Ustad Rashid Khan, Pt Birju Maharaj to perform at Dilli Durbar music festival

Stalwarts of Indian classical music and dance Ustad Rashid Khan, Pandit Birju Maharaj, and Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar among others will aim to connect the youth with the country's age old traditional classical art forms and culture at the Dilli Durbar music festival starting Saturday.

The two-day festival, organised by Dilli Gharana in collaboration with Sursagar Society and Ameer Khusro Institute of Music, will be held at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.

The main components of the musical extravaganza will be Hindustani classical vocals, Kathak, Carnatic instrumental performances along with workshops, lectures on Hindustani music, seminars and panel discussions.

Eminent Indian classical vocalist and the founder of Dilli Durbar, Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan said the festival gives him an opportunity to pass on his learnings to the younger generation.

"I had the great privilege of learning 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 to pass on my learnings to the younger generation to refine their sensibilities and to cultivate their taste for these finer things in life," he said.

The event will witness the participation of renowned Indian classical maestros including Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan, Ustad Shahid Parvez, Guru Shovana Narayan, and Javed Ali