Swara Samrat festival

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Swara Samrat festival
SSF 2019-20 Logo.jpg
Genre Indian classical music & dance
Location(s) Kolkata, India
Years active2013–present
FoundersShree Ranjani Foundation Trust

Swara Samrat festival (also known as SSF) is a four-day annual festival of Indian classical music and dance held during the winters in Kolkata, India. This festival is the brainchild of Sarod maestro Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, his vocalist wife, Manasi Majumder and their Sarod player-son Indrayuddh Majumder. [1] The festival is dedicated to Swara Samrat Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. [2] [3] Indian Classical Music and Dance Legends such as Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia,Legendary tabla player of Banares Gharana Pandit Kumar Bose,Pandit Jasraj, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Ustad Aashish Khan, Dr. Girija Devi, Begum Parveen Sultana, Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, Guru Karaikudi Mani, Ustad Rashid Khan, Shankar Mahadevan, Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjee, Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar, Pandit Venkatesh Kumar, Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty, Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, Pandit Sanjay Mukherjee, Ustad Shahid Parvez, Ustad Shujaat Khan, Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar,  Pandit Kushal Das, Pandit Rajendra Gangani, Guru Sujata Mohapatra,  Pandit Subhankar Banerjee, Pandit Yogesh Samsi, Pandit Bickram Ghosh, Pandit Tanmoy Bose and Kaushiki Chakraborty are some of the artists who have previously performed in this festival. [2]

Contents

Background

Dia7275 Ali Akbar Khan r.jpg
Dia5275 Ravi Shankar.jpg
The festival was initially planned as an event to commemorate the 90th birth anniversary of Ali Akbar Khan (left), but after the death of Pandit Ravi Shankar the organizers decided to dedicate it to Ravi Shankar (right) too.

Swara Samrat festival started as a two-day festival of Indian classical music and dance on 5-6 January 2013, featuring Indian classical musicians and dancers before a 3500-plus audience each day at Nazrul Manch, Kolkata. The festival was initially planned to celebrate the 90th Birth Year of Swara Samrat Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (1922-2009). Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar supported the event, but died 11 December 2012, just a month before the festival. After Ratna's death, Shree Ranjani Foundation Trust decided to dedicate this festival to the Sitar legend too. [2] [3] [4] The Majumdars called this festival a dedication to "The Immortal Duo – Swara Samrat Ali Akbar Khan and Bharat Ratna Ravi Shankar". [5] Both of them had learnt from the same guru and had performed duet concerts across the globe. The full house, performers and sponsors were overwhelmed by this grand gesture. Shree Ranjani Foundation Trust decided to continue the festival, which is now held every winter.

Tejendra Narayan has really worked hard to put this concert together. I have heard no one came forward to help him out, which is unfortunate. But such an effort will always be remembered.

Aashish Khan [6]

Swara Samrat - The Title

Acharya Baba Ustad Allauddin Khan, who is regarded as one of the greatest saints of Indian classical music the 19th and 20th centuries and founded the Maihar Senia Gharana, had gifted his son Ali Akbar Khan, the title Swara Samrat (meaning Emperor of Melody). [7]

Swara Samrat Festival - Time Period

Initially Swara Samrat Festival was a two-day festival held in January/February of every year. But after the fourth season, which was held on 10 & 12 January 2016, SSF wanted to move the festival to December. The 2016 season was thus held in January, and the fifth season was in December. The festival currently is a four-day December event. [8]

SSF Lifetime Achievement Award

In 2018, SSF honored Janaab Abul Khair Litu  (Chairman, Bengal Foundation, Bangladesh) with the SSF Lifetime Achievement Award for his enormous contribution to the propagation, promotion and facilitation of proper training of Indian Classical Music & Dance as well as other forms of Arts across Bangladesh. [9]

In 2019–20, Pandit Vijay Kichlu, an eminent musician, musicologist, music producer and founder of ITC Sangeet Research Academy was honored with the SSF Lifetime Achievement Award for his lifelong contribution to the entire fraternity of Indian classical music and dance across India and abroad. [10]

The city is the Mecca of classical music. Those like the Swara Samrat Festival are valuable additions in taking the tradition forward.

Begum Parveen Sultana [11]

Season 8 (1, 7 & 8 December 2019, and 13 February 2020) [12] [13] [14]

SSF Alaap 2019

  • Kathak Duet - Abhimanyu Lal and Vidha Lal with Zuheb Ahmed Khan (Tabla) and Pankaj Mishra (Sarangi)
  • Abhishek Lahiri (Sarod) with Shubh Maharaj (Tabla)
  • Sanjukta Biswas (Vocal) with Soumen Nandy (Tabla) and Rupashree Bhattacharya (Harmonium)
  • Suvendu Banerjee (Harmonium Solo) with Sohon Ghosh (Tabla)
  • Mehtab Ali Niazi (Sitar) with Unmesh Banerjee (Tabla)
  • Aarchik Banerjee (Tabla Solo) with Hiranmay Mitra (Harmonium)

Season 7 (1, 15 & 16 December 2018) [15] [16] [17]

Ustad Zakir Hussain being welcomed by the full house at SSF season 7 in 2018 Ustad Zakir Hussain at SSF Season 7.jpg
Ustad Zakir Hussain being welcomed by the full house at SSF season 7 in 2018

SSF Alaap 2018

  • Kumar Mardur (Vocal) with Debjit Patitundi (Tabla) and Gourab Chatterjee (Harmonium)
  • Kaushik Mukherjee (Sarod) with Rupak Bhattacharjee (Tabla)
  • Debanjan Bhattacharjee (Sarod) with Sandip Ghosh (Tabla)
  • Ayan Sengupta (Sitar) with Soumen Nandy (Tabla)
  • Saberi Misra (Kathak) with Subir Thakur (Tabla), Debashis Sarkar (Vocal) & Sunando Mukherjee (Sarod)
  • Ishaan Ghosh (Tabla) with Hiranmay Mitra (Harmonium)

Season 6 (16 & 17 December 2017) [19] [20]

Season 5 (17 & 18 December 2016)

Season 4 (10 & 12 January 2016)

Vidushi Girija Devi & Pt. Birju Maharaj at SSF Season 4 in 2016 Vidushi Girija Devi & Pt. Birju Maharaj at SSF Season 4.jpg
Vidushi Girija Devi & Pt. Birju Maharaj at SSF Season 4 in 2016

Season 3 (12, 13, 14 & 15 February 2015) [22] [23]

Season 2 (4 & 5 January 2014) [24]

Season 1 (5 & 6 January 2013)

See also

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References

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