09/29/2026
Following the our Sravanum-Sruthiyum (Hearing & Listening) concert, September 27, 2026 - we are delighted that September 27 will be proclaimed as "Hearing and Listening Day" in the City of Hartford, and encourage all to support performing arts community in which people of all abilities can participate, perform, experience, and belong!
Proclamation By: The Honorable Arunan Arulampalam, Mayor, City of Hartford, Connecticut
WHEREAS, the City of Hartford recognizes that music, dance, culture, and the performing arts should be accessible to people of all backgrounds and abilities, and that science, technology, and the arts can work together to advance inclusion and accessibility; and
WHEREAS, the Hearing and Listening Initiative was launched in December 2025 by SciArtsRUs, a California-based nonprofit organization, through a sign language choir dedicated to making music more inclusive for Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities; and
WHEREAS, inclusion ambassadors, researchers, and performers Rishabh Kaushik and Nivritti Mahesh advance accessibility in the performing arts by bridging science, technology, artistic expression, and lived experience; and
WHEREAS, Rishabh Kaushik developed a multisensory concert format using Cymatics, sign language, and visual storytelling, while Nivritti Mahesh demonstrates how assistive technology supports artists with hearing challenges in learning and performing dance; and
WHEREAS, on September 27, 2026, these complementary approaches will come together in an innovative presentation supported by the India Arts Foundation and Raga Club, unifying music, dance, technology, and accessibility; and
WHEREAS, September 27 marks the concluding day of the International Week of Deaf People, and the City of Hartford recognizes listening not only as an auditory experience, but also as an act of understanding, inclusion, communication, and connection; now, therefore, be it
PROCLAIMED, that I, Arunan Arulampalam, Mayor of the City of Hartford, along with the Court of Common Council and the citizens of Hartford, do hereby proclaim September 27, 2026, as "Hearing and Listening Day" in the City of Hartford, and encourage residents, artists, educators, researchers, cultural organizations, accessibility advocates, and community members to support a performing arts community in which people of all abilities can participate, perform, experience, and belong.
In testimony of this Proclamation, I hereby set my hand and cause the seal of the City of Hartford to be affixed this 27th day of September 2026.
- Arunan Arulampalam, Mayor, City of Hartford
