From 21 to 29 June 2025, SummerMela returns, the Italian festival dedicated to Indian culture conceived and promoted by FAD – Fondazione Alain Daniélou and produced by Kama Productions. Now in its thirteenth edition, the event is divided into various events between Rome and Cremona, which include a program of concerts, dance performances, film screenings and workshops, to raise awareness of the traditional arts of India and their connection with contemporaneity. The Sanskrit word mela, which means meeting, collective celebration, is an invitation to immerse yourself in the many artistic and spiritual expressions of India, in balance between classical rigor and experimental research.
The 2025 edition, after symbolically opening on June 21 in Rome, in the majestic setting of Castel Sant’Angelo, in conjunction with the Festa della Musica and the International Yoga Day, will move to the Casa del Cinema of Rome on June 24, in the open-air Theatre Ettore Scola At 7:30 pm, the concert Cycles of Time will take place, a sound journey between sitar, bansuri flute and tabla, performed by three extraordinary performers: Neeraj Mishra, Nicolò Melocchi and Sanjay Kansa Banik. Following (at 9:00 pm), the screening of the film Kalyug (1981) by Shyam Benegal, a tribute to the master of Indian cinema who recently passed away: a sort of family epic inspired by the Mahābhārata and brought to the present day. An event in collaboration with Casa del Cinema and ISMEO.
On June 27, SummerMela moves to Cremona, at the evocative King Palace, for one of the most ambitious events of this edition: the concert Mahābhārata – mantras, fights and threnody, an impressive musical production signed by Riccardo Nova and inspired by the thousand-year-old epic of India. The protagonists of the evening will be Varijashree Venugopal (voice and flute), BC Manjunath (mridangam), together with two ensembles of excellence in contemporary music: Musikfabrik, a cutting-edge German formation internationally recognized for its constant experimental research, and the Italian Icarus Ensemble, active since 1990, known for its versatility and ability to cross the languages of classical, electronic and improvisational music. The work intertwines ancient and modern, sacred and experimental sounds, evoking the atmosphere of the epic poem in a contemporary key.
The festival ends on June 29, at the Spazio NOUS in Rome, where the restitution of the Bharatanatyam workshop directed by Bala Devi Chandrashekar will be held (8:00 pm), followed by the theatrical performance MAA – The Eternal Truth (8:30 pm), signed and interpreted by the choreographer and dancer herself. An internationally renowned artist, disciple of the legendary Padma Subrahmanyam, Bala Devi Chandrashekar brings to the stage a form of Bharatanatyam dance that is deeply narrative, spiritual and visually engaging. With MAA, dedicated to the eternal principle of the divine feminine, the artist offers an intense work that blends the sacred gesture with contemporary dramaturgy. The entire festival is free entrance, with the exception of the performance on June 29 (€10.00 including membership card) and the dance workshop on June 28 and 29, organized in collaboration with the Gamaka Association and the Spazio Culturale NOUS (more info on the SummerMela website).
Photo: official poster of the event
Informationen
Condividi
