All are welcome to The Festival of East Anglia & Punjab this Summer!
The Sikh Museum Initiative is privileged to be supporting the Festival of East Anglia & Punjab explores the cultural links between the two regions through the story and legacy of Maharajah Duleep Singh and the last royal family of the Punjab, who lived in Norfolk.
This year also marks the 75th Anniversary of India and Pakistan independence, and the Partition that divided Punjab into two halves, when the once vast Kingdom of Duleep Singh was separated between two nations.
With events taking place across Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk, the Festival of East Anglia & Punjab will bring communities together to share cultures, customs and traditions through heritage and the arts. With a wide range of activities planned, from melas, music and performances, to talks, food and family events, the festival will have something for everyone, appealing to people of all ages and from different backgrounds.
Highlights include an exhibition on Princess Catherine Duleep Singh and an exciting programme of events at Ancient House Museum in Thetford; an exhibition on Maharajah Duleep Singh at the Norfolk Record Office showcasing original artefacts from the Bance Collection; and The Singh Twins: Slaves of Fashion exhibition at Firstsite in Colchester.
The festival is back after a break of two years and has developed with a wider reach to new audiences, partners, stakeholders, and programming. The event will promote cultural tourism and the support the local economy in the East Region.
We have also developed the East of England Heritage Trail themed around places of interest related to the Duleep Singh family, for you to enjoy at your leisure. New additions include the resting place of Indian Princess Helen Rundeer Singh Ahluwalia of Kapurthala (Punjab) in Doddinghurst in Essex.
Highlights include
Exhibitions
Maharajah Duleep Singh: Norfolk’s Princely Family | Norfolk Record Office (starts 2 July)
The Singh Twins: Slaves of Fashion | Firstsite, Colchester
Princess Catherine Duleep Singh Exhibition | Ancient House Museum, Thetford
Lahore Copper and Brass | The South Asia Collection Museum, Norwich
lectures:
- 6 July Talk: Maharajah Duleep Singh: Norfolk’s Indian Royals by Peter Bance| Elveden Hall, Near Thetford
- 9 July Talk: The Rise of the Sikh Soldier by Gurinder Singh Mann | Ancient House, Thetford, Norfolk
- 10 July Festival Finale Day | Ancient House, Thetford, Norfolk ( See our 3d relics at the museum)
- 10 July Thetford Mela: Festival of East Anglia & Punjab Finale | Thetford Green
More information at the Essex and Cultural Diversity Project website.