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Hindu Dharma through the Arts (HDA 2020):

An International Arts COVID-19 Benefit Competition

Hindu Students Council (HSC) is excited to host its very first Online Arts Showcase!

The Theme For This Year is:

STORYTELLING

Your artwork must tell either:

A story of how you have grappled with and embraced your identity as a Hindu.

A story from Hindu texts, oral traditions, itihasas, panchatantra, etc.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Showcase Categories:

1. Dance (any dance form is allowed)

2. Music (singing, instrumental, beatboxing, DJing, etc.)

3. Visual Arts (cartoon, drawing, painting, sculpting, etc.)

4. Photography/Film/Drama (theater, short film, animation, acting etc.)

5. Writing (poetry, stories, essays, etc.)

6. Vegetarian Cooking (recipe, cooking show, etc.)

You may submit in as many categories as you’d like with a maximum of 2 entries per category

Submission Deadline:
August 14 at 11:59 PM EST

Note: Entries will not be accepted without the registration fee.

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Prizes:

The finalists’ art will be posted to our website, and there will be prizes awarded in each category as well as a prize for the artwork that raises the most money.
*Donations will go to the Sewa USA COVID-19 Efforts: https://sewausa.org/COVID-19-Fundraiser*

Rules:

1) Theme: your artwork must tell a Hindu story (either your own or based on a Hindu text, as mentioned above). You can email [email protected] if you are unsure and would like to confirm that your proposed idea(s) fit the theme.

If your art does not tell a Hindu story – your artwork will be appreciated but not considered for any prizes. You can use any language – providing an English translation would be appreciated, but not required.

2) Originality: Your work must be original. You may reference other sources, but all references must be properly attributed. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. If you are doing a dance, you can use a song that exists as long as your choreography is original. Participants are encouraged to have fun with props and costumes.

3) Timeframe: Your work must be created after July 1, 2020, and submitted before the deadline (11:59 PM EST on August 14, 2020). Reusing a past work of art is against the rules.

4) Safety: All your participants need not be present in the same location. They may record videos in different locations and stitch the videos together. Please follow safety guidelines provided by the CDC. Artwork that is not following such guidelines will be disqualified.

How to Participate

1) Fill out the Registration Form (below)

2) Pay Your Registration Fee ($10/15 per art entry)

3) After you register, HSC will send you a link to to submit your entries.

$10 for HSC Chapter Members

$15 for All Others (Non-HSC Members)

The registration fee can be sent via Venmo to @HinduStudentsCouncil or via PayPal.

(Note: If you are unable to pay for the full registration fee, you can provide an amount that is most comfortable to you. You are also welcome to donate more. The money you donate will go towards prize money & philanthropy)

Judging

A panel of judges will judge the artwork on the basis of the following criteria:

  • Originality

  • Creativity

  • Ability to convey meaning

  • Authenticity to the Hindu story

  • Execution (This varies by category, “Is the work authentic or done well”)

Judges:

Dance:

Indu Manglora

Indu Mangrola

Srimati Indu Mangrola is an icon of Indian performing arts in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex. She is the director of Sur Sangam a renowned dance troupe and music group, active for the past 30 years. Indu-ji’s dance choreography in traditional garba, folk, and Bollywood dance can be seen at local performances, such as India Nite, and also at the national Federation of Gujarati Associations of North America (FOGANA) dance competition where her items have been nationally ranked.
Sohini Sircar

Sohini Sircar

Sohini Sircar began her dance training in Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi at the age of five. In addition to classical, Sohini enjoys performing and choreographing Bollywood and folk/regional items for universities, festivals and showcases. Over the past decade, Sohini has competed across the nation with award-winning dance teams and has participated in organizing showcases and competitions. Sohini currently serves as the Vice-Chair and Treasurer of Hindu Students Council.

Music:

Eclipse Nirvana

Aks & Lakshmi

Aks & Lakshmi are a composer and vocalist duo who specialize in Electronic Bhakti Music. They are pioneers in blending Raga influences with electronic and pop genres to create powerful spiritual experiences. Through engaging live shows and 8 albums to date, Aks & Lakshmi present the peace, love and pluralistic vision of poets such as Adi Shankara, Kabir, Mirabai, and Surdas to American multi-faith audiences. In their live performances, EDM chants, bhajans and stotras (devotional song and hymn) interconnect with storytelling and visual media in a celebration of ecstatic devotion. In 2013, their music and media company Eclipse Nirvana released “The Bhakti Movement”, a project that modernized traditional songs and was distributed worldwide by Sony Music.

Visual Arts:

Ritu Kumar

Ritu Kumar

Ritu Kumar owner and director of RITUHANDMADEARTS. A well known artist from Dallas who likes to experiment with her art, Ritu mixes different style like abstract, modern, contemporary and Indian ethnic & mythical and mediums like watercolor, acrylic, oil ,resins on canvas , glass and wood to create new and unique styles. She is featured in George Takei’s oh Myy! And many reputed online & print media like VOYAGEDALLAS, ADBHUT MEDIA,DANIK JAGRAN AND AAJ to name a few.
Shubha Sridhar

Shubha Sridhar

Shubha Sridhar’s diverse art portfolio includes Ganji-Fa, Tanjor, Mysore, Ceramic, Glass, Water color, Acrylic, Oil, and Pour paintings. Her art blends abstract, contemporary styles with Indian traditional themes. She has taught many students in Bangalore, Singapore, Florida and currently continues to train aspiring artists in Austin, Texas.
Akshata

Akshata

Art has allowed Akshata to explore her passion and hobby. She received an MBA in art allowing her love for art to from passion to profession. She currently lives in Atlanta, GA. Her mediums include oil and acrylic. She specializes in Indian traditional Art, Contemporary Art, and Abstract Art

Photography/Film/Drama:

Uday Kalluri

Uday Kalluri

Uday has been steadily working on both stage and screen since the release of his first dance video (2006). Some of the prestigious North American organizations such as Carassauga festival, Panorama India, Colours of India, Cultural show organized by the Indian Student Association (ISA) at University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), Pangaea Uniting Nations at UOIT, Telugu Cultural Association of Greater Toronto (TCAGT), Telugu Association of Canada (TACA), Telugu Association of North America USA (TANA) and America Telugu Association USA (ATA) provided a platform to unveil this emerging star, Uday Kalluri. He established a film production company in 2016 named ‘Uday Productions’ and through his debut feature film ‘Ramasakkani Rakumarudu’ released in Jan 2016 he also discovered himself as filmmaker, choreographer, model, lyricist, script and story writer.

Writing:

Neha Srivastava

Neha Srivastava

Neha Srivastava is the President and Founder of Shaktitva Foundation. After completing her Masters from Columbia University, she is currently a student of public policy at Johns Hopkins University. She dons many hats, an engineer by profession and a socio-political commentator, scholar and writer by passion. An ardent worshipper of Shakti, she is particularly interested in exploring the effects of colonization on native cultures which have a strong affinity towards the Divine Feminine.

Vegetarian Cooking

Shobha Swami

Shobha Swamy

Shobha Swamy is certified in Plant Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies, Cornell University. She actively promotes switching to minimally processed, nutritionally dense, plant based diets through Food for Life classes in the Alpharetta and surrounding areas of Atlanta. She is a Food for Life instructor for Dr. Jennifer Rooke’s 12-Week Lifestyle Intervention clinic at Morehouse School of Medicine. Shobha takes a holistic approach to nutrition, well-being and promoting permanent lifestyle changes in individuals and organizations, to build stronger healthier communities. She is also a Yoga and Meditation Instructor and conducts Yoga and Meditation classes from her home in Alpharetta.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! This is an international benefit competition, so anyone located anywhere can participate.

There is no age restriction, all ages are welcome to apply!

Winners may be distinctly awarded prizes by age groups, depending on the number/diversity of submissions.

No! Anyone can apply as long as your art meets the listed requirements.

Entries can be either as a solo or group participants (as long as recommended public health measures are followed)

The money you donate to this cause through the registration fee will be used to fund the prizes and a portion will also go to the Sewa International COVID-19 Fundraiser.