Poshak Puralekh

In 2019-2020, CICD celebrated its almost 40-year-old costume archive with its project Poshak Puralekh, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. This project looked at around 300 costumes accumulated since the Centre was formed in 1981 by Nilima Devi MBE. The best selection from these costumes will then be presented to Leicester Museums, Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Nottingham Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. This will become a long-term resource for Indian dance, heritage and culture in the UK.

A series of events and performance programmes were developed showcasing original costumes and choreographies, including talks, dance performances storytelling and dance-related craft activities e.g. mehndi, puppet making, embroidery, paper jewellery making etc. The events aimed to reach new and diverse communities and were held at various locations, such as: Curve Theatre, Peepul Enterprise, a primary school, Abbey Pumping Station, local hospitals, Leicester’s Guildhall, BBC Radio Leicester, New Walk Museum and as part of local festivals such as Leicester Belgrave Mela and Diwali celebrations. A short film has also been produced showcasing the costumes for the Poshak Puralekh project and the history of Centre for Indian Classical Dance. All the costumes were photographed and recorded, and this database is kept at CICD. Seven oral history interviews were also carried out.

Behind the Poshak Puralekh Project