Swara Samrat Festival: The sound of a new generation
The Swara Samrat Festival, a long-running Indian classical music event, recently held its second Delhi edition featuring performances by emerging young artists. The review highlights the technical prowess of tabla player Ishaan Ghosh while critiquing the pacing and equipment choices of dhrupad vocalist Niloy Ahsan.
Why it matters
It provides a critical perspective on the evolution of Indian classical music and the challenges young performers face in maintaining traditional standards while adapting to modern stage environments.
Swara Samrat Festival, which began 14 years ago in Kolkata in memory of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, has expanded to other cities over the past three years. The second Delhi edition of the festival, held recently, featured only young musicians.
The festival opened with a dhrupad vocal recital by Bangladesh-born Niloy Ahsan, who is currently training under Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar. Earlier, he studied with the Gundecha Brothers. Niloy possesses a powerful voice, and the range he displayed, extending into the mandra saptak, was particularly impressive. He presented Mian ki Malhar, beginning with an expansive 45-minute alap that left him with barely 10 minutes for the compositions that followed. He was accompanied on the pakhawaj by the talented Roman Das.
Bangladesh-born dhrupad singer Niloy Ahsan | Photo Credit: Courtesy: Swara Samrat Festival
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