Arohafest Diwali Celebration

Canadian-born dancer and choreographer, Anjali Patil, has been trained in India under renowned masters of Kathak Classical Indian dance. She is the founder and artistic director of Aroha Fine Arts, one of only a handful of organizations working in the professional Kathak dance milieu.

Anjali has performed her works at noteworthy events – from the Canada Dance Festival to Delhi International Arts Festival, the Junos to International Film Festival of India. A sought after teacher and coach, Anjali teaches in Ottawa, Toronto, India and the Middle East. She was invited as a guest lecturer at the Dance Department of Hyderabad University in India in 2018 and as a panelist at a dance seminar presented by National Centre for Performing Arts in Mumbai, India, in 2019.

In addition to her artistic pursuits, Anjali has a long history in the public sector and cultural policy as an employee of the Department of Canadian Heritage. She holds an M.A. in Public Administration from Carleton University and B.Comm. from University of Ottawa. She launched the annual ArohaFest – Canada’s first bilingual festival celebrating the arts of India in Canada to honour Canada’s 150th birthday.

Recently, she worked on an international project for award-winning Canadian director Atom Egoyan. She is a recipient of the Corel Endowment for the Arts Award from the Ottawa Arts Council, Chalmers Performing Arts Award, Shastri Indo-Canadian Senior Arts Fellowship and was featured in a Kathak documentary produced by Doordarshan TV India. Anjali has been featured in the Foreign Affairs publication Canada & South Asia: Partners for the New Century. Anjali is regularly featured in media and is actively keeping the classical Indian dance scene thriving in Ottawa and beyond. 

Geoffrey Dollar is a graduate from The School of Dance Contemporary Dance Diploma Programme. Since graduating in 2016 he has remained an active member of Ottawa’s growing Dance community. He has trained extensively in Ballroom dancing with various schools  in Ottawa and Toronto, as well as in Classical Indian Odissi Dance with Upasana Indian Dance School. He has worked with many organizations and artists such as: BNF Dubai (HUM TV Awards) Ottawa Dance Directive, NAC Dance, Canada Dance Festival, the University of Ottawa Theater Department, Propeller Dance, Aroha Fine Arts, Saveeta Sharma Classical Indian Dance Company, Sinha Danse (Montreal), MASC, FESFO, CEPEO, OCDSB, as well as Créations InVivo. He aims to bridge gaps between various performing arts communities by creating and engaging with work which creates a sense of collaboration and unity.

Hardeep Buckshi is a multi-talented Canadian singer and a composer. Although he specializes in singing ghazals and semi-classical, he is also versatile in composing and singing a variety of Indian music. The delivery of ghazal requires a very special expression and Hardeep does so with his deep and unique voice and soulfoul presence.

Hardeep is a Ganda-Bundhit (traditional) disciple of the legendary Mehdi Hassan, an internationally renowned singer and was honored to share the stage and perform with Mehdi Hassan and received his blessings.

Hardeep has been able to keep the traditional ghazal gaayaki (singing) alive in Canada for over 40 years, with nearly 300 performances to his credit in BC, Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and in India.  He has also performed for the NAC, the Jazz festival, Canadian Heritage, Canada Council for the Arts, CBC and countless other events.

Inspired by Pandit Kundan Lal and Master Vishambhar Das, from whom he received tutelage in semi-classical vocal music, Hardeep has since completed his music degree from Allahabad University.  He has been featured on International Radio and Television, including Door Darshan TV (India) and CBC Radio (Canada). Decades of hard work, dedication, devotion, along with his extraordinarilly original style of singing have made Hardeep Buckshi an artist deserving of the title of a living legend in Canada

Samuel Thomas, though currently working for the Ottawa Hospital, is an accomplished music composer, lyricist, and musician who has written lyrics in Tamil and Telugu for multiple South-Indian music directors.

He studied music from Shri. Annamalai Naicker and Shri. Vaidyalingam and has learned to play the guitar under the tutelage of Mr. Hemachandran. He has performed with music legends such as S.P. Balasubramaniyam, Chitra, and Vijay Prakash.

He has released his own composition and they can be found on Spotify,  ITunes, and YouTube. He is a multilingual and multi instrumental artist who takes to the stage with passion and pride.  

Originally from Guyana, Derrick Jaikaran is aToronto based Tabla, Dholak, and Congo player who has been performing for over 30 years. He has accompanied many ghazal  and Bollywood artists such as Vandana Bajpai, Hari Om Sharan, Rajkumar Rizvi and Hardeep Buckshi Saab from Ottawa, and is often requested to perform during events of workship and celebration.

Santosh Shail is an accomplished musician, well known for his memorable performances at multi-cultural events in Ottawa for over 25 years. He served the South-Asian community in Ottawa as producer and host of the immensely popular radio program 'Arohi' on CHIN 97.9 FM, setting a quality benchmark for ethnic programming in Canada.

Santosh is also a media professional with over 30 years’ experience in international broadcast communication. He is President of Shails Communication Inc., a leading media production company in Ottawa, and Executive Director of the Canadian Institute of Mass Communication (CIMC).

Despite his many professional engagements, Santosh always finds time for his first love, music. He is an accomplished singer and guitarist and has many original compositions to his credit. He mostly sings popular and light-classical songs in Hindi, but he also loves to sing English oldies.

Akshata Rao started training in Bharatanatyam at the age of 7 under the guidance of Dr. Swati Daithankar and has completed her Visharad certification. Akshata's efforts are dedicated to teaching and performing Indian semi-classical and folk dance under the banner 'Meraki Performing Arts' and  she aims to help preserve these dance styles in their authentic form.

Dancing has always been a huge part of Sandra’s life. Since childhood she has participated in multiple dance programs and competitions. Working with other equally passionate dancers, and producing meaningful performances continues to be a motivational force for her. Back in India she indulged in various forms of dance training; from classical to folk, from folk to western, and of course Bollywood, Kollywood, Tollywood etc.

She decided to leave behind her classical Indian Kathak Dance training upon moving to Canada to pursue her dream of becoming a pastry chef. Aroha Fine Arts provided the necessary impetus for her to re-immerse herself in dance training, thereby reconnecting with the artform as well as with a local community of like-minded artists.

Her Guru, Anjali Patil Ji, encourages her to strive for perfection within this graceful artform which also exhibits power and strength via its intricately dynamic movements and theatrical expressions which have but recently been reintroduced into her artistic practice.

Amber Green began movement training at the age of 6 and trained in competitive figure skating until the age of 18. During University, she took pre-professional level dance technique classes at the National Ballet School, Metromovement, and at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. After graduating from University, Amber trained in The School of Dance’s three-year Professional Contemporary Dance Diploma Programme in Ottawa. Since graduating from the programme in 2015, she has been working as a freelance dancer and choreographer in addition to teaching at the Gloucester Skating Club and in elementary schools with Momentum Moves Canada. As a certified Yoga teacher, she provides group and private classes in Ottawa. Amber began training in Kathak under Guru Anjali Patil ji in 2021, and has performed in four editions of ArohaFest.

Mala is an independent, multifaceted performing artist currently working in the Ottawa area with numerous organizations. She has trained in classical singing and dancing and this will be her fourth appearance with ArohaFest.

Having began her studies at the Government Polytechnic School for girls in Surat, India, and now living and studying in Ottawa, Kruti is a talented young Henna Artist who’s work has been solicited for numerous parties, weddings, and events all across the national capital region. She wishes to share the beauty of Indian art, as well as to sensitize western clients and audiences to the history, significance, and meaning of Henna painting.

Born and raised in India, Rashmi haslived in Ottawa for most of her life. Despite her studies in Physics followed by a professional career in Information technology and business administration, art has remained a passion of hers which she pursues with vision and vigor by presenting her imagination and unique perspective through colourful images on the canvas.

Her paintings, which explore numerous mediums and surfaces, have been showcased within private businesses in Ottawa; such as CISTEL Corporation, as well as at the Midway Family Fun Park on Kaladar Avenue in Ottawa, and by several art collectors across the US and Canada. An international manufacturing company in Ottawa, ProSoya Inc. currently showcases 15 of her paintings in their office walls, and in their Atrium.

As an active member of Arts Network Ottawa, The ArtEast association, and Art Lending Ottawa, she has regularly participated in community exhibitions in Ottawa and Orleans and is an Artistic Mentor at Studio 507, Ottawa.

Her Artwork has been recognized and she have been granted a distinguished award by the Prime Minister of Canada in 2006.

Born and raised in India, and now residing in Canada for the past 15 years, Dhanashri Bapat is a renowned artist in Ottawa’s artistic community. She studied Applied Arts and worked as a freelance designer in the city of Pune, India before focussing on Fine Arts.

Dhanashri loves to focus on the elements in nature which evoke feelings of bliss and energize the environment. Her goal is to convey these emotions and have a visual dialogue through her paintings. Painting primarily in the medium of Watercolours, she believes that the versatility of this medium helps capture her perception of nature. Her style keeps evolving with the experimentation and use of various mediums and techniques.

As a professional artist, Dhanashri has been showing her works through various art galleries across the city. She has some successful solo shows to her credit. She is an active member of some local art societies and has been participating regularly in their juried and group shows. Dhanashri has been working as an Art Instructor at Ottawa School of Art since 2013. She offers watercolour painting courses of all levels in the Adult General Interest program. Dhanashri also offers one day workshops for small groups and accepts commissioned works for individuals.

Johanne Richer, Visual Artist, was born in Montreal. Throughout her life art, of all forms, has always been present. Her passion for music led her to 10 years of dance training in Ballroom Dance and Argentine Tango. Over time she realized her dream of putting on canvas the vibrant and colourful world of dance. The essence of her creativity is drawn from her knowledge and varied artistic experiences. These assets serve as a guide and serve her well in the realization of her artwork. As a figurative painter. oil is her preferred medium. Movement is the common thread and driving force which underlines gestural and dynamic freedom while keeping in mind the techniques, the posture, the estheticism, as well as the complexities of dance. She recreates her impressions of each moment harmoniously by using compositional effects, and a vibrant and varied palette.

Her work has evolved over the years as she continuously explores new challenges. Latin Dance, Ballroom Dance, Classical Indian Dance, and Integrated dance are but a few of the various styles she has explored. For several years she has exhibited her artwork in Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick, committing herself to a full-time artistic practice since 2016. These different disciplines are the means through which she expresses what she feels. She dances on her canvases and transmits what drives her.

Clarisse was born in Switzerland. She arrived in Canada in 1985 to pursue her studies in Biology. She always like to paint during her leisure time. Now settled in Ottawa, she is living with her husband and son. After working in the field of Natural Health, she decided to give herself entirely to her art by developing the watercolor techniques with several artists of the region. In 2009 she joined the ArtEast Ottawa Association to get more deeply involved in the arts field and take part in various group exhibitions and she received Awards for her paintings.

In 2012, she completed the Foundational Art Educator Course from the Royal Conservatory of Ottawa. Since May 2018, she offers Mandala drawing classes and watercolor classes at the MIFO (Mouvement d’implication francophone d’Orléans).

“Painting for me must remain an expression of beauty of the visible and invisible world. I like to work with watercolor, as it enables me to express the light that exists in all things. I am fascinated by botanicals, especially flowers, and the greatest spaces in Canada. Art and health are closely linked, and I was naturally attracted by the creation of Mandalas. The symmetry in forms and the harmony in colours are always stimulating my creativity and remain a source of profound relaxation. Hence, painting becomes a therapy for the body and mind, and a joy for life!”

Lily Lachapelle is a Visual Artist, born in Montreal in 1964. At an early age, she explored numerous brush-work techniques, drawing from her mother’s passionate approach to visual arts. For years, she developed her skills as a performing artist, an animator, as well as a competitive swimmer. These experiences all inform her practice and understanding of movement within her work. She enjoys working with different mediums, and views painting as a space within which exists infinite possibilities. Only in 2018 did she begin her professional artistic development by enrolling in the Bachelor of Fine Arts, Visual Arts and media program at UQAM. Working with different techniques and mediums has opened new pathways of creativity and collaboration. These new mediums also allow her to more accurately incorporate her interests as well as subject matter which is, at times, political or intimate; inspired by social movements, memories of her loved ones, as well as by performing artists. Enshrined in her work are the recurring themes of the feminine condition, water, and flowers. Her play on light, obscurity, back-lit scenes, and shadows allows her to transmit a unique form of realism which can be found within each of her pieces.

As a professional Intuitive Visual Artist of Indian decsent, Pooja Grover has the passion, desire, and drive to promote and celebrate the visual arts of India. She is also a Reiki Master Teacher, Energy Healer, Guided Meditation Facilitator, Intuitive Life Coach, and Mindfulness Practitioner, who is passionate about expressing her soul and exploring her inner landscape through art. She truly believes in the healing and transformative powers of art and storytelling, as she aims to utilize these mediums to inspire, awaken, and enlighten those around her.

Mindful Intuitions is her voice; a personal development platform designed for likeminded souls who seek support and guidance on their healing journeys, In a safe, non-judemental environment, she introduces her students and followers to the concept of “Meditation through Art”; connecting artistry to spirituality.

Suman studied Fine Arts at the Delhi College of Arts, one of the most prestigious art institutes in India. She was a founding member of the ‘Group 8’ collective of artists in India. Her paintings have been exhibited at various public and private galleries in the country, as well as in Art Fairs. Her works are in prestigious collections including the Delhi Governor’s, the National Gallery of Arts (India) and numerous private collections.

She has divided her time recently between Ottawa, Milton Keynes, and Delhi, and immigrated to Canada in 2019. She has lived in Ottawa since then and has exhibited her works at juried shows at Shenkman Arts Centre, Ottawa City Hall, and numerous other venues in and around the Nation’s Capital.

Suman has undertaken commissioned works for the World Wildlife Fund and the United Nations Development Fund among others. She received the All India Fine Arts and Crafts (AIFACS) award for her work in printmaking.

Nitin Mehra is a graduate of the Cordon Bleu Ottawa Culinary Arts Institute as well as the Algonquin College Culinary programme. In addition to being a sommelier, he oversees both the west end and central Ottawa branches of East India Company Restaurants and as well as their retail sauce program. With twenty years of culinary experience, Nitin brings a wealth of knowledge to recipe development while holding true to time-tested South-Asian family recipes. 

Sangeeta Raju is an emerging Odissi dancer and multimedia artist.  She began practicing Odissi at the age of 8, has performed in Canadian cities (Ottawa, Toronto, and Halifax) and in her parents’ home state of Andhra Pradesh in India.  She completed a Bachelor in Information Technology from Carleton University specializing in Interactive Multimedia and Design (2019).  Having practiced artistic expression in its various manifestations, Sangeeta seeks to push the boundaries separating a performing artist from a visual artist from a technologist in order to create multi sensory experiences for both the artists involved and the audience. A mentee of Sonia St-Michel she is also training with the Odissi Dance School.