In May we welcomed the brilliant Bhavik Parmar to Sampad as our Interim Executive Director. Almost a month into his new role, we sat down to hear more about his work and his Sampad highlights so far.
What are you most excited for in your role at Sampad?
Challenging myself has always been the driver behind everything I do. I don’t like staying in my comfort zone for too long — and I know I’ve got big shoes to fill. I’m excited to build new partnerships, explore funding opportunities for Sampad and to learn more about South Asian Culture. I’ve often been on the opposite side of this process, teaching other’s about my culture whereas in just a few weeks I feel like my eyes have been opened to a whole new world of South Asian Arts.
Any highlights from your first few weeks?
The biggest highlight so far has been the incredibly warm welcome from the entire Sampad team, including the Board. I’ve had the opportunity to meet staff, artists, and performers through events such as Midday Mantra, the CBSO concert, and our school and community activities. It’s been brilliant to hear such glowing feedback from the participants we engage with across our programme. I’m excited to continue supporting and growing the work, while building relationships with such a talented and passionate team.
Do you have a favourite South Asian artform?
I was a huge fan of our CBSO concert, it’s the type of event where families can sing and dance along, reminisce the classics tap into old memories. Concerts are my usual and preferred South Asian Art Form, and I was absolutely blown away by our recent Midday Mantra. I’ve had access to tickets for a range of productions – rarely shows that my parents are interested in watching – now they want tickets to everything Sampad does!
What are you looking forward to in Sampad’s programme this year?
Most definitely Midsummer Masti – one performance, 6 weddings exploring various cultural traditions – what’s there not to like!?
What can Sampad’s audiences and artists expect from you specifically over the next few months? What are you bringing to Sampad?
Over the next few months, I’ll be focused on listening closely — to our communities, artists, staff and partners — so I can build a deeper understanding of what’s needed, what’s working, and where we can grow.
I bring with me a strong track record of building meaningful partnerships and creating programmes that are inclusive, relevant and rooted in lived experience.
I’m passionate about creating platforms where South Asian stories are not only seen and celebrated — but also lead the narrative. I’ll be looking at how we can expand our reach, support artists’ development, and make our work even more visible and sustainable.
At its heart, I’m here to serve the vision of Sampad: to champion South Asian arts and heritage in ways that are bold, collaborative and culturally powerful.
Photo: Bhavik Parmar (L) with Qawal Najmuddin Saifuddin & Brothers and Piali Ray (Centre) at Midday Mantra.
