mary Roy, who insisted her children call her “Mrs Roy” in school, belonged to the Syrian Christian community. She does not seem a very nice person.
The Financial Times, which interviewed Arundhati at her home in Delhi, reveals: “In an episode to which the writer makes oblique reference early in the book but withholds until later — because of the pain it caused — she returned from boarding school for the holidays, aged 13, to find that Mrs Roy had had her beloved pet dog, Dido, shot and buried as ‘a kind of honour killing’ after Dido mated with an unknown street dog.”
In 1996, someone tipped me off that a publisher had won an auction by paying £1 million for The God of Small Things by an unknown Indian writer. This was unprecedented for a debut novel. But the buzz among the bidders was that the novel was a possible contender for the Booker Prize.
As I was writing my story at the Daily Telegraph, the night editor, Andrew Hutchinson, leant over and quipped: “Writing about your sister again?” As we know, Arundhati Roy did win the Booker in 1997. I had actually met Arundhati two years previously when she had stuck up for Phoolan Devi, the subject of Shekhar Kapur’s movie, Bandit Queen, based on Mala Sen’s biography.
Phoolan had been repeatedly raped by upper class Thakurs (the men were later lined up in the village of Behmai and executed by Phoolan’s gang in 1981). The film was exploitative, claimed Arundhati, because for Phoolan, it was like being raped again. She wrote a piece in Sunday in Calcutta (now Kolkata), headlined, “The Indian rape trick”.
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The mural has been covered and is being guarded by security
A new mural by street artist Banksy has appeared on the Royal Courts of Justice building in central London.
The artwork depicts a judge hitting a protester, with blood splattering their placard.
It comes days after nearly 900 arrests at a London protest against the ban on Palestine Action.
The mural has been covered and is being guarded by security; Banksy confirmed authenticity via Instagram.
Banksy’s latest work at the Royal Courts of Justice
A new mural by the elusive Bristol-based street artist Banksy has appeared on the side of the Royal Courts of Justice building in central London.
The artwork shows a judge in traditional wig and black robe striking a protester lying on the ground, with blood depicted on the protester’s placard. While the mural does not explicitly reference a specific cause or incident, its appearance comes just two days after almost 900 people were arrested during a protest in London against the ban on Palestine Action.
Security and public access
Social media images show that the mural has already been covered with large plastic sheets and two metal barriers. Security officials are guarding the site, which sits beneath a CCTV camera.
Banksy shared a photo of the artwork on Instagram, captioning it: “Royal Courts Of Justice. London.” This is consistent with the artist’s usual method of confirming authenticity.
Location and context
The mural is located on an external wall of the Queen’s Building, part of the Royal Courts of Justice complex. Banksy’s stencilled graffiti often comments on government policy, war, and capitalism.
Previous works in London
Last summer, Banksy launched an animal-themed campaign in London featuring nine works. The series concluded with a gorilla appearing to lift a shutter at the London Zoo. Other notable pieces included piranhas on a police sentry box in the City of London and a howling wolf on a satellite dish in Peckham, which was removed less than an hour after unveiling.