Rahul Sharma acquired the fundamentals of Hindustani classical ragas first on a harmonium. It was only after he turned 13 that he was allowed to switch to the 100-stringed santoor (Indian hammered dulcimer). He imbibed the best from his father and built upon it to create his own style. Today, he
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Raag Jhinjhoti exudes a folksy charm. It expands best in the lower and middle octaves with happy, vibrant strides. Debasmita Bhattacharya chooses Jhinjhoti for her sarod recital at the Darbar Festival 2017. The forebearers of this stringed lute weighing almost 10 kilograms (22 lbs) is a largely a...

During the earlier part of the 19th century, the sursingar was born in India as a modified version of the seniya rebab. The moisture-laden air of the intense Indian monsoons affected the gut strings and membrane-covered sound-box of the seniya rebab, taking away the crispness of its sound. Therea...

In 2006, Darbar presented Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty in an exclusive evening in his semi-classical avatar. The semi-classical or lighter segment is a by-product of folk music and an off-shoot of pure classical music that consists of a deluge of forms in which Pandit Chakraborty holds a position of r...

In 2006, Darbar presented Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty in an exclusive evening in his semi-classical avatar – a gamut consisting of numerous forms in which the stalwart holds a position of deep respect for his extensive knowledge, experience and authority on the subject.

In this video, he performs a ...

Raag Charukeshi is a recent Carnatic import into the Hindustani genre. It has primarily been a show-stopper in lengthy, pure Hindustani or Carnatic classical concerts. But this recital might take one by a pleasant surprise with Charukeshi hopping over from the pure classical arena to that of ligh...

In this vibrant rendition of a traditional Ram bhajan, Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty creates moments of ecstasies in an exclusive evening of semi-classical presentations from the Darbar Festival 2006. Apart from his expertise in Hindustani and Carnatic classical repertoires, the acclaimed Pandit Chakra...

In 2006, Darbar presented Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty in an exclusive evening in his semi-classical avatar – a gamut consisting of numerous forms in which the stalwart has deep knowledge, experience and authority. In this video, he performs a Krishna bhajan through which, he pays his tribute to Bhai ...

In 2006, the Darbar Festival featured eminent vocalist Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty in two sessions. The first recital was a pure Hindustani classical presentation. However, the multi-talented Pandit Chakraborty left his audiences asking for more – the second presentation had to be a showcase of his s...

Kriti in Raga Kalyani by Saint Thyagaraja

Virtam in Raga Varali

Daru Varnam in Raga Vasuntha

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...

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 ...

Raag Bhoopkali is also known as Bhoopeshwari. It is believed to be a creation of Ustad Alladiya Khan of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. However, its emergence almost forty years after his death (1945) makes this information confusing. In the subsequent years of its soaring to popularity in music frat...

Raag Shudh Sarang is a derivative of the ‘Sarang’ family of ragas that reside in the cluster of afternoon ragas in the Hindustani system. Sarang itself was born out of the rustic folk melodies of India and hence, any sarang-raga is inevitably influenced by the unpretentious simplicity of folk.

I...

In this video, the versatile flute exponent Ronu Majumdar, widely known for his lively and engaging renditions in classical and cross-over music, presents a bouquet of breath-taking ragas on the bansuri (bamboo flute). Accompanying him on the tabla is Pandit Subhankar Banerjee who delves soulfull...

Each raga evokes a definite emotion or rasa, but according to Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, this concept is relative. He states that the emotions of a raga are subject to the mood, temperament and personal taste of the musician who is interpreting it. Before he begins his first item Puriya Kalyan, he ...

We pay our respected to Pandit Shivkumar Sharma Ji's who graced the Darbar Festival stage with his music three times. Pandit Ji's first appearance at Darbar Festival in 2010 at the Kings Place, was uniquely special when he gave a special in-conversation session with Dharambir Singh Dhadyalla MBE ...

Hailing from the Senia-Maihar gharana, Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar fuses gayaki (lyrical vocal imitation) with tantrakari (intricate instrumental playing) in a complex and refined style. A versatile musician who has studied under various gurus including his grandfather, Bibhuti Ranjan (mando...

In this concert from the Darbar Festival 2021, Dr. Srikanth offers a deluge of beautiful ragas and compositions.

Ragas:
Raga Hamsadhvani
Raga Darbar
Raga Malea Marta 14:02
Raga Nalina Kanti
Raga Vajaspathi
Tillana in Raga Rathipathi Puja

Musicians:
Dr Jyotsna Srikanth (violin)
B C Manjunath ...

Kala Ramnath's performance at the Darbar Festival 2019

Music Peices:
Raag Jogkauns
Raag Tilak Kamod
Raag Bhairavi

Musicians:
Kala Ramnath (violin)
Yogesh Samsi (tabla)
Srutti Suresan (tanpura)

Sudha Ragunathan's performance from the Darbar Festival 2019

Music Pieces:
Daru Varnam in Raga Vasuntha
Virtam in Raga Varali
Kriti in Raga Kalyani by Saint Thyagaraja
Ragam Thanam Pallavi in Raga Madimavati
Killikani in Raga Senjuruthi
Tillana in Raga Brindanavi by Dr M Balamuralikrishna

Musi...

Ken Zuckerman's performance at the Darbar Festival 2021

Music Peices:
Raag Kaushi Kanara
Raag Chandranandan
Raag Gorakh Kalyan
Raag Sindih Bhairavi

Musicians:
Ken Zuckerman (sarod)
Surdarshan Chana (tabla)