Citi – NCPA Aadi Anant Music Festival Returns in its 7th Edition to celebrate the ‘Guru-Shishya’ heritage of Indian Music

~ The ‘travelling music festival’ which spans across five cities including Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Ahmedabad ~
~ Kaushiki Chakraborty and Mame Khan will perform in Pune~

· Featuring Indian classical vocalist Kaushiki Chakraborty with Mame Khan on 12th November at 6.30pm onwards at Annabhau Sathe Auditorium
· Citi-NCPA Aadi Anant Music Festival celebrates the concept of Eternity through artistic traditions that are perpetuated from one generation to the next in an uninterrupted manner through the age-old institution of Guru – Shishya
· A treat for classical music lovers with leading artists from an eclectic range of disciples

Pune, November 2017: The National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) is back with the much anticipated 7th edition of Citi NCPA Aadi Anant Music Festival. The travelling Indian music festival with start from Pune with the illustrious Kaushiki Chakraborty and Mame Khan performing on Sunday, November 12th, 7.00pm at Annabhau Sathe Auditorium, Pune. Conceived jointly by Citi India and the NCPA, the festival is a unique initiative that harnesses, promotes and preserves the rich musical heritage of India through the Guru-Shishya tradition that has existed for centuries in the country. This year, after commencing its musical journey in Pune, Aadi Anant (Aadi – the beginning, Anant- the timeless) will travel to four other cities: Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Ahmedabad.

Hailed as the cultural capital of Maharashtra, classical music is intrinsically embedded into the social milieu of Pune and every year, this festival attempts to raise the bar in terms of the performances they bring to the discerning audiences. Kaushiki Chakraborty and Mame Khan will present two very diverse music genres, as a start to the festival. The artist duo will individually as well as jointly exalt the audiences with light classical and folk songs, highlighting a close association between the two traditions.

An exponent of classical music, Kaushiki Chakraborty started performing at the very young age of 17 and, over the years, has carved a niche for herself as a front-ranking, new-generation vocalist with her impeccable voice control. She is the daughter and disciple of the illustrious Ajoy Chakraborty of the Patiala Gharana. Owing to her strong classical lineage and her drive to experiment with various genres of music to reach out to a wide audience, each one of Kaushiki’s performances are truly a class apart.

Mame Khan, on the other hand, belongs to a family of master singers, who performs a unique, oral tradition for over 15 generations. His energy and his vocal skills owe much to the influence of his father and tutor, late Shri Rana Khan. Mame Khan is known for his repertoire of traditional Rajasthani folk and Sufi music and, more popularly, for his association with Roysten Abel’s Maganiyaar Seduction.

Mr Khushroo N Suntook, NCPA Chairman said, “Today, more than ever before, there is a pressing need to preserve our artistic legacy that dates back to at least three thousand years. As a National Centre dedicated to performing arts, we are aware of our responsibility towards propagating the best in the arts.
Having undertaken several initiatives with our esteemed partner, Citi, to support the ‘Guru-shishya tradition’, we feel privileged to be able to contribute towards nurturing the great Indian heritage.”
Pramit Jhaveri, CEO, Citi India, said, “ As we embark on the seventh year of the Citi-NCPA Aadi Anant festival of Indian music, we are both proud and pleased with its success and the following that the festival has been able to garner across several cities in India. The Aadi Anant festival not only showcases Indian music through the ages, it also reaffirms the ancient tradition of Gurus imparting knowledge and expertise to students through the Guru Shishya Parampara, thereby providing young talented musicians a platform to demonstrate their own potential and skills.”
The three-month long festival spanning five cities – Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Ahmedabad will feature much acclaimed and respected maestros of classical music this year; including Zakir Hussain (tabla), Ulhas Kashalkar (vocal), Kaushiki Chakraborty (vocal), Mame Khan (vocal), L. Subramaniam (violin), Corky Siegel (vocal and harmonica), amongst others.

In addition to the festival, the Citi-NCPA partnership focuses on the age-old ‘Guru-Shishya tradition’. The initiative covers the following four interrelated programs, which have a direct bearing on the preservation and propagation of Indian music. Each project works at the grassroots level to provide an impetus to the growth, preservation and propagation of Indian classical music.

Program 1: Support to Guru’s: Under this scheme, Gurus receive financial support to train three promising disciples each, in the traditional format of one-on-one teaching. The program is free of cost for the disciples.
Program 2: Scholarships to Young Musicians: This scheme is meant for talented amateurs (age group: 18-30 years old) in the field of Hindustani music (vocal –dhrupad and khayal, instrumental music –melody and percussion). A total of nine scholarships are given annually based on the quality of performance in a live audition.
Program 3: Introducing Music Training to School Children: This program aspires to provide engagement with music to school children from any background