Trinity Laban and Shiv Nadar University Launch Satyam Kalon

A landmark international partnership is set to reshape the landscape of arts education and research. Trinity Laban (London) and Shiv Nadar University (New Delhi) have jointly announced Satyam Kalon, a transcultural arts initiative uniting leading institutions across India, the United Kingdom and the United States. Launching in Autumn 2025, the project aims to become a major catalyst for interdisciplinary artistic creation, philosophical inquiry and global cultural exchange.

At its heart, Satyam Kalon supports exceptional dancers, musicians, visual artists, art historians and philosophers through scholarships, research grants and high-level teaching. Driven by philanthropic support and endorsed by figures including AR Rahman, Honorary President of Trinity Laban, the initiative seeks to cultivate a new generation of creative leaders equipped to shape the future of global arts education.

Truth and Beauty as Creative Foundations

The programme’s name brings together the Sanskrit Satyam (Truth) and the Greek Kalon (Beauty)—two philosophical ideals that resonate deeply with Professor Aleksander Szram, Artistic Director of Trinity Laban. He sees these concepts as central to the programme’s mission.

“To me, these two ideals have always been at the heart of performing arts education in one way or another,” he reflects. “Artists can chase beauty, but in the end the most powerful impact on us all as makers and receivers of art is the recognition of truth. However, it might be more productive to view the two ideals as existing in a comingled relationship, and I see the Satyam Kalon initiative as an excellent opportunity to explore this relationship from a wide variety of perspectives.”

For Szram, this philosophical convergence will not only shape the creative output of the programme but also deepen approaches to pedagogy, research and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

A Distinctive Model of Global Exchange

Satyam Kalon brings together students and faculty from Trinity Laban, Shiv Nadar University, Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts (Bangalore) and KM Music Conservatory (Chennai), alongside students from Columbia University and visiting academics from leading global institutions including Bonn University, The Courtauld Institute of Art and Heidelberg University.

While Trinity Laban has long been a hub of intercultural creativity, Szram emphasises that Satyam Kalon represents something new. “It is true that Trinity Laban has always been a hot-bed of cross-cultural creativity,” he notes. “Satyam Kalon is a step-change that will take this work to a higher level, carving out dedicated space for a small group of scholars to undertake intensive activity both as individual researchers and as collaborators.”

He believes the timing is crucial: “I think we are on the cusp of experiencing a wave of new global artistic developments, partly in response to the development of generative AI, and the Satyam Kalon scholars will be well-placed to be amongst the first-responders to these developments.”

Building the Next Generation of Creative Leaders

A defining feature of Satyam Kalon is its structure: a sequence of seminars, workshops and collaborative events rotating between London and Delhi. Szram believes this framework is essential for shaping artists and thinkers who can operate across borders.

“To be a global creative leader, you need knowledge of a wide range of cultural practices, confidence and authenticity in analysing how they interrelate, and a vision for how transnational cultures could develop in the future,” he explains. “The Satyam Kalon structure will give scholars the right balance between the seclusion needed for focused work, and the inspiration and critical challenge provided by a supportive community of co-researchers.”

Philanthropy with Purpose

Made possible through philanthropic support, the programme provides access to world-class training, resources and mentorship for emerging talent. The founding donor, who prefers to remain unnamed, sees Satyam Kalon as a platform to explore the confluence of cultures through collaborative creativity and research.

Looking Ahead

As the programme prepares to launch, Szram sees its long-term success not in predetermined outcomes but in the unexpected. “The great works that emerge from the Satyam Kalon programme will be those that none of us ever envisaged would or could happen,” he says. “For me, I hope that one of the participants is able to create work that captures the zeitgeist in some way, capturing the imagination of a wide audience at a particular moment in time.”

With its bold vision, distinguished partners and commitment to transcultural artistic exploration, Satyam Kalon is poised to leave a lasting imprint on global arts education, building new creative languages across continents and redefining what collaboration can achieve.