The northern-most state of Jammu which is the native region of Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, has one of the richest folk cultures in India. Jammu is a colourful platter of music, art, crafts and agriculture that constitute the main livelihood of its people.

Raag Pahadi is based on the folk melodies o...

Introducing Raag Puriya Kalyan with a sparkling alap, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma builds the evening raga bridging the lower and middle octaves with the lower Ni and anchoring on Pa, its dominant note. Raag Puriya Kalyan is performed during the time of ‘deep-jyoti’. ‘Deep’ means earthen lamp and ‘jyo...

Raag Kaushik Dhwani was previously known as Bhinna Shadaj. ‘Bhinna’ means differentiated and ‘Shadaj’ means the first note or Sa. Pandit Shivkumar Sharma performs a lighter piece based on this raga. He bases the main melodic lines on Kaushik Dhwani and introduces an element of surprise in almost ...

Shot in an opulent heritage palace in Bawali located about 35 kilometres outside the periphery of Kolkata, this video seeks to bring the intimate ambience of a ‘baithak’ - a private soiree – to audiences. Till the earlier part of the 20th century, Indian classical music was a key element that con...

Recorded live against the stunning, rugged landscape of Mulshi, Maharashtra, we present to you one of the most melodious voices that has emerged from the Dharwad-Belgaon belt of western coastal India – Ramakant Gaikwad. In this video, Gaikwad brings the delightful blend of Kirana gharana fused wi...

Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt gives a soulful rendition of a this evening raag, Gawati, in this excerpt from the Darbar festival 2007. Pandit Yogesh Samsi gives a majestic accompaniment on the tabla in this recital.

Pandit Bhatt begins with an expansive alap and jod, exploring every part of the raga...

Darbari Kanada is an extremely popular raga belonging to the cluster of Kanadas. Its origin is popularly attributed to Miyan Tansen, one of the ‘nine jewels’ of Mogul Emperor Akbar’s court. Its Persian name, referring to ‘darbar’ or royal court, bears the stamp. However, it is believed to be an a...

Known as a torch-bearer of a strong lineage, Sadolikar’s Savani Nat comes as a welcome opening to the concert that is typical of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. Specialising in ‘hybrid’ ragas of pentatonic structure, Savani Nat is a branch-out of the family of ‘Nats’. Basic ragas like Bhairav, Kedar,...

Begum Parveen Sultana’s rendition of Raag Maru Bihag is soothing, colourful and a celebration of the possibilities of the raga outside the ordinary. She opens her recital at the Darbar festival 2007 with this piece, introducing the raga with a brief alaap.

The expansion of the raga is done in de...

Abhisek Lahiri concludes his performance at the Darbar Festival 2011 with the sweet raga, Chayanat. His exposition of the melody is serene as well as a welcome choice after a majestic Shree which precedes this piece.

Lahiri performs a gat (composition) in medium tempo in Rupak taal (7 beats) in ...

Panesar plays Raag Puriya, an evening melody belonging to the parent scale Marwa. This is a courageous choice as Puriya is wrapped up in complex layers which make the raga inaccessible even to senior and seasoned artists at times.

Puriya’s revealing phrases reside in the lower and middle octav...

Upon the request of Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, who was also part of the Darbar 2007 line-up, Begum Parveen Sultana embarks upon this beautiful tarana in Raag Hamsadhwani. After a captivating alaap establishing the raga in all four octaves, Begum Sultana begins the tarana, embellishing it with all...

This performance of Raag Kaunsi Kanada is the concluding recital of Shruti Sadolikar’s performance at the Darbar festival 2012. This is a rare raga ‘hybrid’ from the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana, presented with an apt combination of intellect and aesthetics by Sadolikar. This gharana specializes in com...

Raag Marwa has a somber mood, it is sung during sunset and projects an intense, meditative emotion. One of the greatest Indian classical vocalists of all time, late Ustad Amir Khan, has contributed volumes to the Marwa repository with his emphasized delineation of Dha (6th) in the lower octave. T...

He plays two beautiful compositions, the first one is a dhun in Mishra Piloo set to a serene, madhyalay 7-beat cycle in Rupak taal and the second, a famous drut gat in Raag Piloo spread over a 16-beat cycle.

Khan forays amply into the interiors of this hybrid raga with expansive vistaar and tau...

In an impromptu sitting in Italy, Debasmita Bhattacharya plays Raag Jog on her sarod accompanied by two of India's finest percussionists, Patri Satish Kumar (mridangam) and Ghatam Giridhar Udupa (ghatam).

Jog comprises one of the most enduring musical mysteries of all time in Hindustani classi...

This is the second piece from Purbayan Chatterjee’s performance at the Darbar Festival 2011. He introduces Darbari Kanada with a comprehensive alap, traversing both the lower and upper octaves. The composition is a legendary tarana in ektaal (12 beats) immortalised by the late Ustad Amir Khan of ...

Purbayan Chatterjee plays the much loved, Raag Maru Bihag as the opening melody of his performance at the Darbar Festival 2011. He opens the recital with an alap, jor and jhala and then plays two compositions. He is accompanied by Anubrata Chatterjee on the tabla who gives commendable support, ma...

Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjee bends the rules of Indian classical music in his graceful way and with expertise in this performance, only to make it more delicious to an audience asking for more. In this concert from Darbar Festival 2019, Pandit Mukherjee plays Raag Nand. This is the second piece of...

Asanare sings Raisa Kanada and Daguri, two ragas from the Jaipur-Atrauli repertoire with remarkable flair and fluency. She elaborates both ragas with a steady voice exposing their exquisite nuances in detail. She raises her game with command and control delivering taans (rapid notes) in four time...

In this performance, Shruti Sadolikar takes up Raag Bihari, a typical melody from the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana with a folksy temperament. Accompanying her on the tabla is Vishwanath Shirodker. Murad Ali Khan gives a heart-wrenching performance on the sarangi and Tanmay Deochake is his best self, fi...

Filmed on location at Singur, West Bengal, Mita Nag performs Suha Kanada. Nag is the sixth generation of sitarists in her family - a lineage including Manilal Nag (her father) and Gokul Nag (her grandfather). She hails from the Bishnupur gharana, a dhrupad-influenced tradition of Bengal, and is k...

Watch this fantastic performance of Raag Shyam Kalyan from the 2014 Darbar Festival

Raag Puriya Kalyan combines elements of the late-night raga Puriya in the lower tetra chord with the joyous elements of Kalyan in the upper tetra chord. The glory of Puriya Kalyan’s manifestation lies in the judicious allotment of weightage assigned to both Puriya and Kalyan during its implementa...