From the rustic Pandavani tradition of Chhattisgarh to the soul searching Sufi renditions of north India, to a mix of Hindustani classical and pop, the City is set for a musical festival that is crafted to bring together multiple genres of Indian music traditions together on one stage.
‘Raag Rang’, the annual festival of music presented by Delhi Government’s Department of Art, Culture, and Languages, in association with the Sahitya Kala Parishad, and all language academies of Delhi, is here again. This year, the festival will bring together singers from different languages, folk and classical genres over
four days from August 28 to August 31.
The musical revelry will be held every evening from 6.30 pm onwards at Central Park, Connaught Place. The festival will begin with a performance by violin maestro Anupriya Deotale. This would be followed by a performance of Ahmed Hussain and Mohd Hussain - the renowned ghazal maestros - who never fail
to regale the audience with their soulful renditions and soothing voices.
The second day of the festival will see Sufi singer Indira Naik return to her sufiana kalams to be followed by the popular Astitva band, known for its magical blend of rock, jazz, and Hindustani classical music.
The third day will feature one of the most popular folk singers of the country, Malini Awasthi, along with young and upcoming artiste Devanad Jha. The last day of the festival will play host to a performance by Chhattisgarh’s folk queen Teejan Bai, who has popularised the tradition of Pandavani across the country.
She will be followed by Sadhna Bhatia, who will bring the four-day festival to a close with her performance.
“We are keen to showcase this cultural amalgamation to Delhi’s young who, we are sure, will attend the festival in large numbers. Contrary to popular belief, the young generation of the country has not lost touch with its roots. All they need is to be reminded of what their culture stands for,” said Niharika Rai, secretary, Sahitya Kala Parishad.
“‘Raag Rang’ is an initiative to highlight this richness of India. It is an attempt to bring together different genres of Indian music under one banner and showcase the fact that they might be different in forms but exemplify our composite culture,” said S S Yadav, secretary, Department of Art, Culture and Languages, Delhi Government.