In Delhi’s cold on Thursday, the program of Lydian Nadaswaram, which played several instruments along with classical and folk singer Maithili Thakur, made the audience feel warm. Beginning with Marathi folk songs, 20-year-old Maithili enthralled the audience with beautiful performances in her mother tongue Maithili and Hindi, followed by 16-year-old Leiden’s scintillating performance on piano and drums. While Maithili stunned everyone by singing the Sufi song ‘Chhap Tilak Sab Chhini’, Lydian, considered the future AR Rahman, stunned the audience by playing different melodies on two pianos simultaneously. Where the national anthem was being played on one piano and ‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara’ on the other.
The occasion was the 8th Sur Jyotsna National Music Awards ceremony organized by Lokmat News Group. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur presented both the artists with a memento and a cash prize of Rs. The award was instituted by Lokmat Group Chairman Mr. Vijay Darda in the memory of his wife Jyotsna Darda to promote young talent. The scintillating musical evening concluded with performances by the sarod maestro brothers Ayan Ali Bangash and Aman Ali Bangash.
Prominent people who enjoyed this beautiful program included Sarod maestro Padma Vibhushan Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, classical vocalists Pt Sajan Mishra, Pt Laxman Krishnarao Pandit, Padma Bhushan Rajiv Sethi, Union Minister of State for Finance Dr Bhagwat Karad, Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale, former Union Minister and MP Praful Patel, Former Chief Minister and MP Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Former Chief Minister Digvijay Singh, Former Union Minister and MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Ghazal singer Roop Kumar Rathod, Sonali Rathod, Acharya Lokesh Muni, MP Kirpal Tumane, Devendra Singh Bhole, There were Bhuvneshwar Kalita, Vivek Tankha, former Governor VK Duggal, former Union Minister Suresh Prabhu and his wife Uma Prabhu.