Last week the London Mayor Ken Livingstone held the launch party for the annual London Mela. The event, says his office, is one of the only melas in the country to commission new work and provide a platform for emerging British artists as well as bringing traditional and classical art forms to a wider audience.

This year’s Mela is one of the featured events in ‘India Now’, a festival celebrating Indian culture in London, which takes place from July to September 2007. The Mela will take place on Sunday 12th August in Gunnersbury Park. BBC Asian Network will remain its key media partner.