MUMBAI: National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai and HSBC present the most awaited Indian music festival, 'Bandish 2015 - A Tribute to Legendary Composers'. The sixth edition of Bandish will see eminent artists like PAD bringing to life works of legendary composers of Hindustani Classical Music. The three day festival will present treasured works of – Miyan Tansen, Nandlal Sharma (Lalan Piya), Sadarang and Adarang and Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. The festival will culminate with a grand performance by Shankar Mahadevan - 'Baithak to Bollywood', exploring the concept of bandish in various forms - classical, semi classical, light and pop music traditions.

NCPA Indian Music, Head Programming, Dr. Suvarnalata Rao–said, “With every edition of Bandish we aim to bring together works of Indian composers who have contributed immensely to our rich musical heritage. It is a great platform to showcase creations of legendary figures that have been passed on to us through generations and is still significant in today’s time. This year at Bandish, every music lover will get a chance to cherish and relive different eras of music presented by esteemed musicians keeping alive the memory of those greatest composers our country has ever seen."
 
The first day of Bandish will feature Uday Bhawalkar presenting Dhrupad compositions of musical genius, Miyan Tansen, one of the nine gems of Akbar's court. Dhrupad is believed to be the most ancient form of Hindustani classical music that reached its peak during the reign of Emperor Akbar. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande will recreate compositions of duo -Sadarang and Adarang, who played an instrumental role in popularising the Khayal style of Hindustani music.

The second day will see variation within semi-classical genres with performances by Shubha Mudgal rendering ‘Bandish Ki Thumri’ (also known as Bolbant thumri) compositions of legendary composer Lalan Piya and Ajoy Chakrabarty presenting Bolbanao thumri and dadra compositions as a tribute to Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.

The festival will conclude with Shankar Mahadevan's 'Baithak to Bollywood' where the maestro will explore the role of Bandish in melodic improvisation across genres like classical, semi classical, light and pop music.

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