New Delhi: Pandit Rajan Mishra and Pandit Sajan Mishra, Ravinder Kaul, NRI Institute and Manu Jagmohan Singh, and Meeta Pandit have been awarded this year’s honours at the Sopori Academy of Music and Performing Arts (SaMaPa).

At a function held recently in the capital, the Mishra Brothers received the SaMaPa Vitasta Pursaskar, Ravindra Kaul got the Acharya Abhinavgupt Samman, Jagmohan Singh received the Kala Vardhan Samman, and Meeta Pandit received the Yuva Ratan Samman.

The function was a part of the eleventh annual edition of the SaMaPa Sangeet Sammelan held towards the end of the year in the capital every year. It is organized by SaMaPa, which was founded by renowned santoor player Bhajan Sopori and his son Abhay Rustom Sopori who is adept at various instruments. The festival also featured a Painting and Photography Exhibition by the artists of Jammu and Kashmir.

Acclaimed among the topmost classical festivals of Delhi and one of the most prestigious festivals of the country, it attracts connoisseurs of music from various parts of India and abroad.

The Sangeet Sammelan featured the Dilli, Ajrada, Gaya, Banaras, Gwalior, Maihar and the Sufiana Gharanas of Kashmir with a galaxy of some of the top and best musicians of India like Pandit Bhajan Sopori, Pandit Rajan-Sajan Misra, Pandit L.K. Pandit, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Ustad Hashmat Ali Khan and Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan together with their next generation stars like Abhay Rustum Sopori, Ritesh-Rajnish Mishra, Meeta Pandit, Salil Bhatt, Akram Khan and others.

The festival provides a gateway for the young musicians with exceptional talent getting their first stage in a prestigious festival along with senior legendary maestros of the country. This year, again a number of young musicians, Bipul Ray (Santoor), Tanushree Kashyap (Vocal) and Sachin Sharma (Tabla) amongst others got the opportunity for their first major break.

The sammellan had an enthralling presentation of Sufiana Kashmir Gharana by Santoor Legend Pandit Bhajan Sopori and his son music maestro Abhay Rustum Sopori and a recital by Ustad Iqbal Khan and Tanvir Khan, Anis Khan from Dilli Gharana.

A Santoor recital by Bipul Ray was followed by a power packed Tabla and Pakhawaj presentation from Arjada Gharana by Ustad Hashmat Ali Khan and Akram Khan with Pandit Ravi Shankar Upadhyay andRishi Shankar Upadhyay representing Gaya Gharana. Legendary vocalists from Banaras Gharana Pandit Rajan-Sajan Misra and Ritesh-Rajnish Misra also enthralled the audiences. There was a scintillating Tabla presentation by Sachin Sharma, followed by Vocal presentation of Pandit L.K. Pandit and Meeta Pandit representing Gwalior Gharana.

Grammy Awardee Pandit Viswa Mohan Bhatt and Salil Bhatt - Mohan and Satvik Veena (Maihar Gharana) gave an amazing performance.

SaMaPa is a cultural movement translating from a deep rooted vision of its chairman, the great music legend Pandit Bhajan Sopori, and the tireless efforts of the members of board in creating a unique, unbiased and empowering national level platform for presentation, propagation, and teaching of traditional music and performing arts for the artists and the young talents. SaMaPa is acclaimed as a Cultural Bridge of the State of Jammu & Kashmir with rest of the country and to have created a new generation of music connoisseurs.