The Delhi edition of the Swara Samrat Festival will be held at the Shri Ram Centre on July 16 and 17, with a line-up comprising only young artists.
The festival, which was established in Kolkata more than a decade ago in memory of sarod legend Swar Samrat Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, has expanded to other cities over the past three years, including Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Delhi.
This year’s Delhi edition has another unusual feature for the city’s classical music circuit: It is a ticketed event.
Challenging the free-concert culture
Festival organiser and sarod player Pandit Tejendra Narayan Mazumdar, a disciple of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, believes the culture of attending only free classical music concerts in Delhi needs to be challenged.
“The culture in Delhi of attending only free classical music concerts must be challenged. No art form can survive only on patronage; there has to be a commercial aspect to it too,” he said.
“We have kept the ticket prices really low to encourage young listeners to come and hear their peers.”
The festival will present six artists, each of whom has trained in their respective tradition for more than 15 years. Dhrupad will be represented by vocalist Niloy Ahsan, khayal gayaki by Armaan Khan, the Bhendi Bazar gharana by sitarist Mehtab Ali Niazi and the Maihar gharana by sarod player Indrayudh Majumdar.
The line-up also includes a tabla solo by Ishaan Ghosh and a performance by flautist Shadaj Godkhindi, who is carrying forward the musical legacy of his father, composer and flautist Pt Pravin Godkhindi.
Each of the performers has built a multidimensional musical career while training deeply in their respective disciplines. At an age when an earlier generation of musicians often struggled to find audiences and stages that allowed them to break through conventional age barriers, these hand-picked artists have already made their mark while still in their 20s.
Rooted in tradition
Niloy Ahsan is a vocalist of the Dagarvani tradition and has trained under both Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar and the Gundecha brothers, the late Ramakant Gundecha and Umakant Gundecha.
Now based in Gurugram, Ahsan will be accompanied by Delhi-based Roman Das on the pakhawaj.
“I am really proud to be included in the SSF festival, amongst young artists who are considered the best in their line,” Ahsan said.
Sitarist Mehtab Ali Niazi, meanwhile, is still considered a Delhi boy, although he has lately made Mumbai his home.
Trained in the Bhendi Bazar gharana, Niazi, like many musicians of his generation, has incorporated elements from other gharanas. The Bhendi Bazar gharana is primarily considered a vocal tradition.
Niazi is also part of the band Araj. His experimentation with other musical forms appears to find its way into his creativity as a classical sitarist. His concerts feature considerable layakaari, and he will be accompanied on the tabla by his younger brother Khurram Ali Niazi.
Carrying musical legacies forward
Armaan Khan, son of the late Ustad Rashid Khan, has inherited his father’s composure on stage as well as his distinctive baritone.
Though only 22, Khan has already performed on several prestigious stages across the world while accompanying his father. Following Rashid Khan’s premature death in 2024, his son’s solo career as a classical singer began perhaps sooner than anticipated, but the young musician has handled the transition with elan.
He will be accompanied on the tabla by Pt Shubh Maharaj, grandson of Pt Kishan Maharaj.
Flautist Shadaj Godkhindi is also following in the footsteps of his father Pt Pravin Godkhindi. He has accompanied senior musicians including Aruna Sairam, Kaushiki Chakravorty and his father, as well as Grammy-winning composer Ricky Kej, in concert.
“In a solo, all the audience’s expectations are focused on you. Also, this is really a big stage for me, and I am really happy to be included,” Godkhindi said.
He will be accompanied by Zargham Akram Khan, who, Godkhindi said, “like me, also belongs to a musical family”. Zargham is the son of tabla maestro Ustad Akram Khan.
“It’s our first time in concert together,” Godkhindi said.
Rhythm and chemistry on stage
Tabla player Ishaan Ghosh’s solo performances combine rare compositions with an energetic approach that also makes them accessible to lay listeners.
For Ghosh, performing in Delhi also carries a special significance.
“Delhi was where tabla playing originated, and it’s the home of many tabla greats. I love playing in Delhi; my first concert was with my father 15 years ago,” he said.
“I haven’t played a solo in Delhi in a while, so I am excited and plan to present original Delhi gharana compositions.”
Sarod player Indrayudh Majumdar is the oldest musician in the festival’s young line-up.
“This festival is one of the most prestigious today and has presented all the greats. For me, as a practitioner of the younger generation, to perform is very special,” Majumdar said.
He added that Delhi held particular significance for him because of the affection he had always received from audiences in the city.
“Delhi is very special for me as I have always received heartwarming affection from the audience,” he said.
Majumdar, whose wife is from Delhi, recalled performing his first solo concert in the city in 2019.
“I remember my first solo here was in 2019. Ojas Adhiya and I share a lot of chemistry on stage, and I am hugely looking forward to this concert,” he said.
Mumbai-based tabla player Ojas Adhiya will accompany Majumdar at the festival.
Tickets for the festival are available on BookMyShow.
