New Delhi, 13 February 2023: Dilli Durbar 2023 is being organized by Dilli Gharana on 10th, 11th & 12th February 2023 (Friday, Saturday & Sunday) at India Gate Lawns. Dilli Durbar 2023 is aimed solely towards the renaissance of age-old Indian Culture and Hindustani Classical Music in the country.
Dilli Gharana, Delhi’s own Music Conservatory and arguably India’s oldest Music Gharana has been promoting Indian Classical Music in every possible way so as to preserve and showcase India’s rich cultural legacy for the next generation.
Late Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan, the last Khalifa (Doyen) of Dilli Gharana had seen an open-eyed dream of creating a bridge which will connect the present generation, especially the Youth, with our country’s rich and age-old Indian culture and Hindustani Classical Music. Dilli Durbar is the culmination of that dream.
The 2023 edition of Dilli Durbar is being organized under the aegis of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and powered by IndianOil. The opening day of the festival saw the participation of renowned Folk Music Vocalist Smt. Malini Awasthi & Grammy Awardee Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (Mohan Veena exponent) who regaled and captivated the audience.
Further, Day 2 and 3 of the festival promises to be more melodious and musical, bringing together the greatest exponents of Indian Classical Arts, Soft Rock, Qawwali, Sufiyana Qalam, and Film personalities on one platform to present a grand spectacle, one like never experienced before.
Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan, the Founder of Dilli Durbar and the Doyen (or Khalifa) of Dilli Gharana used to say, “I had the great privilege to learn music under the tutelage of great maestros of Indian Classical Arts; they not only taught us the art but also imbibed in us the great culture and traditions of India. I being the flag-bearer of Dilli Gharana feel that it is my responsibility that I now pass on my learnings to the younger generation to refine their sensibilities and to cultivate their taste for these finer things in life.”
Today onwards, Dilli Durbar will witness the participation of renowned Musicians and Culture proponents including Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar, Shri Hansraj Hans, Ustad Saeed Zafar Khan, Piyush Mishra, Yashpal Sharma, Antara Nandy, Jayateerth Mevundi, Vusat Iqbal Khan, Vidya Shah, Shahid, and Saami Niyazi Qawwals. This year American citizen Stephanie Gravelle will be performing Western Classical vocals.
Dilli Durbar 2023 is proving to be the reflection of Indian Cultural tradition, its Music, and its ethos. We are sure this year too our efforts will help in attracting music connoisseurs and general public from far and wide. The main attractions of our Festival include typical Indian Cultural elements of Music and Dance apart from a small Food Festival and Culture Bazaar.
This year’s Sangeet Martand Ustad Chand Khan Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred upon Shri Shyam Benegal, the legendary octogenarian Indian film director, screenwriter, and documentary filmmaker, He is the pioneer of parallel cinema who is widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers India has ever produced.
Ustad Chand Khan was a legendary Indian classical vocal maestro of the 19th Century of the Dilli Gharana and earlier recipients include personalities like Pandit Jasraj, Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Ustad Abdul Haleem Jaffer Khan, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, and Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt.
Shri Shyam Benegal is the recipient of Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, eighteen National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award, and a V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award. He made his first Documentary film in Gujarati, Gher Betha Ganga in 1962 and first feature film in 1973 – Ankur. Since then he has made 23 Feature Films, 41 Documentaries, 4 Short Films, and 6 Television Series. He is still busy and directing a biopic on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman named Mujib: The Making of a Nation which will presumably be released this year.
Vusat Iqbal Khan, Co-Founder of Dilli Durbar says, “The idea of Dilli Durbar originated from the fact that many youngsters in the country today are being fed a deadly cocktail of cacophony in the name of Music which is as far removed from true Music as chalk is from cheese. It does not adhere to the basic tenets of music – whether Indian, Western nor any other. Hence, we wanted to reintroduce the young people of India once again with true Indian Music. We hope we will be able to at least make a small change with this initiative of ours.”
