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| All India Radio Sangeet Sammelan | |
|---|---|
| Name | All India Radio Sangeet Sammelan |
| Genre | Classical music festival |
| Location | India |
| Years active | 1930s–present |
| Organizers | All India Radio |
All India Radio Sangeet Sammelan is an annual classical music festival and broadcast series organized by All India Radio that showcases Hindustani and Carnatic performers. The event connects traditions represented by artists associated with Pratima Bandopadhyay, Ustad Alla Rakha, M. S. Subbulakshmi, Ravi Shankar, and Bhimsen Joshi while interfacing with institutions such as Sangeet Natak Akademi, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Banaras Hindu University, WRC and venues like New Delhi and Mumbai. The Sammelan has influenced cultural policy debates in forums involving Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Doordarshan, National Centre for the Performing Arts, Lucknow University, and state radio stations.
The Sammelan originated in the 1930s under the aegis of Akashvani and early broadcasting pioneers who engaged figures such as Vishnu Narayan Bhide, Pancholi, P. K. Atre and patrons from princely states like Baroda State and Travancore; subsequent decades saw participation from exponents affiliated with All India Radio, Kolkata, AIR Chennai, AIR Lucknow, AIR Nagpur and AIR Guwahati. Post-independence alignment with bodies such as Sangeet Natak Akademi and interactions with cultural diplomats from Jawaharlal Nehru's era led to collaborations with maestros tied to traditions from Gwalior gharana, Kirana gharana, Patiala gharana, Agra gharana and Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. During the 1960s–1980s the Sammelan reflected tensions between proponents of pandit lineages, disciples of Ustad Amir Khan, and innovators associated with Ravi Shankar's international outreach, prompting programming shifts alongside administrative reforms influenced by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India) committees.
Programming is curated by panels drawn from All India Radio's regional stations and advisory committees including representatives of Sangeet Natak Akademi, Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Mysore College of Music, and university departments such as Banaras Hindu University and The University of Mumbai. Formats alternate between recital slots for Hindustani classical music and Carnatic music with ensemble presentations featuring artists from India's major cultural centres: Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Varanasi. The event uses time slots negotiated with broadcast schedules of Prasar Bharati and involves recording facilities at studios formerly overseen by engineers trained at institutions like Indian Institute of Technology Madras media labs and technicians linked to All India Radio, Chennai.
Repertoire emphasizes khayal, dhrupad, thumri, tarana, bhajan, kriti, varnam and ragam-tanam-pallavi drawn from traditions represented by gharanas such as Gwalior gharana, Kirana gharana, Patiala gharana, and schools of Mysore and Tanjore in Carnatic practice. Instrumental genres include sitar recitals in the lineage of Ravi Shankar and Vilayat Khan, sarod performances from disciples of Ali Akbar Khan and Amjad Ali Khan, veena expositions associated with S. Balachander, mridangam accompaniment from artists linked to Palghat Mani Iyer, and percussion showcases featuring practitioners like Ustad Zakir Hussain and Alla Rakha. The Sammelan also presents fusion experiments and jugalbandi formats engaging artists influenced by R.D. Burman-era film orchestration and contemporary composers trained at National School of Drama and conservatoires abroad.
Over time the festival has featured luminaries including vocalists and instrumentalists associated with M. S. Subbulakshmi, Bhimsen Joshi, Kishori Amonkar, Girija Devi, Mallikarjun Mansur, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ravi Shankar, Alla Rakha, Zakir Hussain, Amjad Ali Khan, Ali Akbar Khan, K.J. Yesudas, Lata Mangeshkar (in special appearances), and practitioners emerging from institutions like Bhatkhande Music Institute and MUSIC Academy, Chennai. Contributions include premiere broadcasts of new ragas, documentation of rare bandishes preserved by lineages tied to Ustad Faiyaz Khan and Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhide, and cross-genre collaborations that informed curricula at Banaras Hindu University and repertory choices at Sangeet Natak Akademi festivals.
Recordings from the Sammelan are archived within All India Radio's national archives and have been redistributed through compilations curated by entities such as HMV (India), Saregama, and private collectors linked to Gramophone Company of India. Broadcasts historically aired on Akashvani prime slots and later under Prasar Bharati syndication, with select performances reissued on LPs, cassettes, CDs, and digital platforms associated with Doordarshan's cultural programming and labels collaborating with Saregama India Limited.
Artists performing at the Sammelan have received national accolades including the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Bharat Ratna (in exceptional cases), and honors from state governments such as the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and Karnataka Sangeetha Nritya Academy fellowships, reflecting the event's role in platforms that contribute to nomination and selection processes within these institutions.
The Sammelan has shaped public appreciation across regions represented by Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Varanasi, and Lucknow, influencing broadcasting policy discussions in forums involving Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India) and cultural diplomacy agendas tied to Indian Council for Cultural Relations. Its archives inform scholarship at universities such as Banaras Hindu University and the University of Calcutta, and performances have been cited in biographies of artists like Ravi Shankar and Bhimsen Joshi as pivotal moments that linked oral traditions to modern media infrastructures managed by All India Radio and later Prasar Bharati.
Category:Indian music festivals