Welcome to Deekshaa – Indian Arts for All
Since our inception in 2020, we’ve been committed to preserving and sharing the rich traditions of Indian music and dance — while making them accessible, relevant, and inspiring to diverse audiences across the UK.
Through classes, events, innovative projects, and community engagement, we help individuals reconnect with their roots and explore Indian art forms with professionalism and passion. Our vision is rooted in community service, offering transformative arts education and building bridges through culture.
We’re proud to have received multiple National Lottery grants, from Arts Council England and the National Lottery Community Fund, supporting our efforts to bring world-class, cross-cultural experiences to the UK public.
At the heart of Deekshaa lies our commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. We believe everyone should have access to the joy of Indian arts — regardless of background or experience.
Our art projects — including musical theatre, dance dramas, and music productions — have been widely appreciated by audiences both nationally and internationally. We actively support and showcase local artists, offering them meaningful performance opportunities.
While our activities are inclusive and open to all, we are especially committed to supporting children, young people, and women from underserved or marginalised backgrounds. Through our high-quality training programmes, mentorship, and performance opportunities, we aim to remove barriers — social, economic, or emotional — and provide a safe, creative space for participants to develop confidence, skills, and a strong sense of belonging through the arts.
We also offer:
- Diploma and certificate courses in Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Carnatic music, and Natya
- Workshops and performances open to all
- Collaborations with UK-based and international artists
- In-person and online classes for learners of all levels
Join us at Deekshaa — where tradition meets excellence, and creativity connects community.
Excellence in training
We are committed to providing comprehensive and intensive training in Indian art forms.
Excellence in training
We are committed to providing comprehensive and intensive training in Indian art forms.
Creating artistic opportunities
We are dedicated to creating artistic opportunities to artists through events, projects and workshops.
We organise and deliver on-stage and online performances, on a regular basis. We collaborate with various organisations and artists on numerous projects. By providing performance opportunities to our students, artists and participation opportunities to the community members, we contribute immensely towards broadening the perspective and scope of Indian art forms, development of artists and the sustainability of their practices in the UK.
Creating artistic opportunities
We are dedicated to creating artistic opportunities to artists through events, projects and workshops.
We organise and deliver on-stage and online performances, on a regular basis. We collaborate with various organisations and artists on numerous projects. By providing performance opportunities to our students, artists and participation opportunities to the community members, we contribute immensely towards broadening the perspective and scope of Indian art forms, development of artists and the sustainability of their practices in the UK.
Developing performance skills
We have a great focus on developing the performance skills of our students and artists
We organise frequent workshops to develop the artistic & performance skills of our students and artists. Our approach is performance-oriented and hence, our students and artists are able to demonstrate a wide range of different performance skills. Performing in front of a larger audience needs quite a lot of confidence. Our students are provided with special training sessions on mastering the art of performance on stage.
Developing performance skills
We have a great focus on developing the performance skills of our students and artists
We organise frequent workshops to develop the artistic & performance skills of our students and artists. Our approach is performance-oriented and hence, our students and artists are able to demonstrate a wide range of different performance skills. Performing in front of a larger audience needs quite a lot of confidence. Our students are provided with special training sessions on mastering the art of performance on stage.
About Us
Deekshaa was officially incorporated as a Community Interest Company in October 2020. We started our artistic activities in 2016 as an unincorporated arts organisation when we organised our annual Arts Festival ‘Samarpana’ in Birmingham for the first time. Music and dance classes for the communities were started and established by our Founder & Director Aarathy Arun, at this time. Our groups of artists started performing for cultural and community events and eventually, we became the quintessential element of arts and cultural activities for many artists and communities in the Midlands.
Today, we are one of the leading organisations in Indian arts in the UK. Since 2021, we have completed two projects funded by Arts Council England, the national development agency for creativity and culture. Another project was funded by The National Lottery Community Fund.
Working with various organisations, we contribute towards the development of artists from diverse backgrounds. We are a member of OVAL –Our Voice in Arts & Literature, an arts consortium consisting of artists and arts organisations from diverse backgrounds, which was funded by Birmingham City Council.
We extend our artistic activities to different aspects of society, to promote social wellbeing through creativity and artistic activities. We mentor artists, students & enthusiasts and encourage them to pursue their creativity.
Directors
Aarathy Arun
(Arathi Ashok)
Aarathy is the Founder Director & the Artistic Director of Deekshaa. She is a teaching & performing artist of Indian classical music & dance. Mentor to many artists & students, her excellence in arts is evident in all her works. She is a musician, dancer, choreographer, mentor and script-writer. She is a Creative Specialist & Cultural Interpreter. Aarathy Arun is the main instructor of music & dance in Deekshaa. Her 30+ years of experience in arts industry (learning, practising and teaching) and her passion and devotion towards arts makes her an exceptional artist & mentor.
Brian Abraham
(Chair of the Board)
Brian is a well-known music producer, singer, mix engineer & music composer/director with the stage name ‘Seban’. As a trained musician, he has numerous prestigious stage performances to his credits. Brian is also an actor and the director of our dramas. He is a founding member of Deekshaa & has 12+ years of experience in the industry. Well-experienced & proficient in combined arts, Brian is a Creative Specialist & the chief instructor of our acting/drama courses.
Joseph
Kuriakose
Joseph Kuriakose is an IT Project Manager by profession. He is a passionate artist and a participant of numerous stage & theatre shows for cultural and corporate events. He is an actor & a model. He is a percussionist & a dancer as well.
