The Monthly interviewed Samridhi Saini about her FolkDeep project when she was based in Belfast a little while ago. You can see the first part of that interview at the following link.
Samridhi has sent us a report from a recent event held in Delhi as part of a Belfast-Delhi Cultural Exchange project.
On 18 April, Samridhi Saini, through FolkDeep’s cross-cultural exchange project Radha Sutra: Stories Across Borders, reached a new milestone in Delhi. A céilí dance workshop was delivered with children from Udaar NGO, introducing Irish cultural traditions through movement, rhythm, and participatory learning as part of the ongoing Belfast–Delhi exchange programme.
Radha Sutra is built on a simple but important idea: children in NGO and community settings should have greater access to intercultural arts learning, just as children in more privileged school environments often do. Many of the children who take part in this project have rarely had opportunities to engage with cultural traditions from outside their immediate surroundings. This work is trying to change that, not through passive performance, but through hands-on, joyful, and participatory experience.
The workshop introduced the children to Irish Céilí dance, its history, its social origins, and the meaning behind the steps. Alongside the movement itself, participants explored ideas of community, celebration, and shared cultural identity. The session was designed not only to teach a dance form, but to open a window into a different culture’s way of life, creating a foundation for empathy and cross-cultural understanding.
The workshop was received with real energy and enthusiasm, the kind of response that confirms this model of community-led cultural exchange is both meaningful and repeatable. It also reflects FolkDeep’s wider commitment to creating deeper and more engaging forms of cultural learning between Belfast and Delhi.
This is not a one-off event. A storytelling workshop focused on Irish culture and folklore is now being planned with Udaar NGO as a follow-on session, deepening the children’s engagement beyond a single encounter. A further Céilí dance workshop is also scheduled for 2 May with a second NGO partner in Delhi, extending the reach of the project across more communities.
Together, these sessions form part of a wider pilot model that FolkDeep is developing through Radha Sutra: Stories Across Borders — a repeatable framework for cross- cultural learning between Belfast and Delhi, using arts, storytelling, and participatory practice to build genuine connection. The focus throughout remains on children and communities who may otherwise have limited access to such opportunities: cultural learning not as a privilege, but as something that belongs to everyone.
