One of the oldest and most prestigious music festivals of Delhi, the Vishnu Digambar Jayanti Samaroh, which is annually organised by Gandharva Mahavidyalaya and Saraswati Samaj in memory of Pt. Vishnu Digambar Paluskar, is back again.
V D Paluskar is a legendary figure who is credited with the renaissance of Indian classical music almost a century ago and whose efforts made classical music popular among general public.
Since its inception, the Samaroh is one of the few classical music festivals which invites ace musicians from across the country to perform and pay their tributes to Panditji. This platform has been a stage for many established artistes who also rendered their maiden performances here.
The festival is actually an established forum for featuring the young and upcoming artistes every year also.
Following the tradition this year too, Vishnu Digambar Jayanti Samaroh 2012 will present an elaborate four-day event showcasing renowned artistes such as Pt. Raghunandan Panshikar, Pt. Rajendra Prasanna, Smt. Devaki Pandit, Pt. Satish Vyas, Pt. Bhuvanesh Komkali and Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. In a tribute to shehnai maestro Pt. Vishnu Prasanna, the programme also includes recitals by Sanjeev Shankar, Ashwani Shankar, Rajesh Prasanna and Rishab Prasanna.
To be hosted at two venues - the IHC and FICCI, the opening day i.e August 16 will feature a Hindustani Vocal recital by Pt. Raghunandan Panshikar, which will be followed by a flute recital by Pt. Rajendra Prasanna, who will be accompanied by Pt. Durjay Bhaumik and Pt. Shubh Maharaj on tabla accompanied by Pt. Vinay Mishra on the harmonium.
On the second day, the programme will begin with music by students of Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. The evening will then see a Hindustani vocal recital by Pt. Devaki Pandit followed by a santoor recital by Pt. Satish Vyas. The artists shall be accompanied by Pt. Bhaumik and Pt. Mukundraj Deo on tabla and Pt. Mishra on the harmonium.
Day three of the musical journey will showcase debutant Pt. Bhuvanesh Komkali who will be accompanied by Pt. Kharak Singh on tabla and Paromita Mukherjee on harmonium.
The day will then witness its best ragas rendered by Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt accompanied by Pt. Himanshu Mahant on the tabla.
On the last day, the venue shifts to FICCI where sarod player Pratyush Banerjee and tabla player Mohd. Akram will begin the day’s journey which will see the concluding performance by Pt. Jasraj. He will be accompanied by Pt. Ram Kumar Mishra on tabla and Pt. Mukund Petkar on the harmonium.