Shubha Mudgal, Ustad Rashid Khan and Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan

Dec. 8: An evening of classical music will be held on December 15 to promote peace and harmony in a city recently scarred by serial blasts.

Three internationally-acclaimed classical artistes — Shubha Mudgal, Ustad Rashid Khan and Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan — will perform at the function being organised by the Asom Sangeet Sanmilani at the Pragjyoti ITA Centre for Performing Arts in Machkhowa.

Parash Kumar Bhattacharjee, the secretary of the sanmilani, said classical music not only takes its listeners to the realm of mental peace and tranquillity but also spreads peace in the surroundings. He said Guwahatians had never seen such gory scenes of death, blood and violence as on October 30.

“Many of us are yet to overcome the trauma of the serial blasts at Ganeshguri, Panbazar and CJM court that claimed many lives and caused large-scale devastation. Various organisations are trying to help the blasts victims by taking several measures, including psychological counselling. Music can be a great healer and can bring solace and peace. This is what the Asom Sangeet Sanmilani is trying to do on December 15,” he added.

Bhattacharjee said all the three artistes had confirmed their participation.

Mudgal is a well-known singer of Hindustani classical music, khayal, thumri, dadra and Indipop. “The sanmilani feels extremely fortunate that Ustad Rashid Khan, a classical musician in the North Indian Hindustani music tradition, has agreed to come down to Guwahati to perform. Khan belongs to the Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana,” Bhattacharjee said.

Parvez Khan, a famous sitar player from Pune, has achieved success in not only preserving tradition but also in pushing the boundaries of Hindustani classical music to greater heights of aesthetic beauty. “We are expecting a huge gathering and have, therefore, selected the 900-seater Pragjyoti ITA cultural centre as the venue,” Bhattacharjee said.

“For the sake of discipline and to collect funds for promoting classical music, we decided to sell tickets. The prices are reasonable despite the fact that the organisers are spending a huge amount in inviting such renowned artistes. Altogether 200 seats will be reserved for students of different classical music schools in the city,” he added.

The organisers have received a good response during the last two days of ticket sale.

Gayatri Majumdar, a government employee and lover of classical music, said: “It will be great to see three renowned artistes on one platform. Such functions can help to take us to a world of beauty and peace, forgetting for some time at least the ills that surround us.”