[1]Disco lights, reverberating music, awestruck spectators and a serene ambience are some of the things that every audience looks forward to in a music concert. Looking to meet to all these expectations, the five-day Qutub Festival was organised in the national capital from November 15 to 19.
Organised by Punjabi Academy under the aegis of department of art, culture and languages, the government of Delhi, Qutub Festival showcased the cultural art forms of the country and put the classic structure of Qutub Minar in the cynosure of national and international attention. The festival was an attempt to preserve and present the rich tradition of Indian music, contemporary, as well as, classical. With singers like Shaan, Shreya Ghosal, Mohit Chauhan and Hariharan taking the stage this year, the festival catered to all kinds of audiences — starting from youngsters to the middle aged to the elders. In keeping with tradition, the towering Qutub Minar was given a new look this year, too, to charm the spectators and tourists from all over India and abroad.
Expressing his happiness over the response that the crowd gave to the festival, Rawail Singh, secretary, Punjabi Academy said, “About 15,000 people thronging every day to see the concert tells everything about the popularity of Qutub Festival. We are extremely happy and besieged with the awe-inspiring response of the audience. The Qutub Festival has become the centre of attraction for all music lovers in the city. The big names from the Bollywood music industry charmed the audiences with their performances.”
On day one the festival saw Shantanu Mukherjee, alias Shaan, followed by Delhi-based band Astitva captivate the listeners with their performance. While Shaan sang many of his favourite numbers, which includes Woh pehli baar, Aal izz well, Tanha dil, Behti hawa sa tha, etc, Astitva enticed the audience with songs like Kesariya, Tu hi bata, Na jao, Chitti ye etc.
Expressing his urge to perform at the festival in the future too, Shaan said, “I have performed many times in Delhi and have always loved the enthusiastic audience here. I have always received ample amount of love and affection from this city. I would love to come and perform again for my fans.”
Zaman Khan, the lead guitarist and vocalist of Astitva, is proud that his band is the only local band to take part in the festival. “It was an amazing experience to take part in the Qutub Festival. The crowd was amazing and the stage that we shared was delightful.” He feels that the organisers should take the step of introducing new bands in the concert gradually as the top quality of the festival can’t be ignored.
On day two playback singer Hariharan mesmerised the audience by crooning some of his chartbusters like Yunhi chala chal rahi, Tu hi re, Kabhi main kahoon, Kitni baatein, Yeh to sach hai ki bhagwan hai etc, in his trademark voice.
Speaking about the zest and zeal of the people of Delhi, Hariharan said, “Such extraordinary and enthusiastic audience inspires singers like me to perform again and again. I have always loved Delhi listeners for their love for music.”
On day three Shreya Ghoshal took to the stage and charmed people with songs like Jaadu hai nasha hai, Hooth raseele mere hooth raseele, Chikni chameli, etc.
Shreya said that she was very happy to be a part of the Qutub Festival and would like to take part in it next year too. “It is the second time I am performing for this musical event. I am overwhelmed by the response of the audience. It was an amazing experience. There are numerous music lovers in the capital who understand and love all kinds of music. I would love to come next year as well.”
On day four Pakistani singer Arif Lohar, who has created a niche for himself in the international global music arena, created a delightful aura of Sufism and richness with his soulful music. With songs like Jugni, Adda khadda khedan, Akhian, Gabru sher punjab da, etc, Arif enthralled the spectators.
Speaking about the energy level and his experience in the festival, Arif said, “The capital has welcomed and accepted me with open arms. The energy level and vigour of the audiences was commendable. I would love to perform again next year.”
On day five, Bollywood singer Mohit Chauhan sang some of the most-inspired Bollywood numbers and captivated the audience.
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