Swara Samrat festival

Swara Samrat festival (also known as SSF) is a four-day annual mega festival of Indian classical music and dance held during the winters in Kolkata, India. This festival is the brainchild of Sarod maestro Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, his vocalist wife, Manasi Majumder and their Sarod player-son Indrayuddh Majumder.[1] The festival is dedicated to Swara Samrat Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.[2][3] Indian Classical Music and Dance Legends such as Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Pandit Jasraj, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Ustad Aashish Khan, Dr. Girija Devi, Begum Parveen Sultana, Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, Guru Karaikudi Mani, Ustad Rashid Khan, Shankar Mahadevan, Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjee, Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar, Pandit Venkatesh Kumar, Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty, Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, Pandit Sanjay Mukherjee, Ustad Shahid Parvez, Ustad Shujaat Khan, Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar,  Pandit Kushal Das, Pandit Rajendra Gangani, Guru Sujata Mohapatra,  Pandit Subhankar Banerjee, Pandit Yogesh Samsi, Pandit Bickram Ghosh, Pandit Tanmoy Bose and Kaushiki Chakraborty are some of the artists who have previously performed in this festival.[2]

Swara Samrat festival
GenreIndian classical music & dance
Location(s)Kolkata, India
Years active2013–present
Founded byShree Ranjani Foundation Trust

Background
The festival was initially planned as an event to commemorate the 90th birth anniversary of Ali Akbar Khan (left), but after the death of Pandit Ravi Shankar the organizers decided to dedicate it to Ravi Shankar (right) too.

Swara Samrat festival started as a two-day festival of Indian Classical music & dance on 5 & 6 January 2013, featuring some of the greatest living icons of Indian classical music & dance before a 3500 plus audience each day at Nazrul Manch, Kolkata. The festival was initially planned as a festival to celebrate the 90th Birth Year of Swara Samrat Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (1922-2009). Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar was informed about the event and had expressed his joy and support. But just a month before this festival, the Sitar icon breathed his last (11 December 2012). After his demise, Shree Ranjani Foundation Trust decided to dedicate this festival to the Sitar legend too.[2][3][4] The Majumdars called this festival a dedication to "The Immortal Duo – Swara Samrat Ali Akbar Khan and Bharat Ratna Ravi Shankar".[5] Both of them had learnt from the same Guru and had performed exemplary duet concerts across the globe, which are still regarded as the greatest of North Indian Instrumental Jugalbandis (Duets). The full house was overwhelmed by this grand gesture. Every of the audience wanted this festival to repeat. Swara Samrat Festival received enormous love and affection not only from the audience but also from the performers and sponsors. Shree Ranjani Foundation Trust decided to continue this festival annually and from then onward the festival is held during the winters every year.

Tejendra Narayan has really worked hard to put this concert together. I have heard no one came forward to help him out, which is unfortunate. But such an effort will always be remembered.

Aashish Khan[6]

Swara Samrat - The Title

Acharya Baba Ustad Allauddin Khan, who is regarded as one of the greatest saints of Indian Classical Music in 19th & 20th Centuries, who had founded the Maihar Senia Gharana, had gifted his son Ali Akbar Khan, the title Swara Samrat (meaning Emperor of Melody).[7]

Swara Samrat Festival - Time Period

Initially Swara Samrat Festival was a two-day festival. It used to be held in the months of January/February every year. But after the 4th season, which was held on 10 & 12 January 2016, SSF wanted to fix the time period of the festival to the month of December. So in the same year 2016, the 4th season was held in January and 5th season was in December. Since then, SSF is maintaining the December time frame. 2018 onward, SSF has become a 4-day festival of Indian Classical Music & Dance.[8]

SSF Lifetime Achievement Award

In 2018, SSF honored Janaab Abul Khair Litu  (Chairman, Bengal Foundation, Bangladesh) with the SSF Lifetime Achievement Award for his enormous contribution to the propagation, promotion and facilitation of proper training of Indian Classical Music & Dance as well as other forms of Arts across Bangladesh.[9]

In 2019–20, Pandit Vijay Kichlu, an eminent musician, musicologist, music producer and founder of ITC Sangeet Research Academy was honored with the SSF Lifetime Achievement Award for his lifelong contribution to the entire fraternity of Indian classical music and dance across India and abroad.[10]

The city is the Mecca of classical music. Those like the Swara Samrat Festival are valuable additions in taking the tradition forward.

Begum Parveen Sultana[11]

One Star Introduces Another Star on Stage

SSF has a very unique way of introducing the stars on the dais. One star (who is not performing on that day of the festival) introduces another star on the dais when the latter takes the stage for performance. Through this, the audience see numerous beautiful and rarest of moments when these stars greet each other on the dais.[12]

Season 8 (1, 7 & 8 December 2019, and 13 February 2020)[13][14][15]
  • Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar (Sarod) & Ud. Zakir Hussain (Tabla)
  • Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarty (Vocal) with Sandip Ghosh (Tabla) & Pt. Ajay Joglekar (Harmonium)
  • Pt. Kumar Bose (Tabla Solo) with Hiranmay Mitra (Harmonium) and Pankaj Mishra (Sarangi)
  • North Indian - Carnatic Rhythm Jugalbandi - Guru Karaikudi Mani (Mridangam) & Pt. Subhankar Banerjee (Tabla)
  • Rahul Sharma (Santoor) with Pt. Ram Kumar Mishra (Tabla)
  • Sujata Mohapatra (Odissi Dance)
  • Ud. Aashish Khan (Sarod) with Pt. Bickram Ghosh (Tabla) & Shiraz Ali Khan (Sarod)
  • Ud. Nishaat Khan (Sitar) with Anubrata Chatterjee (Tabla)
  • Vidushi Arati Ankalikar (Vocal) with Pt. Anandagopal Bandopadhyay (Tabla) and Pt. Jyoti Goho (Harmonium)
  • Pt. Uday Bhawalkar (Dhrupad Vocal)
  • Flute-Violin Jugalbandi - Pt. Ronu Majumdar (Flute) & Atul Upadhyay (Violin) with Pt. Tanmoy Bose (Tabla)

SSF Alaap 2019
  • Kathak Duet - Abhimanyu Lal and Vidha Lal with Zuheb Ahmed Khan (Tabla) and Pankaj Mishra (Sarangi)
  • Abhishek Lahiri (Sarod) with Shubh Maharaj (Tabla)
  • Sanjukta Biswas (Vocal) with Soumen Nandy (Tabla) and Rupashree Bhattacharya (Harmonium)
  • Suvendu Banerjee (Harmonium Solo) with Sohon Ghosh (Tabla)
  • Mehtab Ali Niazi (Sitar) with Unmesh Banerjee (Tabla)
  • Aarchik Banerjee (Tabla Solo) with Hiranmay Mitra (Harmonium)

Season 7 (1, 15 & 16 December 2018)[16][17][18]
Ustad Zakir Hussain being welcomed by the full house at SSF season 7 in 2018
  • A Rhythm Ensemble - Ud. Zakir Hussain (Tabla), Naveen Sharma (Dholak),  Anantha Krishnan (Mridangam) & Sabir Khan (Sarangi)[19]
  • Begum Parveen Sultana (Vocal) with Pt. Swapan Chaudhuri (Tabla) and Pt. Jyoti Goho (Harmonium)
  • Bharatanatyam Duet - Dr. Mallika Sarabhai and Revanta Sarabhai
  • Pt. Rajeev Taranath (Sarod) with Pt. Yogesh Samsi (Tabla)
  • Pt. Venkatesh Kumar (Vocal) with Pt. Samar Saha (Tabla) & Rupashree Bhattacharya (Harmonium)
  • Hindustani & Carnatic Flute Jugalbandi: Praveen Godkhindi (Hindustani Flute) & Shashank Subramanyam (Carnatic Flute) with Pt. Subhankar Banerjee (Tabla) & Patri Satish Kumar (Mridangam)
  • Pt. Debashish Bhattacharya (Hindustani Guitar) with Pt. Tanmoy Bose (Tabla)
  • Ud. Shujaat Khan (Sitar) with Ud. Sabir Khan (Tabla) and Asif Khan (Tabla)
  • Jayateerth Mevundi (Vocal) with Soumen Sarkar (Tabla) and Sanatan Goswami (Harmonium)
  • Manju Mehta (Sitar) with Ujjwal Bharati (Tabla)

SSF Alaap 2018
  • Kumar Mardur (Vocal) with Debjit Patitundi (Tabla) and Gourab Chatterjee (Harmonium)
  • Kaushik Mukherjee (Sarod) with Rupak Bhattacharjee (Tabla)
  • Debanjan Bhattacharjee (Sarod) with Sandip Ghosh (Tabla)
  • Ayan Sengupta (Sitar) with Soumen Nandy (Tabla)
  • Saberi Misra (Kathak) with Subir Thakur (Tabla), Debashis Sarkar (Vocal) & Sunando Mukherjee (Sarod)
  • Ishaan Ghosh (Tabla) with Hiranmay Mitra (Harmonium)

Season 6 (16 & 17 December 2017)[20][21]
  • Ud. Zakir Hussain (Tabla) and Rakesh Chaurasia (Flute)
  • Pt. Rajendra Gangani (Kathak) with Pt. Sanjay Mukherjee (Tabla) and Pt. Fateh Singh Gangani (Tabla& Bol Padhant)
  • Dhrupad Vocal Duet - Gundecha Brothers
  • Ken Zuckerman (Sarod) with Pt. Parimal Chakraborty (Tabla)
  • Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar (Vocal) with Pt. Suresh Talwalkar (Tabla) and Gourab Chatterjee (Harmonium)
  • Purbayan Chatterjee (Sitar) with Pt. Anindo Chatterjee (Tabla)
  • Kaushiki Chakraborty (Vocal) with Pt. Subhankar Banerjee (Tabla) and Rupashree Bhattacharya (Harmonium)
  • Hindustani-Carnatic Mandolin Duet - Snehasish Mozumder (Hindustani Mandolin), U. Rajesh (Carnatic Mandolin), Ojas Adhiya (Tabla) and S.V. Ramani (Mridangam)

Season 5 (17 & 18 December 2016)
  • Pt. Shivkumar Sharma (Santoor) with Ud. Zakir Hussain(Tabla)[22]
  • Pt. Budhaditya Mukherjee (Sitar) with Pt. Abhijit Banerjee (Tabla)
  • Pt. Swapan Chaudhuri (Tabla Solo) with Hiranmay Mitra (Harmonium)
  • Ud. Rashid Khan (Vocal) with Pt. Tanmoy Bose (Tabla) and Pt. Jyoti Goho]] (Harmonium)
  • Vocal Duet - Pt. Rajan Mishra and Pt. Sajan Mishra with Pt. Subhen Chatterjee (Tabla) and Sanatan Goswami (Harmonium)
  • Guru Sujata Mohapatra (Odissi)
  • Pt. Partho Sarothy (Sarod) with Pt. Bickram Ghosh (Tabla)

Season 4 (10 & 12 January 2016)
Vidushi Girija Devi & Pt. Birju Maharaj at SSF Season 4 in 2016
  • Pt. Birju Maharaj (Kathak) with Pt. Anindo Chatterjee (Tabla)
  • Vidushi Girija Devi (Vocal) with Pt. Gopal Misra (Tabla), Hiranmay Mitra (Harmonium) and Sarwar Hussain (Sarangi)
  • Kathak-Vocal Duet - Pt. Birju Maharaj (Kathak) and Vidushi Girija Devi (Vocal) with Pt. Anindo Chatterjee (Tabla)
  • Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarty (Vocal) with Pt. Yogesh Samsi (Tabla) and Pt. Ajay Joglekar (Harmonium)
  • Pt. Subhankar Banerjee & Pt. Yogesh Samsi with Pt. Ajay Joglekar (Harmonium)
  • Pt. Basant Kabra (Sarod) with Pt. Arup Chatterjee (Tabla

Season 3 (12, 13, 14 & 15 February 2015)[23][24]
  • Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumda (Sarod) with Ud. Zakir Hussain (Tabla)
  • Vidushi Shubha Mudgal (Vocal) with Pt. Aneesh Pradhan (Tabla) and Sudhir Nayak (Harmonium)
  • Ud. Shahid Parvez (Sitar) with Subhajyoti Guha (Tabla)
  • Vidushi Manasi Majumder (Vocal) with Pt. Subhankar Banerjee (Tabla) and Rupashree Bhattacharya (Harmonium)
  • Santoor-Flute Duet by Pt. Tarun Bhattacharya (Santoor) and Pt. Pravin Godkhindi (Flute) with Pt. Bickram Ghosh (Tabla)
  • Pt. Venkatesh Kumar (Vocal) with Pt. Samar Saha (Tabla) & Rupashree Bhattacharya (Harmonium)
  • Kaushiki Chakraborty (Vocal)

Season 2 (4 & 5 January 2014)[25]
  • Ud. Zakir Hussain (Tabla and Percussions), Shankar Mahadevan (Vocal), U. Shrinivas (Mandolin) and V. Selvaganesh (Percussions)
  • Ud. Rashid Khan (Vocal) with Pt. Subhankar Banerjee (Tabla), Pt. Jyoti Goho (Harmonium) & Murad Ali Khan (Sarangi)
  • Pt. Swapan Chaudhuri (Tabla Solo) with Allarakha Kalavant (Sarangi)
  • Pt. Venkatesh Kumar (Vocal) with Pt. Samar Saha (Tabla) & Rupashree Bhattacharya (Harmonium)
  • Pt. Kushal Das (Sitar) with Pt. Abhijit Banerjee (Tabla)
  • Shahadat Hossain (Sarod) with Pt. Arup Chatterjee (Tabla)

Season 1 (5 & 6 January 2013)
  • Ud. Zakir Hussain (Tabla Solo) with Dilshad Khan (Tabla)[3][4][7]
  • Pt. Shivkumar Sharma (Santoor) with Pt. Anindo Chatterjee (Tabla)
  • Pt. Birju Maharaj (Kathak) with Pt. Subhankar Banerjee (Tabla)
  • Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia (Flute) with Pt. Subhankar Banerjee (Tabla)
  • Vidushi Girija Devi (Vocal) with Pt. Samar Saha (Tabla), Sarwar Hussain (Sarangi) and Gourab Chatterjee (Harmonium)
  • Ud. Aashish Khan (Sarod) with Pt. Swapan Chaudhuri (Tabla) and Shiraz Ali Khan (Sarod)

See also

References
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  2. "Classical legends leave their mark". The Times of India. 8 January 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  3. "Swara Samrat festival". Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  4. "Two masters and a tribute". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  5. "Shreeranjani". Tejendra Narayan Majumdar. Archived from the original on 16 September 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  6. "Annapurna Devi is heartbroken: Ustad Aashish Khan Debsharma". The Times of India. 5 January 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  7. "Ustad Ali Akbar Khan". 21 June 2009. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  8. "Kolkata to witness a four-day Indian classical music concert - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  9. "Abul Khair Litu honoured in Kolkata". The Daily Star. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  10. "Swara Samrat Festival". Musicplus. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  11. "I dont even mind lending my voice to a pop song begum".
  12. Sen, Debolina (21 December 2018). "When Kolkata said 'wah ustad' in awe of his music". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  13. সংবাদদাতা, নিজস্ব (3 December 2018). "শুরু হতে চলেছে 'স্বর সম্রাট ফেস্টিভ্যাল ২০১৮'". anandabazar.com (in Bengali). Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  14. "Swara Samrat Festival to begin its musical journey today - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  15. Banerjee, Meena (19 December 2019). "Swara Samrat Festival saw starlit days, candlelit evenings". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  16. "আলি আকবর খানকে স্মরণ করে শহরে হবে স্বারা সম্রাট ফেস্টিভ্যাল". NDTVMovies.com. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  17. Khanna, Shailaja (28 December 2018). "When gravitas meets virility..." The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  18. "'স্বর সম্রাট উৎসব-২০১৮': শীতের শহরে মায়েস্ত্রোদের সংগীত আরাধনা". Indian Express Bangla (in Bengali). 1 December 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  19. "Ustad Zakir Hussain performs in jugalbandi with santoor king". India Today. P. T. I. 18 December 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  20. Dasgupta, Priyanka (19 December 2017). "Winter treats lined up for music lovers". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  21. Khanna, Shailaja (27 November 2017). "Swar Samrat festival set to enthral City of Joy". The Asian Age. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  22. "Ustad Zakir Hussain performs in 'jugalbandi' with santoor king Shib kumar". The Financial Express. 18 December 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  23. "Familiar tunes and sweet voices". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  24. Chowdhury, Tathagata Ray (3 February 2015). "Classical music stalwarts to perform at four-day meet". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  25. "Classical music greats came together at Nazrul Mancha for the Swara Samrat Festival organised by Pt Tejendra Narayan Majumdar - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
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