Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan kicks off on Devi Talab premises

Jalandhar, December 29

The 148th Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan kicked off with sterling performances of sitar, santoor, violin and soul stirring vocals here today. Sitar virtuoso Ustad Nishat Khan electrified the winter atmosphere at the pandal with his deft strokes on the instrument. The stirring vocals of Meeta Pandit, violin strains of Praveen Sheolikar, dhrupad vocals of the Gundecha brothers and the heartening santoor recital of Jalandhar’s own Seen family scion Surpriya Seen relegated audiences on the first day of the sangeet sammelan today.

The lifting of fog coinciding with the festival’s first day brightened spirits and the music proved a balm for social media-addicted souls.

Artistes this year

A lineup of artistes at the festival this year includes Kalapini Komkali (Vocal), Dr Santosh Nahar (Violin), Sucheta Ganguly (Vocal), Suchismita Chatterjee and Debopriya (Flute jugalbandi), Pt Nayan Ghosh and Ishaan Ghosh (Tabla jugalbandi), Rahul Deshpande (Vocal) and Sandeep Ranade (Vocal) among others. Sarangi artiste Momin Khan and Seen scion Surpriya Seen (santoor) are among the young debuting at the festival this year.

No NZCC sponsorhip

After several years, the customary artiste sponsorships from the North Zone Cultural Centre (NZCC) weren’t part of the sangeet sammelan this year. However, the Harivallabh committee members said due to slight delay in deciding the lineup, detailed negotiations with the NZCC couldn’t be held in time.