Maha Shivaratri: Night-long musical feast marks celebrations in Karnataka’s Sirguppa

Devotees of Lord Shiva and connoisseurs of classical music were treated to a night-long musical extravaganza during the Maha Shivaratri celebrations organised by Siri Samskrutika Samsthe at Sirguppa in Ballari district on Sunday.

The highlight of the evening was a captivating Hindustani classical recital by renowned vocalist Pandit Kaivalya Kumar Gurav.

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Pandit Kaivalya Kumar Gurav, who is also Chairman of the Pandit Basavaraj Rajguru National Memorial Trust, Dharwad, enthralled the audience with his rich voice and deep command over classical traditions and sustained their attention through an immersive performance that reflected both scholarship and artistry.

On the occasion, he was conferred the Kalaa Shrestha title by the organisers in recognition of his contribution to Indian classical music.

Adding to the grandeur of the celebrations was a percussion ensemble led by well-known Mridanga artiste Aanur Anantakrishna Sharma and his team, a feature introduced for the first time at the annual event. The ensemble emerged as one of the major attractions of this year’s programme.

The audience was mesmerised by a solo tabla recital by noted artiste Rimpa Shiva from Kolkata and a soulful sitar recital by Chhote Rehmat Khan, a distinguished sitarist from Dharwad.

Senior vocalist Parmeshwar Hegde, recipient of the Rajyotsava Award and Purandara Sangeeta Award, also rendered classical compositions, along with performances by Hafis Khan and the jugalbandi duo Naushad and Nishad.

Vocalists Sangita Khakandki and Jayalakshmi M.S., a promising young talent, enriched the evening with classical renditions, Daasa Keertanas and Vachanas.

The programme also had a graceful Kuchipudi dance performance by Basavaraj Balkundi and an additional sitar recital by Bhagyashree.

Accompanists included senior tabla artiste Pandit Saatlinga Desai Kallur and his sons Malemallesh Hugar and Raghunandan Gopal (all from Dharwad), along with M. Ahiraj from Ballari on the tabla.

Panchakshari Hiremath, Satish Kolli, Chidambar Joshi and Pollux Hanumanthappa provided harmonium support, while Venkatesh Purohit accompanied on the taala.

Sri Siddalinga Swamiji of Virakta Mutt, Olaballari, the former MLA T.M. Chandrashekaraiah, president of Siri Samskrutika Samsthe Gopal Reddy, Superintending Engineer Y.L. Krishnareddy, advocate H.K. Mallikarjunaiah Swamy and president of the Rice Mill Owners Association N.G. Basavarajappa were among others present.

The annual Shivaratri music festival, organised for over three decades by Siri Samskrutika Samsthe, once again reaffirmed its reputation as a cherished cultural tradition blending devotion and classical artistry.