Gwalior gears up for 101st Tansen Music Festival 2025

The country’s most prestigious celebration of Indian classical music, the Tansen Music Festival 2025, is set to be held in Gwalior from December 14 to 19. Marking its 101st edition this year, the festival continues to honor the legacy of legendary musician Tansen, one of the greatest maestros of Indian classical tradition.A local committee meeting was held on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Divisional Commissioner Manoj Khatri to review preparations and ensure the festival is conducted with full dignity and grandeur. Committee members offered valuable suggestions to enhance the event’s scale and appeal.Khatri assured that all constructive suggestions would be implemented where possible and instructed officials to promote the event widely to ensure strong participation from music lovers across the country.
The meeting saw participation from MLA Mohan Singh Rathore, ministers, MLAs, representatives of the mayor, Director of Ustad Allauddin Khan Music and Art Academy Prakash Singh Thakur, Senior Superintendent of Police Dharmveer Singh, In-charge Collector Kumar Satyam, Municipal Commissioner Sangh Priya, CEO of District Panchayat Sojan Singh Rawat, Registrar of Raja Man Singh Tomar Music and Art University Arun Singh Chauhan, along with music connoisseurs and other committee members.Khatri directed that the suggestions from members be taken seriously and emphasized that the jury responsible for selecting local artists should be impartial and composed of experts from Gwalior. He instructed officials to ensure that all arrangements at the festival venues—including Behat, Tansen’s birthplace—are completed with high standards of quality.
“Gamak” to Precede the Festival
A day before the main festival, a special event titled “Gamak” will be held on December 14 at Intuk Ground. Committee members proposed names of celebrated sub-classical music artists, including Pandit Hariharan and Shankar Mahadevan, to perform at this event. Khatri has directed the Music and Art Academy to finalize the artist lineup promptly. Additionally, Gamak musical gatherings are planned to begin from December 10 across ten prominent venues in Gwalior, as well as in Shivpuri, Datia, and Bateshwar. These pre-events aim to provide a platform for local artists and will feature both morning and evening sessions to encourage audience engagement.The formal inauguration of the 101st Tansen Festival will take place on December 15. The morning ceremony at the Samadhi of Tansen in Hujira will feature shehnai performances, Harikatha by Dholeebua Maharaj, and the recitation of Milad. The grand evening ceremony will mark the official commencement of the festival on the main stage, where the National Tansen Award and National Raja Mansingh Award will be presented.The main festival will feature ten music gatherings. The first will take place on the evening of December 15, followed by morning and evening sessions each day. The final day, December 19, will begin with a morning performance at Tansen’s birthplace in Behat and conclude with a closing gathering at the Gujari Mahal complex.A major highlight of this year’s festival will be “Samavet” at the historic Gwalior Fort, where nearly a thousand artists are expected to perform classical singing together—a grand symbol of India’s musical unity.

(Asstt.Editor)