Bhaatkhande Sangit Vidyalaya Celebrates Its 84th Anniversary With The Bhatkhande Music Festival 2023

Renowned music institute, Bhaatkhande Sangit Vidyalaya will celebrate its 84th anniversary with the Bhaatkhande Music Festival 2023. The festival is an attempt to look back and celebrate the heritage of Hindustani Classical Music while also promoting new talents who bring in interesting innovations to age-old music traditions. The festival is scheduled to be held at the India Islamic Cultural centre Lodhi Estate, New Delhi on 9th December 2023, 5:45 pm onwards.

The event will witness the participation of around 60-70 students with performances ranging from Hindustani Classical, Vocal and Kathak, to tabla and flute recitals. For the first time, the show will have students strumming together a special orchestra piece on the soulful morning raag, Raaga Ahir Bhairav. Another highlight of the evening will be a Hori — one of the many forms of light classical music traditions of Hindustani music sung on Holi capturing its joyous and playful spirit – which will be sung by the youngest students of the Vidyalaya with intricate tans. Students as young as 6-7 yrs old will be performing kathak recital on a Tarana which has been sung by an alumnus of this institute, Neeti Mohan.

The ceremony will showcase the wide assortment of talent that the academy has attracted over the years, from four-year-old children to sixty-five-year-old senior citizens. An audience of over 300 people is expected to attend the event, which will be inaugurated and chaired by the chief guest Smt. Sangita Saxena, Wife of the Lt. Governor of Delhi and the Guest of honour Sh. Pavan K. Varma, Author, Diplomat and Former MP-Rajya sabha. 

On being a part of the festival, this is what she has to say. ‘Music is my Soul. To me it is exciting, calming, transcending, healing, encompassing and universal. Vocal or instrumental, it allows you to feel all your emotions. Where words fail, music speaks. What would this world be without it. My journey with Bhaatkhande was truly magical. The three months that I spent learning music in Bhatkhande were very fruitful. I learnt and understood music. I had a lot of fun too over those 3 months. I am grateful to Deepa ji for those unforgettable moments. My best wishes to each one associated with Bhaatkhande School of Music.’

“I am delighted that Bhaatkhande music festival is holding its 84th year celebration on 9th December this year and it's a matter of great happiness and honour for me to be a part of it as a guest of honour. It is extreme important to preserve the sanctity of our remarkable classical music legacy. And the Bhaatkhande Sangit Vidyalaya is doing precisely that and I am greasy looking forward to the evening and request all those who are interested in music and our musical tradition to please join,” says Sh. Pavan K. Varma

The Governing Council member, Mr Navneet Soni, has also sent his best wishes for the success of the festival: ‘Music is universal. It has no caste, no religion and no boundaries. Just as you sustain and nourish your body with food, the sustenance and food for the soul is music. I first met the late Sh. Vinod Chopra Ji in 2001 in the Ministry of Culture. The late Sh. Y. K. Gaiha, IRS introduced us. Sh. Chopra invited me to Bhaatkhande Sangit Vidyalaya and the resultant bond of friendship and respect lasted for two decades, till we tragically lost Sh. Chopra to COVID.  The Institution is doing a wonderful service by passing on the musical legacy of it's founding fathers to the young students. I wish them the very best.’

Over the years the Vidyalaya’s efforts in the field of fine art have helped sustain and grow our rich cultural and artistic legacy. According to Deepa Chopra Sharma, Principal Bhaatkhande Sangit Vidyalaya, ‘Music is a world within itself. It is a language without bounds. It knows no gender, no colour and no creed. It is a universal language of the mankind. Bhatkhande Sangit Vidyalaya has been imparting training in the field of performing arts for over 8 decades now. Being one of the oldest and most renowned music institution in Delhi, we have always strived to make music accessible to all. Truly devoted to its motto—The only prerequisite to learn music is the desire to learn—the institution has curated various flexible plans to suit everyone's needs.”

About Hindi Sangeet Institution: It is a registered society which runs Bhaatkhande Sangit Vidyalaya, is a cultural organization dedicated to showcasing and celebrating Indian Classical music was founded over 83 years ago at Rangoon, Burma, to meet the interests of local Indian residents. The idea was to promote Indian Classical Music among the local Indian residents. This was the dream of the founder, Late Shri. N.N. Chopra, an accomplished musician who had devoted his life to the cause of Indian Classical Music. Shri Chopra’s commitment to musicology has endowed the Vidyalaya with some valuable gems, which include his thesis on ‘Construction of Indian Ragas’, and his to conceptualization of the unique form of ‘sound and ear’ voice training – which are used in our training methodology even today. Many of his books and compositions also remain an integral part of the training process.

Soon after the Institution celebrated its second anniversary, World War II broke out and interrupted its activities. The Institute substantially moved to India in 1942. A skeleton of the Institute remained in Rangoon and in 1947 the Institution closed the first chapter of its history with a final music variety programme held at Rama Krishna Hall, Rangoon, Burma.

Bhaatkhande Sangit Vidyalaya (BSV), affiliated to the Bhatkhande Sangeet Vidyapith, Lucknow - a premier music university of India, has its teaching center at Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi. The Vidyalaya has commenced a vocational plan to revive Indian culture by bringing younger generations in its fold. The Vidyalaya sends quality faculty members to partner institutions to hold classes in Hindustani Classical Vocal Music, Instrumental Music and Kathak Dance. The Vidyalaya’s partners include the Shriram School, Bluebells School, Sanskriti School, Muskaan (For Physically and Mentally Challenged), Gargi College, Jesus and Mary College, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Tammana School of Hope, DPS International School and Kamla Nehru College.

The Vidyalaya has to its credit several students who have made it to the top, such as Gursewak Mann (Pop singer), Neeti Mohan (Band member in the Channel V band “Aaasma”), Saumya Swaminathan (Winner of Spic Macay Guru Shishya Paramapara workshop - under 18 yrs. Category), Kamakshi Khanna (Pop Singer) and Neetu Chopra, National Scholarship holder in Tabla.

The following participants will be performing at the 84th anniversary festival:

1.     Raag Khamaj - Mischa Raj & Tejas Tripathy

2.     Raag Bhupali - Aradhya Pandey, Suhavani Kumar, Viraj sharma, Mananya Thakur & Akshita Pathak

3.     Bhajan - Rashi Singh, Riya, Chetna Ahuja & Tanuja Rawat

4.     Hori - Ishani Mohapatra, Shubhvrat chand, Shiv Agarwal, Samar Choksi, Spiti Choksi, & Agastya Tanuj Chauhan

5.     Mira Bhajan - Akhil & Kedareshwaran Subramanium

6.     Tabla - Samarth Gupta, Viraj Sharma & Aditri Dewan

7.     Thumri - Riya Sharma, Antara Vaid Datta, Dikshita Chandan, Aaruniya S. Manohar

8.     Raag Jaunpuri - Seema Kashyap & Anupama Tripathi

9.     Lakshan Geet (Rag Yaman) - Jishnu Kalra & Araina Choudhary

10.  Ram Bhajan - Vidha Dharam, Smrity Sinha

11.  Raag Miya Malhar - Abhinav Kumar

12.  Kathak - Advita Gunjan, Namasya Kariya, Jasri Janvi, Eshna Singhal, Kavya Joshi, Gargi, Aradhya Mishra, Araina Choudhary, Spiti Choksi & Vaishvi Sharma

13.  Kathak - Ishani Mohapatra, Riya Sharma, Samaira Kumar, Shrinika Chauhan, Zoya Bhatia, Naira Verma, Ruhani Goel, Menka & Akshita Pathak

14.  Orchestra Keyboard - Kaashvi Sharma & Prabir Singh ;  Guitar : Shreyas Sarma, Rishabh Pandey, Beauty Behera, Tanuja Chauhan, Shantanu & Aditya Narayan Flute : Chehak Kaur.