The 53rd Bhaskar Rao Nritya and Sangeet Sammelan opens today

Harshita Sharma

The Pracheen Kala Kendra is all set to mesmerise classical music and dance enthusiasts with its 53rd All-India Bhaskar Rao Nritya and Sangeet Sammelan. The 10-day festival starting today promises to be a celebration of culture.

In addition to live performances, the Kendra will honour Prof Saubhagya Vardhan, Suchitra Mitra and Pt Vijay Shanker Mishra for their remarkable contributions to performing arts.

The festival will open with violin maestro Deepak Pandit’s performance. Following that, Rama Vaidyanathan will present a Bharatnatyam recital. March 16 will present vocalist Amjad Ali Khan. The night will conclude with a performance by Odissi dancer Kiran Sehgal.

Prepare for a double dose of musical magic on March 17! The evening will begin with a vocal recital by the Kashyap Bandhus, showcasing the harmonious blend of their voices. This will be followed by a jugalbandi featuring sitar maestros Manju Mehta and Amita Dalal. On March 18, get ready for the captivating sounds of santoor by Rajkumar Majumder. It will be followed by Kuchipudi dance by Meenu Thakur.

March 19 will feature the soulful voice of Sujata Gurav Kumar. Rajeeb Chakraborty will then take over with his sarod recital, accompanied by the renowned tabla player Ustad Akram Khan. On March 20, delve into the rich heritage of dhrupad with Samit Mallick’s vocal recital. The evening will conclude with a unique presentation featuring Pt Vishwamohan Bhatt and Salil Bhatt, two of the most celebrated Mohan Veena players. March 21 will see Pt Mohan Darekar’s vocal recital. The night will conclude with a jugalbandi featuring Rajendra Banerjee on harmonium and Vinayak Sahai on sarangi.

The highlights of March 22 are KA Chanchal’s vocal recital, followed by Pt Kushal Das’ sitar performance. On March 23, Shalmalee Joshi’s vocal recital will open the evening. It will be followed with a unique instrumental ensemble featuring Pt Ronu Majumder (flute), R Kumaresh (violin), Pt Aditya Kalyanpur (tabla) and Harikumar (mridangam).

The festival will conclude on March 24 with the vocal recital by Ritesh and Rajnish Mishra. The grand finale will present Vidha Lal’s Kathak performance.

At Tagore Theatre