In an age restless with novelty and haste, there remain certain occasions where time itself appears to slow, yielding graciously to memory, melody, and devotion. The 27th Swami Haridas Tansen Sangeet Nritya Mahotsav, held in Delhi this winter, was one such rare interlude—three evenings wherein raga and rhythm conversed with reverence, and tradition breathed anew through living masters.
Conceived and nurtured by Padma Bhushan Dr. Uma Sharma, the Mahotsav has, over nearly three decades, established itself not merely as a festival, but as a solemn covenant between past and present. Despite the season’s biting cold, the Modern School Sports Stadium stood filled to its very edges, the audience arriving well before the first note was struck, drawn by an unspoken assurance: that something enduring awaited them.
The inaugural evening unfolded with splendour. Padma Bhushan Pt. Vishwamohan Bhatt, carrying with him the resonance of both desert winds and global recognition, opened the festival accompanied by his son Salil. Their modified guitars sang in unison, joined by the earthy voices of Rajasthan’s Manganiyar folk singers, whose morsing and khartaal lent primal pulse to the air. Beginning with the familiar welcome of “Padharo Mhare Des,” the performance journeyed through Raga Des and into Vishwaranjini, Bhatt’s own creation—a seamless confluence of folk memory and classical discipline. The concluding composition, for which he had earned a Grammy, was received with rapturous acclaim.
If the opening act announced abundance, Ustad Shujaat Khan offered intimacy. Taking the stage with characteristic humility, he remarked upon the challenge of following such a resounding ensemble. Yet with the first strains of Raga Shuddha Kalyan, all doubt dissolved. His sitar spoke with eloquence and restraint, interwoven with sung phrases and culminating in the devotional “O Paalanhaare.” The standing ovation that followed was not merely applause, but gratitude.
The evening closed with Vidushi Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, whose voice—tempered by years of devotion to the Jaipur-Atrauli tradition—moved with serenity from Raga Jog to the inevitable repose of Bhairavi. Supported by Pt. Vinod Lele on tabla, Vidushi Paromita Mukherji on harmonium, and her disciple Rindana Rahasya, she reminded listeners that restraint, too, is a form of splendour.
The second day unfolded with introspection and dialogue. Amaan Ali Bangash, on the sarod, explored Raga Shri with quiet dignity, followed by intricate compositions that revealed rhythmic ingenuity. Though some longed for the familiar jor and jhala, his concluding passages in Jhinjhoti and Rageshwari possessed their own reflective charm.
In the absence of Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, destiny placed his disciple Rupak Kulkarni at centre stage. Joined by fellow disciple Ghanshyam Chand, his flute rendered Raga Des with a gentleness that seemed to temper the night air itself—an offering as much to silence as to sound.
The evening found its culmination in Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, whose command over Raga Bageshwari unfolded with scholarly grace and emotional fire. His vilambit khayal lingered like a lingering thought, while the swift ektaal passages dazzled with their precision. Accompanied by Pt. Suresh Talwalkar on tabla and Dr. Vinay Mishra on harmonium, and supported by his disciples, Kashalkar closed with a Bhairavi that felt both inevitable and complete.
The final day bore the weight of memory and continuity. Dr. Uma Sharma, frail in body yet undiminished in spirit, appeared seated, offering bhaava with an intensity that recalled an era when art was patient and inward-looking. Her disciples followed with a Kathak Raasleela, dressed in the idiom of rural Vrindavan, reviving pastoral devotion upon an urban stage.
A moment of generational passage arrived with Pt. Rahul Shivkumar Sharma, making his Mahotsav debut on the santoor. His choice of Raga Bhupali revealed lyrical sensitivity and rhythmic daring, made richer by Pt. Ram Kumar Mishra’s spirited accompaniment. The concluding dhun in Raga Pahari carried echoes of mountain winds and inherited wisdom.
The festival’s final benediction came from Begum Parween Sultana, now in her seventy-fifth year, yet commanding the stage with undiminished authority. Her voice—spanning four octaves with effortless precision—soared through Kalavati and Hansadhwani, before resting in the philosophical humility of a Kabir bhajan. Supported by Ustad Akram Khan on tabla, Dr. Vinay Mishra on harmonium, and her daughter Shaadab, she embodied the truth that mastery, when rooted in devotion, does not age.
As the last notes faded, the Swami Haridas Tansen Sangeet Nritya Mahotsav stood reaffirmed—not as a mere calendar event, but as a living testament. Here, tradition is not preserved behind glass, but renewed through breath, discipline, and grace; here, the guru–shishya parampara continues its quiet, resolute conversation with eternity.
