Delhi gears up for its annual classical music festival amid severe pollution

Kashish Mittal will perform at the festival for the first time. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

For more than 20 years, the Delhi government has consistently organized festivals for the arts – be it classical music and dance, thumri and devotional songs, or showcasing young artists through Sopan. Getting an opportunity to perform in Delhi is always special for artists.

This year, the eagerly awaited Delhi Classical Music Festival is being held at Shri Ram Kendra from 3rd to 5th December. Despite the high levels of pollution in the city, the festival is expected to see a huge turnout. “Due to pollution, we are celebrating the festival indoors this time,” said Ruchira Katyal of Sahitya Kala Parishad, the organizing body. In the past, the festival was held in picturesque beautiful nurseries.

The line-up is interesting – seven of the nine artists are, unusually, singers, only two of whom are women. While some like Vidushi Shubha Mudgal and Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty have performed at the festival before, some like Rindana Rihasya and Kashish Mittal are performing here for the first time. Interestingly, most of the artists hail from Delhi, but no one from the Delhi Gharana has been included.

Ojesh Pratap Singh will sing solo for the first time in the festival. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Three singers will be attending on the first day – Ojesh Pratap Singh has come with his guru Pandit. Ulhas Kashalkar has been on this stage before, but this will be his first solo concert. Ojesh, a music professor at Delhi University, has been living in the city for the last 25 years. He shared, “I am glad that I am inaugurating the festival, it is an honor and a privilege. Like my guru’s ‘Gayaki’, which is a blend of three ‘Gharanas’, I will try to present different ‘Gayaki’ in the allotted time.

Rindana Rihasya is an assistant professor of music at the University of Delhi, and is a disciple of the Kirana and Jaipur styles. She is grateful for the opportunity to perform, as there is a misconception among organizers that academics are not good concert performers. The evening will conclude with Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty, the doyen of Patiala Gharana.

The second day starts with Agra Gharana singer Kashish Mittal. Kashish can be called a Delhi boy, having studied at IIT, Delhi and served in Delhi as an IAS officer before resigning to focus on music. A disciple of late Pandit Yashpaul of Agra Gharana, Kashish’s singing is powerful and an authentic representation of her Gharana. Kashish says: “Agra Gharana singing has a deep connection with Delhi. Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan and Ustad Yunus Hussain Khan both lived in Delhi for many years; “It will be a privilege to try to showcase this great heritage at the festival.” Interestingly, while at IIT, Kashish was actively involved in organizing Spic Mac concerts on campus and she has fond memories of the wonderful music shared.

After this there will be a solo tabla recital by Satyajit Talwalkar of Mumbai. The evening concluded with Patiala Gharana singer Deborshi Bhattacharya from Kolkata.

The concluding day begins with the singing of Delhi-based Kirana Gharana exponent Harish Tiwari. Next is sitar player Pandit Subhendra Rao of Delhi-based Maihar Gharana. The festival concludes with the evergreen Vidushi Shubha Mudgal; Again there is someone who has made Delhi his home.