Calcutta's music lovers are always treated to fresh flavours in the Indian classical music programmes organized by Sangeet Ashram at the G.D. Birla Sabhaghar. The vocal recital of the young Sagnik Sen was praiseworthy. He chose the Raga Yaman to start with and continued with a vilambit kheyal in ektaal, " Data garib nawaz". His voice is powerful and has a distinct quality. He is a sincere follower of the Patiala Gharana; his performance highlighted the key traits of the well-known raga.

In drut teental he sang "Mora mana harawa lino daiya" followed by a traditional tarana in ektaal, both composed by Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. He tried another traditional bandish in the Raga Madhukauns in teental, " Ja ja re ja re pathikawa". His energy and effort to make his performance enjoyable were to be lauded. However, his vistaars and taans for a longer rendition require maturity. He was accompanied by Mainak Banerjee (tabla) and Keshav Banerjee (harmonium).

On the sarod, Debasish Bhattacharya (picture) began with a rendition of the Raga Chhaya. It was influenced by the Chhayanat phrases, because it has no well-defined attributes of its own. The alaap, jor and jhala were smooth, but lacked impact. The artist's next choice was the rarely-performed Maluha Kalyan. He tried his best to bring out its essence, although it was difficult for the audience to connect with the performance.

The artist's final rendition of Tilak Kamod was arresting. It demonstrated his expertise and spontaneity in expanding the depth as well as the range of a raga. The mood, melody and tonal quality were were present in his performance. He made an honest effort to create a charm by breaking a traditional format. The taans and vistaars, especially in the lower and middle octaves, highlighted the purity of the raga. He was well accompanied by Parimal Chakraborty on the tabla.