MUMBAI: Music Today has revealed the list of artistes and albums that are being launched as part of its tie up with Star TV (Satellite Television Asian Region Limited) on home video.

Radioandmusic.com had first reported on the tie up between the label and Star India in December 2007, which entailed getting a host of non fiction shows on the home video platform. The videos span Indian music, cookery, wellness and travel. Hosted by well-known names such as Durga Jasraj ('Star Utsav' DVDs on Indian Music), Rakesh Sethi ('Mirch Masala' DVDs on cookery), Deepti Bhatnagar ('Musafir Hun Yaaron' DVDs on travel) and Ruby Bhatia ('Body and Soul' DVDs on wellness), these DVDs bring home some of the finest in television entertainment, says a release.

The Utsav series of DVDs and VCDs celebrate Indian classical music, with themes like Sharad Poornima, the monsoon, Holi and the like. Each theme is performed by different musicians of the ilk of Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pandit Jasraj and others. They bring the listener and the music close to each other, as they point out the salient features of music before and after the performance.

Every album presents a theme that is beautifully portrayed against a grand set befitting the theme. The star guest and the host have a detailed one-on-one conversation on the theme, where the guest brings his or her expertise from the field of music, to throw light on the significance of the theme in the performance that follows.

The star performer is then introduced with a background detailing the artiste's history with interesting anecdotes. This is then followed by a grand performance where the artiste presents musical pieces to showcase the theme in all its grandeur.

The star guests include stalwarts from the music fraternity who have held their own as torchbearers of this undying art. Some of these names include Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and Pandit Jasraj.

This collection of 26 titles features the following themes and artistes:

Volume 1
Theme: Evolution of Hori style from the festival of Holi
Star Guest: Ustad Zakir Hussain
Star Performer: Shobha Gurtu

Volume 2
Theme: Adi Shankaracharya and the significance of Lord Krishna in Indian classical music
Star Guest: Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma
Star Performer: Pandit Jasraj

Volume 3
Theme: A Tribute to Pandit Omkarnath Thakur
Star Guest: Pandit Jasraj
Star Performer: Dr. N Rajam

Volume 4
Theme: Sharad Poornima (full-moon night) and the element of romance in music
Star Guest: Pandit Jasraj
Star Performer: Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma

Volume 5
Theme: Afternoon ragas in Hindustani classical music
Star Guest: Ustad Zakir Hussain
Star Performer: Shahid Parvez

Volume 6
Theme: Durga Puja
Star Guest: Pandit Jasraj
Star Performer: Begum Parween Sultana

Volume 7
Theme: World Music
Star Guest: Ustad Zakir Hussain
Star Performer: Taufiq Qureshi

Volume 8
Theme: The significance of 'Monsoon ragas'
Star Guest: Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma
Star Performer: Pandit C. R. Vyas

Volume 9
Theme: Layalavanya - The Beauty of Taal
Star Guest: Ustad Zakir Hussain
Star Performer: Vidwan Umayalpuram K Sivaraman

Volume 10
Theme: Celebrating the festival - 'Diwali'
Star Guest: Pandit Jasraj
Star Performer: Ustad Zakir Hussain

Volume 11
Theme: Morning Ragas
Star Guest: Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma
Star Performer: Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt

Volume 12
Theme: The compositions of Maharaja Swati Thirunal
Star Guest: Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma
Star Performer: Dr. TN Krishnan

Volume 13
Theme: The compositions of Mian Tansen
Star Guest: Pandit Jasraj
Star Performer: Ustad Amjad Ali Khan

Volume 14
Theme: Night Ragas
Star Guest: Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia
Star Performer: Neeladri Kumar

Volume 15
Theme: Sound of Rajasthan
Star Guest: Pandit Jasraj
Star Performer: Ustad Sultan Khan

Volume 16
Theme: Sound of Valley
Star Guest: Pandit Jasraj
Star Performer: Rahul Sharma

Volume 17
Theme: Celebrating the festival of Pongal
Star Guest: Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma
Star Performer: N. Ravikiran

Volume 18
Theme: Shringaar Ras
Star Guest: Pandit Jasraj
Star Performer: M.S. Shashank and Kala Ramnath

Volume 19
Theme: Asht Nayika
Star Guest: Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia
Star Performer: Pandit Birju Maharaj

Volume 20
Theme: Shrikrishna Janamastmi
Star Guest: Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma
Star Performer: Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia

Volume 21
Theme: Laya and Taal
Star Guest: Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma
Star Performer: Ustad Shafaat Ahmed Khan

Volume 22
Theme: National Integration
Star Guest: Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma
Star Performer: Shankar Mahadevan & Rattan Mohan Sharma

Volume 23
Theme: Ganesh Chaturthi
Star Guest: Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia
Star Performer: Smt. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande

Volume 24
Theme: A tribute to Amir Khusrau
Star Guest: Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma
Star Performer: Ram Shankar

Volume 25
Theme: Christmas
Star Guest: Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia
Star Performer: Adnan Sami

Volume 26
Theme: Maha Shivratri
Star Guest: Pandit Jasraj
Star Performer: Vidwan T. H. Vikku Vinayakram & Shri V. Selva Ganesh

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