Swara Samrat Festival: The sound of a new generation
The Swara Samrat Festival, founded 14 years ago in Kolkata in memory of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, held its second Delhi edition featuring only young musicians. The festival opened with Bangladesh-born dhrupad vocalist Niloy Ahsan, who presented Mian ki Malhar but was criticized for an overlong 45-minute alap that left insufficient time for compositions. Next was Farrukhabad gharana tabla artiste Ishaan Ghosh, son of Pt. Nayan Ghosh, who impressed with compositions from multiple tabla traditions and emphasized the importance of preserving each composition's tehzeeb. Sitarist Mehtab Ali Niazi, accompanied by his brother Khurram on tabla, also performed Mian ki Malhar, showing novelty by playing jhala in different beats. The article notes both strengths and weaknesses of each performance, including technical critiques of microphone use and raga exposition.
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