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 The 19th Sharngadeva Samaroh in LucknowMarch 7, 2026 The 19th Sharngadeva Samaroh curated by Parwati Dutta was conducted from 30 January 2026 to 1 Feb 2026 in the historical city of Lucknow, jointly organized by Mahagami Arts Research Foundation and Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, Lucknow. An MoU was signed by Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya and Mahagami Arts Research Foundation in September 2025 with an aim to initiate and conduct various cultural, academic and research activities. This festival was the first event conducted as a joint venture, marking an important milestone of 30 years of Mahagami and of being the first event conducted under Pt. Birju Maharaj Memorial Chair established by Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, Lucknow.  Parwati Dutta The festival Sharngadeva Samaroh was organized with an aim to establish a dialogue between the traditional Performing Arts, shastra texts and new creativity. The Samaroh curated by Parwati Dutta (Director - Mahagami) had four segments - Sharngadeva Prasang (seminar), Sharngadeva Samaroha (music-dance festival), Sharngadeva Pravaha (research paper presentations, workshops) and Sharngadeva Spandan (outreach). The most important aspect of the festival was to bring the glorious legacy of Lucknow Gharana Kathak as taught to Parwati Dutta by her Guru Pt Birju Maharaj back to the city of Lucknow, which is the birthplace of the legend. It was a blessing to present the festival under the University Chair named after him and to conduct the closing session at his birthplace - Kalka-Bindadin Maharaj Dyodhi. The highlights of the festival in Lucknow included: Seminar - Sharngadev Prasang  Darshana Jhaveri
 Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar  Odissi  Kathak • Odissi - Mahagami Vrinda • Dhrupad - Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar, Delhi • Dhrupadaangi Kathak - Parwati Dutta and group • Performances by faculty and students of Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya Research presentations by young scholars in Sharngadev Pravah Sharngadev Spandan - Workshop at the birthplace of Pt Birju Maharaj Parwati Dutta conducted a Dhrupadaangi Kathak workshop at the historical Kalka-Bindadin Maharaj Dyodhi - Kathak Museum, which is the birthplace of Pt Birju Maharaj, now maintained by U.P. Govt as a Kathak Museum. It was a sublime artistic offering by her along with all the eminent artistes, scholars and students to the great Guru of Kathak who passed away 4 years back leaving behind a rich legacy of Lucknow Gharana Kathak. The festival was greatly appreciated by all art lovers and artistes of Lucknow city and the Vice-Chancellor of Bhatkhande, Prof Mandavi Singh hoped that such artistically rich events should be held in future too jointly with Mahagami. About the Festival Mahagami Arts Research Foundation has been organizing Sharngadeva Samaroh curated by Parwati Dutta every year since 2011 with an aim to establish a dialogue between ancient texts, its scope, presentation along with the present practicing traditions and marginalized art forms. Sharngadeva Samaroh (Music and Dance Festival) and Sharngadeva Prasanga (Seminar) has earned the reputation of being an important mainstream dance and music festival in India and the only one in the region of Marathwada in Maharashtra that caters to the artistic and academic quests of rasikas and music and dance aspirants every year. The aim of the festival is to establish a dialogue between Shastra-Prayog-Parampara-Anusandhaan (texts-practice-tradition-research). In addition to Devagiri - the land of Sharngadeva (presently Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar), the festival has also been conducted in Delhi, Goa (jointly with Goa University) and now in Lucknow (Jointly with Bhatkhande University and U.P. Govt). Sharngadeva was one of the most important granthakaars of the 13th century CE who wrote the monumental text Sangita Ratnakara which practitioners of all present-day classical and folk forms regard as a definitive text. The chapters of Sangita Ratnakara cover a wide range of subjects from music, raag, taal, vaadya, dance, to metres, human anatomy, physiology, poetry, philosophy and psychology. A text true to today’s discourses around "inter-disciplinary", it has scope for deeper research and collaboration with performing arts practice. |
