Reception from at 5:30pm, Program starts at 6:30pm.
Aug 11, 2023
Festival of Indian Music – Tribute to Pt. Vijay Kichlu
Celebrate the musical legacy of Late Padma Shri Pt. Vijay Kichlu
Vijay Kichlu was an Indian classical singer. He studied Dhrupad with the Dagar Brothers and Khayal with Latafat Hussain Khan, whose style had a strong connection with Dhrupad. He and his brother, Ravi Kichlu, formed a famous classical vocalist duo. Kichlu was the founder and head of the ITC Music Academy for 25 years until he decided to retire due to change in management at the ITC headquarters. Kichlu founded Sangeet Research Academy for patronising and nurturing upcoming talents in Indian classical music. In 2018, he was bestowed with the civilian award Padma Shri by Government of India.
RAGA REVELRY is a fun introduction to the centuries-old tradition of North Indian classical music, often referred to as Raga music. For thousands of years, musicians have dedicated their lives to preserving this unwritten heritage that evokes a vivid range of emotions and moods and invites the listener to go beyond a limited perspective of self-awareness.
Performer and musicologist Vijay Kichlu’s journey to create a permanent sanctuary for this valuable inheritance, transplants the viewer to the center of Indian spirituality and culture. Heart-felt performances and interviews from legendary musicians along with the joyful camaraderie between the artists, unfolds the Rasa, the essence or soul of this music.
Woven into the narrative are fundamental music appreciation concepts of melody (raga) and rhythm (tala) with demonstrations by maestros. The film traces the evolution of this ancient sound, intended to praise the numinous from the origin, and is an invitation to deepen the connection to our spiritual selves.
The educational quality of the film is recommended by India’s premier national arts academy, the Sangeet Natak Akademi. Vijay Kichlu is a recipient of this Academy’s Ratna award, a rare and prestigious cultural honor bestowed on only 40 individuals at a time, as well as the Padma Shri civilian honor from the Republic of India.
