In this section you can read about some of the people working in the arts in Slough, their stories and their passion.
At one time it was almost impossible to experience live Indian music outside of London. To raise awareness of Asian music and make it more accessible Palwinder Bhamra and his family formed MATRA, the Musical Association for Today's Renowned Artists, to promote and teach classical Indian music. MATRA is more than just a handy acronym however; it's also the Hindi word for 'beat’.
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Liz Broekmann is the Principal Children's Librarian at Slough Library. Since 2004 the Library has developed innovative art projects to engage children of every level with the Library and its services.
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When Hilton Callaghan sensed the need for an association that actively celebrated the history and achievements of Slough's Afro-Caribbean residents he applied his business experience to help set up SWIPE (Slough West Indian People's Enterprise). The next nine years were to see SWIPE mentoring young people at risk of exclusion from school, showcasing African-Caribbean music, and documenting the memories and history of Afro-Caribbean settlers in Slough on film.
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When Jaya Dheer's mother persuaded her to study the more feminine art of dance as an antidote to Jaya's tomboyish ways she set her daughter on a career path that would change her life. Spanning five decades, Jaya's career has seen her work as a dancer, performer, choreographer, and workshop leader in both Britain and India.
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Like most budding performers Sudarshan Dheer had originally set his heart on becoming a film star and was slightly dismayed when he didn't. A disappointment made all the worse because he was barred from his dreams by something as superfluous as his height. Fortunately for fans of Indian dance Sudarshan's dreams of Bollywood success were not to be dashed that easily.
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Careers in music and the performing arts seldom last long, with most practitioners swapping a life on stage for an existence on tube station platforms once the constant grind of sourcing work hits home. One artist that refused to trade his pipedreams for pinstripes is professional musician Rob Harris, a man who has proved that a career in music is a viable, sustainable reality.
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Accomplished steel band musician Eustace 'Earl' Herbert has worked tirelessly to raise the profile of steel band music and establish a community steel orchestra in Slough. Although he has put together a popular steel band, Panachea, that has performed at Mayoral functions, festivals, and for the last three years at the Ascot Horticultural Show, Eustace believes that his band still isn't big enough.
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Just as he was about to embark on a career in IT, Amit Kamboj decided to swap a life of programming computers for programming beats. He has since performed across mainland Europe and the USA and released records on a number of respected Drum n' Bass labels including Metalheadz and Commercial Suicide. When he isn't travelling the world, Amit can be found leading some of the most influential and popular youth projects in Slough.
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Ever since the films of Steven Spielberg first held him spellbound Asham Kamboj has enjoyed a life-long love of cinema. Few of us make our childhood dreams a reality but after years of perseverance and hard work Asham is now the head of his own production company and is looking forward to directing his first feature film.
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RIFCO Arts are one of the countries most exciting up and coming theatre companies. In 2005 their show The Deranged Marriage toured across the country to full houses and rave reviews. Artistic director Pravesh Kumar has always been committed to developing work with the community and has a grass roots approach to creating theatre.
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Despite working as a photographer, helping to run a local arts organisation and developing an ambitious inter-faith art project, David Sparrow had never thought of himself as an artist until he attended the Community Arts Training Scheme in Slough.
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