Meet the Kala The Arts Team
Sushmita Pati
Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Kala The Arts
Sushmita Pati is an international award winning Odissi dancer and choreographer who is based in Hampshire. She has been working in the United Kingdom since 1986. She completed her MA in ethnomusicology at Goldsmiths College University of London and dissertation in Serikella Chhau Masked Dance from Laban Centre London. She started her career in Dance in London with Bhavan Centre Academy (now known as Akademi) and later moved to Hampshire in 1994.
In Hampshire, Sushmita’s work was presented as part of the opening of The Anvil and her solo performances at regional venues with Hampshire Dance. She taught at Winchester University for the Dance department for a year. Her training was with the late Padmavibhushan Kelucharan Mohapatra, one of the finest choreographers of Odissi, and Sushmita is currently working with his son, dancer and choreographer Ratikant Mohapatra and Dr IIeana Citaristi.
Being one of the most renowned Odissi dancer artists in the UK, Sushmita is also a pioneer in introducing, developing and sustaining a South Asian dance practice in Hampshire. She has been a consultant on Asian Folk dance series for BBC 4 and written the dance text for Thengapalli Project which was created in Hampshire for Action Aid, with funding from Arts Council England and Hampshire County Council. She works with Kala The Arts as the CEO, artistic director, mentor, dancer, educator and choreographer. She is an Odissi Examiner for Bhavan Centre and Kathak Examiner for PRSSV. She has also served as a trustee with Basingstoke Voluntary Action, and as a founding member of the Multicultural Forum.
Sushmita has performed and toured solo work at Royal Festival Hall, Bhavan Centre, Greenwich Dance Agency, Haymarket Theatre, and toured work all over Hampshire including devising a dance programme for Art Asia. She has toured India several times, Thailand, Malaysia and Europe. She has created many choreographies for schools, colleges and universities, and has worked with national and international artists in her role at Kala The Arts.
“Sushmita has been successful because because of her passion, giving opportunities to many artists she has brought from India so that there is a different angle to the dance.” – Gudrun Maertins.
“It was so interesting to learn more about the rise of interest in the dance form in Britain and to watch the performance.”– Jane Pritchard Head of Dance V&A Museum
“Fantastic energy, gorgeously choreographed and beautifully presented. I felt more of a connection with this than I usually do with dance. Very much looking forward to seeing what comes next.” – Flis Pitman
Trustees
Raka Nandra, Chair of Trustees
Raka Nandra is a Homeopathy and Herbal Consultant. She is very passionate about preserving the environment and coaches her clients to live in a pollution free environment, for example, staying away from high levels of WiFi frequencies and a diet of organic raw food.
She has an interest in Indian dance and music and attends concerts regularly. She is a qualified nursery teacher and managed children of staff at the BBC for 10 years, running their play scheme, childcare and combining that with arts activities by local providers. She is based in West London.
Jini Cherian
Jini Cherian was introduced to Kala the Arts when she decided to take up dancing for her wellbeing and to learn a new skill. After two years, she started volunteering for the organisation for events as well as meeting with the council to understand more about the organisation. Jini helps out with classes, engaging with children and their families, and being part of the work Kala does with schools, advising on school governance and supporting events such as the Basingstoke Festival and Deepali events. Jini is passionate about the role of arts and its importance in both physical and mental well-being. She is excited for Kala to be a part of more wonderful and challenging projects.
Emma Jane Raven
Emma Jane has always loved to dance. Ballet, Tap, Charleston, Clog, Ballroom, Rock ‘n’ Roll, Indian dance; she’s tried them all and had great fun doing it. Emma Jane has been teaching in primary schools for the past 12 years and is presently a literacy specialist and Year 6 lead. She is passionate about teaching and adamant that all learning experiences must be inspiring and engaging. She has a special interest in bringing the arts into schools, as well as getting children out to experience live art.
Emma Jane has developed links with a number of performing arts groups in Reading over the past few years, enriching her school curriculum. Prior to working in primary education, she lectured in Fine Art and Sculpture in Further Education colleges. Her own art practice as a visual artist has encompassed both Sculpture installation and performance art.
Bharti Dove
Bharti works with accountancy firms dealing with finance and bookkeeping. She brings a wealth of knowledge working and chairing various local community groups and is an active member in some of them.
Bharti was the treasurer of The Indian Association in Basingstoke from 1994 to 2013, and a committee member of Basingstoke Hindu Society from 2013 to 2017. She was the chair of Hamara Club, an Asian ladies group, for 8 years from 2016 to October 2024. Bharti organised events, exercise classes and other activities and day trips for women who either lived on their own or would otherwise have been housebound and isolated while their families were at work. She had completed voluntary work with the Dementia Group in Oakley, Basingstoke for two years until it was closed down. In the past, Bharti has volunteered with Kala The Arts on their Holiday schools programme.
Her hobbies learning and singing semi-classical and light Indian singing, reading and travelling. Bharti is well-known within the community of Basingstoke, and lives with her husband, Malcom. She has a grown-up son who works in Australia.
In Attendance (Outside bodies)
Councillor Jay Ganesh
Cllr Jay Ganesh was elected as Councillor for Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council election held on Thursday 6th May 2021. He was elected as one of the three councillors from the Conservative Party to serve Sherborne St John and Rooksdown ward.
Cllr Jay Ganesh was appointed as Councillor representative of Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council on the Board of Kala the Arts following his election as Borough Councillor in May 2021. Since he became a Councillor representative on KTA’s board, Cllr Jay Ganesh has helped Kala The Arts to deliver an outdoor Diwali Festival in 2021 and 2022 and advises on local fund raising.
Honourary Adviser
Manisha Tank
An award winning presenter Manisha Tank originally from Southampton, Manisha has more than 20 years’ broadcast experience having worked for Reuters, the BBC and CNN International. Managing a portfolio of blue chip clients, she hosts TV, radio, podcasts and large scale live events across the Asia Pacific, Middle East and UK, both in person and virtually. At college she developed an interest in Indian classical dance. Encouraged by her mother, she went on to try different styles including Kathak, before meeting Sushmita Pati to learn Odissi. Despite moving countries multiple times and now residing in Singapore, Manisha has managed to take part in classes and continues to support Sushmita’s work at Kala the Arts.
Manisha approaches her work with intense intellectual curiosity bringing a natural and conversational style to her presentations. She is confident, personable and deeply invested in stories that make a positive contribution to society. She serves on committees for non-profits such as the Oxbridge Society of Singapore and Dover Park Hospice.
Staff
Abi Aveson
Education and Administrative Manager
Abi has been working as a freelance dance artist since graduating Winchester University with a First class BA(hons) degree in Dance in 2023. Since graduating she has worked with many companies such as Zoielogic, Theatre Train Southampton, Shine Performing Arts both facilitating, teaching and organising projects.
Abi also has a love for all dance having trained in a myriad of styles she has performed and choreographed for various prestigious venues such as The O2 Arena and The Royal Albert Hall! She has also performed with Avant Garde Dance Company.
Abi is super passionate about bringing more dance opportunities to local communities and schools. She believes everybody should be arts educated.
Andy Buchanan – Dance Development Manager
As Dance Development Manager, Andy works closely with the Artistic Director, in looking at and planning how best to try and translate the Artistic Vision of the organisation into actual practice.
Andy liaises with a wide variety of different organisations, creating more opportunities, consolidating partnerships not just locally but nationally and globally. Promoting the work and achievements of Kala, ensuring that the value and importance of Kala’a work is known and achieves the recognition it deserves, by both professional organisations, funders and by the public.
One the things Andy is working on is finding a creative space for the organisation and an artistic hub so that artists can practise and work is created locally and delivered nationally.
Pankhuri Verma
Diwali Light It Up! Project Manager
Trained under the nurturing guidance of Kala The Arts, Pankhuri has continued her lifelong passion for Hindustani classical music and Bollywood singing for the last 7 years, growing not just as a performer but as a nurturer of tradition.
Over the past three years, Pankhuri has served as Project Manager for Light It Up, Reading’s Diwali parade—helping shape it into a joyful, inclusive, and growing celebration of heritage.
By profession, she is a senior manager in a technology firm. What she brings from her professional world—strategic thinking, leadership, and people skills—blends naturally with the cultural mission of Kala The Arts. Her vision is to help the organisation grow into a national beacon of South Asian arts, expand the Diwali festival to wider audiences, and inspire the next generation through music, storytelling, and shared cultural pride.
Tirna Sengupta
Learning and Engagement Manager
Tirna Sengupta has recently completed her PhD in Performance and Cultural Industries at the University of Leeds. The focus of her research was on Adivasi dance within the tourist industry in north Bengal, India. She is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer who has made films that challenge various supremacies based on race, religion, caste, class and heterosexuality. She is interested in making people who have never engaged with the arts experience it in meaningful and transformative ways.
Ava Szajna-Hopgood
Marketing consultant
Ava is an arts marketing and communications specialist with twelve years’ experience in the creative industries. Alongside Kala the Arts, she’s worked for Artangel, Punchdrunk Enrichment and Rich Mix, extracting the most captivating elements of cultural programmes, projects and causes. She is a strong believer in transformative arts and the therapeutic power of creativity.
Ernie Dickson
Freelance Marketing Specialist
Ernie is our freelance marketing specialist, bringing over six years of experience in the voluntary sector. Passionate about strengthening community connections, he enjoys helping local charities thrive and works closely with local businesses to find meaningful ways they can offer support. A firm believer that charities are the heartbeat of any community, Ernie sees Kala the Arts as a shining example of that spirit in action.
Rajeev Singh
IT and Data Consultant
Rajeev Singh is an IT architect and Senior Consultant currently working with IBM UK. He has more than two decades’ of IT experience working with top consulting organisations within the IT sector. Rajeev works closely within Kala to support IT and digital day to day activities. He has been instrumental in advising on managing digital media and how to adopt best practices within the organisation to help capitalise benefits. He has been helping with social media adoption and supports orchestrating international events for Kala.
Rajeev believes that any artform should be part of social fabric and could help in building social harmony. Kala has a role to play and it could help bring closer different communities using digital and social tools.
Theah Dix- Parade Manager
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