True to its role as India’s national centre for diverse art forms, and its mission to preserve, promote and propagate the cultural heritage of the country, the NCPA has always looked beyond curating events for its theatres at Nariman Point in Mumbai. Since inception, the Citi-NCPA Aadi Anant Festival of Indian music, which celebrates the guru-shishya tradition, has travelled to Chennai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Pune. After three stellar concerts in Mumbai in December 2023 and January 2024, the 13th edition of the festival, which has become a highlight of the country’s cultural calendar over the years, travelled to Delhi for two performances in late January.

On day one, the Zorawar Auditorium in the beautiful setting of the Manekshaw Centre in the capital came alive with the music of award-winning folk singer from the Manganiyar community, Mame Khan, and his Folk Orchestra of Rajasthan featuring 47 musicians from the vibrant state. The concert brought together a variety of instruments like the sarangi, khartal and morchang played by musicians from the Manganiyar community alongside the tunes of the Thar desert, as handed down through the oral tradition of the region over hundreds of years. Khan was joined by singer Razia Sultan who rendered folk tunes from Punjab, adding a unique flavour to the evening that left the audience mesmerised.

Rightly regarded as one of the architects of the contemporary world music movement, Zakir Hussain’s trend-setting work with artistes from diverse traditions has resulted in many historic collaborations including brilliant musical dialogues between Hindustani (North Indian) and Carnatic (South Indian) music. The inimitable master collaborated with Kala Ramnath and Jayanthi Kumaresh, two world-renowned instrumentalists known for their prowess in playing the violin and Saraswati veena respectively. The second concert of the festival, aptly called Triveni, was a rare treat for the audience that witnessed a jugalbandi among the trio which went beyond the conventional and highlighted the unity underlying the diversity of musical traditions.

With support from Citi, the festival could be offered to music lovers at accessible pricing, thus furthering the NCPA’s vision of inclusivity in the arts.