MUMBAI : The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) and Citi India are proud to announce the 13th edition of the highly anticipated Indian Music Festival, Citi NCPA Aadi Anant: From Here to Eternity, encompassing five events spread across two cities: Mumbai and Delhi. The latest edition of the Citi NCPA Aadi Anant Music Festival includes artistes of four different generations coming together to exhibit genres from classical and semi-classical, to folk and other lighter forms that collectively define the broad spectrum of music traditions in India.  Aadi Anant is curated to give the audience an opportunity to experience the nation’s musical richness and celebrate the guru-shishya tradition. It will begin in all its glory at the NCPA Mumbai on December 9, 2023, and continue the momentum in Zorawar Auditorium in New Delhi from January 27, 2024.  

As tradition goes, the opening concert of Aadi Anant will feature Zakir Hussain, who will perform with Sabir Khan and Debopriya Chatterjee. The second concert is a coveted performance by Kaushiki Chakraborty, who will pay tribute to six doyennes of Indian music - Gauhar Jaan, Begum Akhtar, M.S. Subbulakshmi, Shobha Gurtu, Noor Jahan and Kishori Amonkar in ‘Remembering the Divas’. The third concert is a trip to memory lane with ‘Tapur Tupur: Bachche, Bachpan aur Bachpana’ a children’s poetry by Gurudev Tagore with Gulzar, Shantanu Moitra, Shaan, Rekha Bhardwaj, Mahalakshmi Iyer, and a group of children. Following an extraordinary music celebration in Mumbai, Aadi Anant will travel to the country capital in January, promising a musical galore with performances by Folk Orchestra of Rajasthan with Mame Khan and 47 folk artistes. The closing concert will be yet another performance by Zakir Hussain with Kala Ramnath and Jayanthi Kumaresh presenting a confluence of Indian and Western classical instruments – the tabla, violin and veena.

Dr. Suvarnalata Rao, Head of Programming, Indian Music shares, “The Aadi Anant festival is a representation of the NCPA’s efforts to uphold the country’s rich art, culture and heritage and spread awareness through consciously curated presentations. We are delighted to join hands with Citi India and share our passion and commitment to preserve traditions, promote established and emerging talents and enable music education through unique collaborations like Aadi Anant and the Guru-Shishya Program for Indian music. We truly believe that art and culture are intrinsic pillars of a country’s community, and we sincerely hope that our collective efforts can sustain our invaluable heritage and at the same time, nourish the­­­­­­ future generations”. 

“Citi and NCPA share common values of enabling progress across communities in India, while paying tribute to country's rich cultural heritage. We are honoured to continue this association through programs that support music in schools, provide specialized training programs for lesser privileged children, and give shishyas the opportunity to build their knowledge on the intricacies of our ancestral music. The importance of inclusivity within our communities and an understanding of shared cultural experiences for our future generations is paramount, which is why this collaboration has further built on ‘access to audiences’ through open-air park performances and digitizing performances. We are delighted to launch this edition of ‘Citi NCPA Aadi Anant: From Here to Eternity’, with live concerts featuring some prominent artistes with their shishyas, for all music lovers to enjoy,” Citi India CEO, Mr. Ashu Khullar said.

The Citi NCPA CSR have a long-standing association for the ‘Guru-Shishya Program for Indian Music’ initiative that covers seven programs that are interrelated and have a direct bearing on the preservation and propagation of Indian music.

 Tickets are available at the Box office, as well as on Book My Show.