Raags Performed:
- Raag Sohini in Sool
Musicians :
- Nirmalya Dey (dhrupad vocal)
- Sukhad Munde (pakhawaj)
- Priya Sharma (tanpura)
- Veronique Depont (tanpura)

Ah, the 2013 Darbar Festival—that grand celebration of Indian classical music steeped in tradition and reverence! Among the many memorable performances that year, the recital by **Pandit Nirmalya Dey** truly stood out as a soul-stirring offering of the Dhrupad tradition, presented with the depth and discipline that this ancient form demands.

A Night of Dhrupad: Nirmalya Dey at the Darbar Festival, 2013

Held at the prestigious Darbar Festival, the 2013 concert featuring Nirmalya Dey was nothing short of a spiritual journey. A seasoned and devoted practitioner of the Dagarvani style of Dhrupad, Pandit Dey brought an atmosphere of meditative stillness and majestic grandeur to the stage—a rare and treasured experience for lovers of classical Indian music.
Raag Sohini in Sool Taal – A Transcendent Finale
To conclude the recital, Pandit Nirmalya Dey presented Raag Sohini, a night-time raga known for its haunting beauty and delicate ornamentation. Rendered in Sool taal (10-beat cycle), this final piece was like a lamp flickering in the quiet hours of the night—elegant, mystical, and full of longing. Dey’s exploration of the raga’s upper tetrachord was masterful, filled with yearning phrases that rose and fell like prayerful breaths.

Throughout the performance, his command of intonation, voice modulation, and raga bhava (emotive essence) left no doubt that we were in the presence of a true traditionalist—a guardian of the old ways, breathing new life into ancient melodies.