ARUNIMA KUMAR ON HER KUCHIPUDI JOURNEY AND LARGE-SCALE FESTIVAL
by ASJAD NAZIR
An International Kuchipudi Dance Festival starts at The Bhavan Centre in London on November 16.
The largest showcase of Kuchipudi in Britain is an inter-generational festival with over 100 performers aged between 4 to 65 years presenting the classical Indian dance form in all its glory. The entire festival is masterminded by award-winning dancer, teacher and choreographer Arunima Kumar. It is the latest chapter in a remarkable artistic journey that stretches back to her childhood when as a two-year-old she would dance whilst her grandmothers sang to her.
Eastern Eye caught up with leading British dance figure Arunima Kumar to find out more about her journey and the International Kuchipudi Dance Festival.
How did your dance journey begin?
My dance journey began at five when my mother saw a dance performance and enrolled me in a Kuchipudi class. What I learned really fascinated me. Initially, it was a hobby as I wanted to study and work. I studied finance and worked in the corporate sector in senior positions. I loved my job, but something was always missing. So I decided to take a break to dance and never went back.
Which of your dance projects has given you the greatest joy?
Each performance has taught and inspired me. I have performed in over 60 countries with over 2,000 shows at various venues, including the Sydney Opera house, Trafalgar Square, Parliament, The Rio Festival, hospitals in UK and prisons in India. I never considered any space big or small. Each space is sacred! If I had to choose one, choreographing and performing at Buckingham Palace for The UK India Year of Culture was a huge honour and responsibility.
Tell us more?
That experience taught me a lot as there was no room for error. I put faith in my art and had an amazing team to create my piece EKAM, which reflected unity in diversity. We worked hard on each aspect, and it was my biggest moment. We went on that red carpet and the beauty of Indian art and heritage came alive. I will never forget that proud moment.
Tell us about the International Kuchipudi Dance Festival?
It is the third edition, and this year we plan to make it one of the largest festivals of Indian classical dance in Britain, with over 100 inter-generational dancers, ranging from my students and artists from Arunima Kumar Dance Company to acclaimed guest artists such as Bhagya Lakshmi Thyagarajan and Meenakshi Ravi. We are thankful to all those, including The Bhavan and Arts Council England, for their support.
What has been the biggest challenge of putting it together?
This year’s festival is targeting 100 dancers! I always aim for the impossible and stay alive by living my dreams. The multiple challenges in curating the festival include organising multiple rehearsals, raising funds, monitoring costs effectively and ensuring highest standards. It’s a mammoth task. It is still challenging promoting Indian arts, including to the Indian community.
Is there one highlight you are looking forward to?
I am looking forward to our new work Avatara, which is an inclusive work supported by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Arts. It is a collaboration between Arunima Kumar Dance Company Kuchipudi Dancers and Latin/Ballroom dancers on wheelchairs from Step Change Studios, which is an award-winning inclusive dance company. The contrasting forms have come together to tell an Indian mythological epic in an abstract form and has music by Niraj Chag.
You have done diverse work, including global performance, education, outreach, dance therapy, giving a platform to young artists and bringing Kuchipudi to the forefront, but what’s the secret of a great performance?
A great performance to me is when I give my best and feel the spiritual connection with my audience and they take back an experience they remember. Comments such as, “I left drugs after I saw your performance”, “I promise to learn and teach my kids dance as it made me so happy” and “God bless you and your strength” are jewels of appreciation I take with me, which money can’t buy.
What inspires you as an artist?
I’m inspired when I see legends at work – their vision, attention to detail, hard work and focus on every movement. I’m inspired by their resilience and ability to share. My gurus and mentors Akram Khan, Shobana Jeyasingh and Donald Hutera have all inspired me in many ways. I’m also inspired by children in their innocence in movement, as it’s very pure. That’s why I love teaching and am keeping the legacy going.
Why do you love dance?
I love dance because it gives me strength, peace and happiness. Dance is my home, my prayer, a best friend that has stayed loyal to me. Dance has shown me history, taken me to places I would not even dream of and given me friends globally. I’m not lonely even when no one is around me! It has taught me humility, spirituality, and the values of sacrifice and hard work. Dance makes me human! I don’t need to earn loads of money or get that promotion to be happy. I have it right here. It has given me the means to heal, educate, impact and shape a better world.
What Arunima Kumar’s students have to say
Jia: Arunima Kumar is the best guru I have, as she teaches with passion and wants us to be perfect. “Practice every day” are her favourite words.
Neeti: Ms Arunima Kumar makes it a joy to learn Kuchipudi. We learn about our tradition and work hard on the dance steps/postures again and again till we get it right.
Kornelya: Arunima Kumar Ji is the best teacher, guru and role model. She inspires me with her determination, talent, open mind and generosity. She taught me to never give up and inspires me to learn Kuchipudi with no excuses. She proves that everything is possible.
www.arunimakumar.com
Did you know?
Kuchipudi originates from Andhra Pradesh and is the only dance form that is named after a village in India, Kuchipudi/Kuchelapuram. It was gifted to villagers by the Nawab who saw a beautiful Kuchipudi performance and was happy with it. The tradition lives on today where the villagers still practice, perform and teach.
It was originally performed by male Brahmins and has a dance-drama tradition. It evolved into a solo style and is performed by many female artists now.
Stree vesham, where a man dresses up and performs as a woman has been a popular and relevant feature of this form.
It originated during the Bhakti movement and many original pieces are based on this theme of spirituality and devotion.
It is a beautiful rhythmic form of Indian dance, buoyant in nature with fluid torso movements, fast footwork and sculpturesque postures.
Finding romance today feels like trying to align stars in a night sky that refuses to stay still
When was the last time you stumbled into a conversation that made your heart skip? Or exchanged a sweet beginning to a love story - organically, without the buffer of screens, swipes, or curated profiles? In 2025, those moments feel rarer, swallowed up by the quickening pace of life.
We are living faster than ever before. Cities hum with noise and neon, people race between commitments, and ambition seems to be the rhythm we all march to. In the process, the simple art of connection - eye contact, lingering conversations, the gentle patience of getting to know someone - feels like it is slipping through our fingers.
Whether you’re single, searching, or settled, the landscape is shifting. Some turn to apps for convenience; others look for love in cafés, gyms, workplaces or community spaces. But the challenge remains the same: how do we connect deeply in a world designed to move at lightning speed?
We’ve become fluent in productivity, in chasing careers, in cultivating polished identities. Yet are we forgetting how to be fluent in intimacy? When was the last time you sat across from someone and truly listened - without checking your phone, without planning the next step, without treating time like a currency to be spent?
It’s a strange paradox: we have more access to people than ever before, yet many feel more isolated. Fun is always available - dinners, drinks, nights out, fleeting encounters - but fulfilment is harder to grasp. Are we mistaking access for intimacy? Are we human, or are we slowly adapting into versions of ourselves stripped of those raw, humanistic qualities - vulnerability, patience, tenderness - that once defined love?
Perhaps we’ve grown comfortable with the fast exit. It’s easier to ghost than to explain. Easier to keep moving than to pause. But what does that cost us? What do we lose when romance becomes a checkbox on an already overstuffed to-do list?
The truth is - the heart doesn’t move at the pace of technology or ambition. It moves slowly, awkwardly, with a rhythm that resists acceleration. Maybe that’s the point. Love has always lived in the messy spaces - hesitant pauses, nervous laughter, words spoken without rehearsal.
So the real question for 2025 is not “Have we gone too far?” but “Can we afford to slow down?” Can we still allow ourselves the sweetness of beginnings - the chance encounters, the unplanned moments, the quiet courage to be open?
Because in the end, connection is not about speed or access—it’s about presence. In a world that won’t stop moving, choosing to be present might be the bravest act of love we have left.
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Researchers from the UK and US analysed data from American households between 2004 and 2019
Hotter days linked to greater intake of sugary drinks and frozen desserts
Lower-income households most affected, research finds
Climate change could worsen health risks linked to sugar consumption
Study based on 15 years of US household food purchasing data
Sugary consumption rising with heat
People are more likely to consume sugary drinks and ice cream on warmer days, particularly in lower-income households, according to new research. The study warns that climate change could intensify this trend, adding to health risks as global temperatures continue to rise.
Sugar consumption is a major contributor to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, and has surged worldwide in recent decades. The findings, published in Nature Climate Change, suggest that rising heat could be nudging more people towards high-sugar products such as soda, juice and ice cream.
Climate link to diet
Researchers from the UK and US analysed data from American households between 2004 and 2019 and compared purchases with local weather conditions. They found that for every additional degree Celsius within the range of 12–30°C, people consumed an extra 0.7 grams of sugar per day on average.
Those with lower incomes or less education were the most affected, according to the study. Under worst-case climate scenarios, disadvantaged groups could be consuming up to five additional grams of sugar daily by the end of the century, lead author Pan He of Cardiff University told AFP.
Beyond recommended limits
The American Heart Association recommends a maximum daily intake of 36 grams of added sugar for men and 24 grams for women. However, most Americans already consume two to three times these amounts. A single can of soda contains about 40 grams of sugar.
The study showed that the increase in sugar consumption levelled off once temperatures rose above 30°C. Co-author Duo Chan of the University of Southampton suggested this may be because people had already altered their diets by that point. He warned this could be “even worse news”, as it showed dietary changes were occurring even at lower, not extreme, temperatures.
Substituting frozen treats
The research also indicated a drop in purchases of baked goods on hotter days, likely because consumers were substituting them with ice cream or other frozen desserts.
Health concerns
Unhealthy diets are among the four main risk factors for diseases that account for more than 70 per cent of deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. The authors concluded that climate change, by shaping dietary choices, could further worsen public health outcomes.
RESTAURATEUR and writer Camellia Panjabi puts the spotlight on vegetables in her new book, as she said they were never given the status of a “hero” in the way fish, chicken or prawns are.
Panjabi’s Vegetables: The Indian Way features more than 120 recipes, with notes on nutrition, Ayurvedic insights and cooking methods that support digestion.
She told Eastern Eye, “Most families and chefs regularly cook only 15 to 20 types of dishes. Many vegetables in shops are ignored, because people don’t know how to cook them.
“This book gives readers confidence by providing recipes, explanations, and photographs for 30 vegetables. It also shows how they can be prepared in different ways and with different cuisines — not just Indian.”
Panjabi is part of the family that runs Amaya, Chutney Mary’s, Veerswamy and Masala Zone restaurants. She is also the best-selling author of 50 Great Curries, which sold more than two million copies.
She previously worked for Taj Hotels in India, where she was involved in creating menus for various restaurants among other projects. These menus featured Indian, Chinese, Thai, Italian and French cuisines.
When she eventually moved on after three decades, Panjabi realised that vegetables were almost always relegated to the end of a menu as side dishes.
In every cuisine the pattern was the same: starters and mains were prioritised ahead of sides — potatoes, cauliflower, or something similar.
“Yet, on the plate, two-thirds of the food is usually vegetables, while on the menu they only make up about five per cent,” Panjabi said.
Vegetarian meals often relied on mixing several items together — such as in a thali, stir-fries, or paneer combined with three or four vegetables.
A single vegetable was rarely celebrated on its own.
Panjabi listed around 30 varieties used in Indian food, including raw fruits such as banana and jackfruit.This sparked the idea for a book in which each vegetable would have its own section. “If someone has a cabbage, they should be able to look up different ways to cook it so that it becomes the main dish rather than just a side,” she said.
The recipes could be colourful, classical, traditional or inspired by street food.
With Indian dishes, people across the country are now, for the first time, experiencing cuisines from other regions, she said. Her book has 30 chapters on 30 vegetables, each with its own story, origin, and details of fibre content, calories, vitamins and whether it is acidic or alkaline.
Mumbai-born Panjabi, a Cambridge educated economist, is widely credited with shaping Indian fine dining on the global stage. She played a key role in launching Bombay Brasserie in London and later oversaw renowned restaurants including Veeraswamy and Chutney Mary. She was the first female board director of a public company in India, while serving as marketing director of the Taj Group. Now in her eighties, Panjabi said, “In most Indian restaurants in the UK, the vegetarian options are limited to dishes like gobi aloo, saag paneer, chole, and baingan bharta. There is so much more to discover.
“Western readers will see for the first time that they can cook vegetables the Indian way without necessarily making an Indian meal. They could have grilled fish or roast chicken alongside Indianstyle vegetables. That is the breakthrough — it is not limited to cuisine.
Panjabi said writing the book took two decades. “I thought it would take three or four years, but the process of discovery was so enjoyable that it kept extending,” she said. Only when Covid forced her to stay at home did she put it all together.
The result is a 350-page hardback with more than 120 colour photographs. Half the book is devoted to cooking fats, while the rest covers vegetables, lentils and millets. She described it as “almost like a food encyclopaedia,” weaving Ayurvedic wisdom with modern nutritional science.
“Much more research still needs to be done on the nutrition of vegetables,” she said, pointing out that the subject remains under-researched.
Everyday ingredients also find space in the book. She tackles myths aro-und protein deficiency in vegetarian diets, noting that Indians solved this long ago. Rice and dal, when eaten together, provide all nine essential amino acids needed for complete protein. “Dal-chawal has sustained Indian health for centuries,” she said.
Her experience in restaurants influenced her writing. Panjabi travelled across India, visiting research institutions including the National Institute of Nutrition in Hyderabad, and consulted scientists studying oils and vegetables.
She said, “When I was young, I felt that Indian food had not received its due recognition globally. My mother always explained the health reasons behind what she cooked, and I realised there must be a huge body of knowledge worth documenting.
“I feel I have only touched the tip of the iceberg (with this book). My hope is that this book will inspire other practitioners and people with influence in Indian food to join this journey.”
Vegetables: The Indian Way was published by Penguin Books
How noticing the changes in my father taught me the importance of early action, patience, and love
I don’t understand people who don’t talk or see their parents often. Unless they have done something to ruin your lives or you had a traumatic childhood, there is no reason you shouldn’t be checking in with them at least every few days if you don’t live with them.
Earlier this year, I had the privilege of looking after my parents – they lived with me while their old house was being sold, and their new house was being renovated.
Within this time, I noticed things happening to my dad (Chamanlal Mulji), an 81-year-old retired joiner. Dad was known as Simba when he lived in Zanzibar, East Africa because he was like a lion. A man in fairly good health, despite being an ex-smoker, he’d only had heart surgery back in 2017. In the last few years, he was having some health issues, but certain things, like his walking and driving becoming slow, and his memory failing, we just put down to old age. Now, my dad was older than my friend’s dad. Many of whom in their 70’s, dad, at 81 was an older dad, not common back in the seventies when he married my mum.
It was only when I spent extended time around my parents that I started noticing that certain things weren’t just due to old age. Some physical symptoms were more serious, but certain things like forgetting that the front door wasn’t the bathroom door, and talking about old memories thinking that they had recently happened rang alarm bells for me and I suspected that he might have dementia.
Dementia generally happens in old age when the brain starts to shrink. Someone described it to me as a person’s brain being like a bookshelf. The books at the top of the shelf are the new memories and the books at the bottom are the new memories. The books at the top have fallen off, leaving only the old memories being remembered. People with dementia are also highly likely to suffer from strokes.
Sadly, my dad was one of the few that suffered a stroke and passed away on 28th June 2025. If you have a parent, family member or anyone you know and you suspect that they might have dementia, please talk to your GP straight away. Waiting lists within the NHS are extremely LONG so the quicker people with dementia are treated, the better. Sadly, the illness cannot be reversed but medication can help it from getting worse.
One thing I would also advise is to have patience. Those suffering with dementia can be agitated and often become aggressive, but that’s only because they’re frustrated that they cannot do things the way they used to.
The disease might hide the person underneath, but there’s still a person in there who needs your love and attention.” - Jamie Calandriello
The holy town of Ambaji witnessed a spiritually significant day on Sunday as His Holiness Siri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, head of the International Siddhashram Shakti Centre, London, performed the Dhwaja ritual at the historic Ambaji Temple in Gujarat, one of the most revered Shakti Peeths of India.
Guruji, who travelled especially from London to be part of the festivities, offered prayers to Goddess Amba and hoisted the sacred flag, a symbol of divine strength, victory, and eternal devotion. Speaking about the ritual, he reminded devotees that the dhwaja inspires courage, faith, and a constant remembrance of the divine in everyday life.
Adding to the spiritual significance of the day, Guruji also personally served Bhandara (community meal) to devotees gathered at the temple premises.