Delhi loves its music, and if filmy tunes and Salsa, Indian Rock and classical fusion all vie for our attention, so does the timeless classical music of the Khayal singers. Delhi is often maligned for not being a ‘cultured’ city; troubled by not being full-fledged state, neglected because it has nobody to call its own. That’s not quite true though. Delhi has its own classical musical lineage, the Dilli gharana. And the Sursagar Society of Delhi Gharana, spearheaded by the head or khalifa of the gharana, Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan, is celebrating its platinum jubilee. The Society, which runs from the aptly named Mosiqui Manzil in Darya Ganj, takes particular pains to spread interest in Hindustani music among the youth of the country.
It is time for Sursagar’s flagship event, the annual Sangeet Martand Ustad Chand Khan Music Festival, whose 22nd edition begins on March 3. And while this year’s festival features some of the leading Hindustani classical vocal maestros, the organisation’s general secretary, Iqbal Ahmed Khan, knows how to move with the times.
Not only will the event present classical music in the classical format, he will also launch the “Safal Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan Anthem” that he has composed. The anthem launch will be followed by a vocal recital by him.
Other eminent performers at the event include Shubha Mudgal, Rajan and Sajan Mishra and Ajoy Chakraborty.
For over seven decades, Sursagar, (established in 1940 by Ustad Chand Khan Sahab in memory of his father, ‘Shams-e-mosiqui’ Ustad Mamman Kahn Sahab, has organised classical music performances in the Capital and also other cities like Kolkata and Ranchi. Since 1986, an important part of Sursagar’s annual festival has been the conferment of the Ustad Chand Khan Lifetime Achievement Award to renowned artists for their outstanding contribution to art and culture. This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award is being conferred on Kathak maestro Pandit Birju Maharaj. The award carries a cash prize of Rs.50,000, a memento and a citation. In the last festival, this award was presented to Pandit Jasraj and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, and to Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan, the centenarian stalwart of vocal music.
Another notable project of the Society is its Amir Khusro Institute of Music, where free musical training is provided. Since the khalifa of the gharana is adept at a number of classical forms, including Ghazal, Thumri, Dadra, and others, the institute offers training in a range of forms.
22nd Sangeet Martand Ustad Chand Khan Music Festival
March 3
Students of Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan present “Safal Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan”
Recital by Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan
Recital by Pandit Rajan and Pandit Sajan Misra
March 4
Introducing young talent Vivek Prajapati
Recital by Vidushi Shubha Mudgal
Recital by Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty
Kamani auditorium,
Copernicus Marg, Mandi House,
New Delhi, 6.30 p.m.