Our Vision

Kala Sangam is an intercultural arts hub which aims to reflect the diversity of contemporary Britain through the work we present, the artists we support and the communities we engage.

Specialising in South Asian arts and culture, most of our work takes place in our Arts Centre in the heart of Bradford (in between Bradford Cathedral and The Broadway Shopping Centre) with our outreach activities extending nationally and internationally.

In Sanskrit, ‘Kala’ means arts and ‘Sangam’ means a meeting point. Kala Sangam aims to bring people and communities together to create and experience high-quality diverse art, to increase understanding and awareness of different cultures, and to provide talent development pathways for young people and emerging artists into a career in the arts.

Founded in 1993 by Dr Shripati Upadhyaya and Dr Geetha Upadhyaya, Kala Sangam became a registered charity and limited company in 1996.

You can download the Articles of Association of Kala Sangam here.

Our Activity

In 2017/18 Kala Sangam launched three new public facing strands of activity. Focussing primarily on music and dance, all artistic, education and outreach activity delivered by Kala Sangam now aligns with at least one of these strands- be that work presented in the Ganges Theatre, the artists we support (and the work they create), our schools offer, or any of the other ways in which we deliver our work.

This Is Bradford

Putting Kala Sangam at the heart of arts delivery in the city, we offer rehearsal space, development support and performance opportunities to local artists and companies. We also bring work to Bradford which addresses societal issues for the city or is relevant to one of its many communities.

South Asia Now

We programme work by South Asian artists/organisations or that showcases art forms from South Asia. A priority is placed on presenting work which develops the art form and/or is created by British people of South Asian descent.

British Diversity

To ensure we are at the forefront of what it means to live in Britain in 2018 we support the creation of work which looks at cultural heritage in the context of modern Britain or is actively diversity focussed. This strand also covers work that fuses together different artforms, styles and cultures.