Let the music play

The stage is set for a three-day dance & music extravaganza

The 40th pan-India Bhaskar Rao Nritya and Sangeet Sammelan will be held at Tagore Theatre,Sector 18 from March 12 to March 14. The festival,which began in 1969,as a tribute to Bhaskarbua Bakhle,the eminent exponent of Indian classical music,is one of the oldest festivals of its kind in the country. This year Delhi based father-son duo Pandit Bhajan Sopori and Abhay Rustum Sopori will perform at the inaugural evening with their jugalbandi on santoor. While Pandit Sopori is the bearer of a rich musical legacy of the Sufiana gharana of Kashmir ,his son is the youngest recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi award.

The opening day will also see a Kathak dance performance by Sandeep Mahavir and his troupe. In the line-up on day two is a jugalbandi on tabla and sreekhol by Kolkata-based Madhusudan Barman and Gopal Barman. The Barman brothers are known as rhythm artists in music circle and have received critical acclaim for their performances on these percussion instruments. Young and celebrated danseuse Meera Das and her troupe from Cuttack will present Odissi dance recital on March 13. The concluding day brings Pandit Rajan and Sajan Misra on centrestage. Noted Bharatnatyam exponent Saroja Vaidyanathan and her team will present the concluding performance at the festival.