The Mayor of Solihull, Cllr Kate Wild and Satinder Kaur Taunque OBE, West Midlands’ Deputy Lieutenant, were applauded as role models, as part of International Women’s Day.
The ladies were garlanded at the Thyagaraja Music Festival in Birmingham last Sunday. The 9am-4pm event, organised by Shruthi UK, a South Asian arts organisation, was attended by over 100 guests, including many from the Swindon Tamil Association. Dignitaries included the West Midlands’ Lord-Lieutenant Paul Sabapathy CBE and the Consul General of India, Mr BC Pradhan.
The lively programme, MC’d by Shruthi UK’s founder and director Chithra Ramakrishnan, featured stage performances by young people aged between 4 and 16, adults, speeches, a raffle draw, a Carnatic music competition, a certificate presentation and a South Indian meal.
The annual event marks the birthday of Thyagaraja, also known as the singing saint. Born in 1767, he was one of three sons and was devoted to the Hindu God Lord Rama.
