Navaratri Festival
Thursday, October 8 through Sunday, October 11, 2026
Celebrating South Indian Arts at Wesleyan Since 1976
For five decades, Wesleyan’s Navaratri Festival has been a joyful annual celebration of Indian music, dance, and artistic traditions.
Established in 1976, and rooted in teachings introduced to Wesleyan in the 1960s, the festival continues to evolve—honoring classical forms while widening its focus to include artforms connected to South Asia that expand the classical canon.
Navaratri is traditionally a time to gather with loved ones, enjoy music and dance, and seek blessings for new beginnings. Wesleyan’s 50th anniversary festival invites all to join in that spirit of celebration.
Festival History and Legacy
Wesleyan’s Navaratri Festival began in 1976, building on the foundation of South Indian music and dance education introduced to the university in the 1960s.
In the decades since, the festival has become a cornerstone of the Wesleyan arts calendar, welcoming artists and scholars from across the globe.
Over time, it has grown to represent not only classical traditions but also contemporary South Asian performance practices—reframing the canon, expanding the conversation, and deepening ties between Wesleyan and the global arts community.
From virtuosic vocal performances and reinterpretations of sacred texts, to student-led pujas (religious ceremonies) and social gatherings, Navaratri embodies Wesleyan’s values of artistic excellence, intercultural dialogue, and joyful community.
-
Flute artist Shashank Subramanyam is accompanied by Sruti Sarathy on violin and Patri Satish Kumar on mrdangam (double-headed drum) during the Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan on September 27, 2025. Photo by Mark Brendel of Perceptions Photography.
-
Aswathy Srikanth performs the New England premiere of Samavesha during the Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan on September 26, 2025. Photo by Mark Brendel of Perceptions Photography.
-
Srikanth Natarajan performs a gender-bending transformation of characters in the Indian epic the Mahābhārata in his Connecticut debut during the Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan on September 26, 2025. Photo by Mark Brendel of Perceptions Photography.
-
Husband and wife Indian dance stars Srikanth Natarajan and Aswathy Srikanth participate in a post-performance talkback with Professor of Dance, Global South Asian Studies, and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Hari Krishnan during the Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan on September 26, 2025. Photo by Mark Brendel of Perceptions Photography.
-
Shri. V.V. Subrahmanyam returned to campus for his 80th anniversary concert, nearly 60 years after his first performance at Wesleyan in 1966, during the Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan on October 12, 2024. He was be joined by his son and fellow violinist Shri. V.V.S. Murari, Shri. Trichy Sankaran on mrdangam (double-headed drum), Shri. K.V. Gopalakrishnan on kanjira (frame drum), and Smt. Banu Jaiganesh on tampura (four-stringed harmonic instrument). Photo by Mark Brendel of Perceptions Photography.
-
Sarada Nori Akella performs the Kuchipudi dance style at the Indian Dance Showcase during the Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan on October 12, 2024. Photo by Mark Brendel of Perceptions Photography.
-
Kathak (North Indian classical) dancer Jin Won performs during the Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan on October 8, 2023. Photo by Mark Brendel of Perceptions Photography.
-
Jin Won made her Connecticut debut during the Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan on October 8, 2023. Photo by Mark Brendel of Perceptions Photography.
-
North Indian sarangi master and PhD candidate Suhail Yusuf Khan MA ’18 and California-native guitarist and songwriter Henry Hodder ’20 performed the world premiere of tunes from their debut EP Soon with tabla virtuoso Vishal Nagar during the Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan on October 7, 2023.
-
The Akkarai Sisters—S. Subhalakshmi and S. Sornalatha—make their Connecticut debut on violin accompanied by R. Sankaranarayanan and Vijay Ganesh on mrdangam (double-headed drum) during the Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan on October 6, 2023. Photo by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography.
-
Nrithya Pillai made her New England debut performance during the Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan on October 2, 2022. Photo by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography.
-
Bharatanatyam dancer Nrithya Pillai was accompanied by live musicians and took part in a talk-back moderated by Professor and Chair of the Dance Department and Professor of Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Hari Krishnan during the Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan on October 2, 2022. Photo by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography.
-
Sitar virtuoso Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan performed during the Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan on October 1, 2022. Photo by Tom Dzimian.
-
Shahid Parvez Khan focused on exploring and expanding the possibilities of the melodic framework for improvisation in North Indian classical music, or raag, during the Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan on October 1, 2022. Photo by Tom Dzimian.
Notable Past Performers
Since 1976, the Navaratri Festival has been an annual event at Wesleyan. Each year the highest caliber of musicians and dancers perform.
South Indian musicians who have performed at Wesleyan's Navaratri Festival have included The Akkarai Sisters—S. Subhalakshmi and S. Sornalatha, M. Balamuralikrishna, Jon Higgins '62, MA '64, PhD '73, Lalgudi Jayaraman, T.M. Krishna, Lalgudi G.J.R. Krishnan and Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi, T. Muktha, T.K. Murthy, K.V. Narayanaswamy, Palghat Raghu, N. Ramani, M. Nageswara Rao, N. Ravikiran, Trichy Sankaran, T.V. Sankaranarayanan, L. Shankar PhD ’74, Mandolin U. Srinivas, M.S. Subbalakshmi, L. Subramaniam, Karaikudi S. Subramanian MA '77, PhD '86, V.V. Subrahmanyam, Shashank Subramanyam, M.L. Vasanthakumari, Gayathri Venkataraghavan, and Sri Rajhesh Vaidhya.
South Indian dancers appearing at Wesleyan's Navaratri Festival have included T. Balasaraswati, her daughter Lakshmi Knight and grandson Aniruddha Knight, Swati Bhis, Nrityagram Dance Ensemble, Nrithya Pillai, Mythili Prakash, Indrani Rahman, Mallika Sarabhai, Priyamvada Shankar, Srikanth Natarajan and Aswathy Srikanth, Malavika Sarukkai, Yashoda Thakore, and Alarmél Valli.
North Indian musicians performing at Wesleyan's Navaratri Festival have included Nikhil Banerjee, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and Keyboard Sathya, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Zakir Hussain, Pandit Jasraj, Ali Akbar Khan, Amjad Ali Khan, Asad Ali Khan, Ashish Khan, Imrat Khan, Shahid Parvez Khan, Suhail Yusuf Khan MA ’18, and Shivkumar Sharma.
North Indian dancers who have performed at Wesleyan include Birju Maharaj and Jin Won.
In 2025, Wesleyan's Navaratri Festival featured a reimagining of the classical Indian epic the Mahābhārata, and one of the best flute artists in Indian classical music.
For general inquiries, press information, or questions about attending, contact the Center for the Arts.