Young musicians take center stage at Delhi edition of Swara Samrat Festival

New Delhi: The second Delhi edition of the Swara Samrat Festival was held recently, featuring a lineup of young musicians. Launched 14 years ago in Kolkata in memory of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, the festival has expanded to other cities over the past three years as part of efforts to nurture emerging talent.

The festival opened with a dhrupad vocal recital by Niloy Ahsan, who was born in Bangladesh and is currently training under Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar. He earlier studied with the Gundecha Brothers.

Niloy impressed with a powerful voice and remarkable range, extending deep into the mandra saptak. He presented Mian ki Malhar, beginning with an expansive 45-minute alap that showcased the meditative depth of dhrupad. The extended improvisation left him with just about 10 minutes for the compositions that followed.

He was accompanied on the pakhawaj by Roman Das, whose nuanced playing complemented the vocalist. The festival’s focus on young performers this year drew attention to the next generation of classical musicians carrying forward the legacy of the sarod maestro.