Tributes to music maestro at Paras Sangeet Samaroh

The Paras Sangeet Samaroh 2025 took place at Saigal Memorial Hall on Sunday, paying tribute to musicologist and former head of the Music Vocal Department at Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya, Pt Balwant Rai Jaswal, also known by his pen name ‘Paras’ and his wife, Pandita Usha Jaswal. This year’s event was dedicated to the memory of music scholar and guru Pt Om Prakash Thapar, who passed away in June last year.

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Honours were presented, including the posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award to Pt Om Prakash Thapar. The awards also recognised Prof Nivedita Singh from Punjabi University, Patiala and Rekha Maharaj of Shri Ram Sharnam Ashram, Gohana. The Sangeet Sewa Puraskar was awarded to Professor Paramjit Clair and Dr Jyoti Mittu, while the Yuva Sangeet Puraskar went to young vocalist Anadi Mishra.

The event was organised by the Paras Kala Manch and conducted by the Manch’s General Secretary, Sangat Ram, along with Prof Kulwinderdeep Kaur and Dr Poonam Sharma.

The occasion was presided over by Paras Kala Manch president Deepak Bali, senior vice-president Krishna Lal Atwal and finance secretary Ramesh Moudgil.

Cabinet Minister Mohinder Bhagat was the chief guest, with MLA Jalandhar Central Raman Arora and Mayor Vaneet Dhir serving as the guests of honour.

The event featured performances by artistes, including Dr Nivedita Singh (vocals), Gauri Banerji (Sarangi), Dipin Raj (vocals), Sehajdeep Singh (Sitar), Monica and Madhusudhan (vocals), among others.