One of India’s premier festivals of Indian Classical Music & Dance, Swara Samrat Festival, popularly known as SSF, was organized at Nazrul Manch, Kolkata, from 15th – 17th December 2023.

SSF was dedicated to the Legendary Icon of Indian Classical Music, the Sarod Legend, Padma Vibhushan Swara Samrat Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.

The founders of SSF, Sarod Maestro Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, his vocalist wife, Dr. Manasi Majumder, and their son, Sarod player Indrayuddh Majumder, offered their homage to Tejendra’s Guru, Ud. Ali Akbar Khan Sa’ab, through this annual festival.

Like every season, SSF 2023-24 also saw performances by legendary maestros and promising young maestros of Indian Classical Music & Dance, namely, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Vidushi Dr. N. Rajam, Ustad Shahid Parvez, Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, Pandit Tanmoy Bose, Pandit Kumar Bose, Rahul Deshpande, Pandit Sanjay Mukherjee, Pandit Basant Kabra, Vidwans Ganesh and Kumaresh Rajagopalan, Vidwan Satish Patri, Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya, Ambi Subramaniam, Ritesh – Rajnish Mishra, Rupak Kulkarni, Sandip Mallick, Shiraz Ali Khan and others.

Ustad Zakir Hussain performed for the 10th time at SSF this season. His was the final act of SSF this season.

SSF also honored the nonagenarian veteran Indian Classical Vocal Maestro, Sangeetacharya Pt. Amiya Ranjan Bandopadhyay with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his lifelong contribution to the field of Indian Classical Music. The felicitation was followed by his iconic vocal recital on the 2nd Day of SSF.

A grand celebration of Indian classical music indeed.

Priyanka Dutta