Posted on 23 July 2026:

Rituraag in Kolkata: Six Ragas, Six Seasons & Tribute to Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee’s 125th Birth Anniversary

A rare evening of Hindustani classical music, heritage and culture unfolds at Khelat Bhavan, Kolkata on 26 July 2026.

Rituraag –a concert commemorating the 125th birth anniversary of Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee –promises to be an evening of Hindustani classical music, heritage and culture.

Organized by Sovabazar Seni Sangeet Sabha (1970) in collaboration with the Artists Nectar Council of Culture, Rituraag is not just a concert — it is a meditation on time itself, told through the language every Indian classical musician understands instinctively: the raga.

A Concert Built on the Rhythm of the Seasons

The word Rituraag itself is a quiet poem — a fusion of ritu (season) and raga (melody). And that is precisely the concert’s architecture: six ragas, each depicting one of the six seasons that define the Indian subcontinent’s emotional and agricultural calendar. From the golden warmth of summer to the crisp stillness of winter, every raga on this evening’s programme has been chosen not merely for its technical brilliance but for its power to evoke a season’s very soul.

The programme opens at 3:00 PM with a formal welcome, followed by a sequence of performances that reads almost like a journey through the year itself:

Summer Raga – Brindavani Sarang, performed on the Esraj by Sri Aurobindo Sen
Monsoon Raga – Malhar, Chaiti & Kajri, sung by Smt. Smritikona
Autumn Raga – Durga, on the Sarod by Sri Abhishek Banerjee
Pre-Winter Raga – Hemant, on the Raudveena by Sri Bishok Sil
Winter Raga – Shree, on the Violin by Sri Subrata Dawn
Spring Raga – Bahar, on the Sitar by Sri Apratim Sil

The evening also features a Tabla Lahara by Sri Debasish Adhikary, a Gaudiya Nritya performance by Dr. Shoumyo Bhowmik and Premankita Roy after the introduction by renowned Dr. Mahua Mukherjee, and closes with Bande Mataram, rendered by Pandit Amitabha Mukherjee — a fitting finale for an evening honouring a figure so deeply woven into the story of Bengal and the nation.

Live Painting Adds a Visual Dimension

In a lovely cross-pollination of art forms, Sri Debnath Biswas will be creating a live painting through the course of the concert — turning the music, quite literally, into brushstrokes in real time. It’s a rare treat to watch a raga take visual shape before your eyes.

Honouring Kolkata’s Living Heritage

Beyond the music, Rituraag pauses to felicitate individuals who have devoted themselves to preserving different strands of Kolkata’s cultural fabric:

Heritage Stewardship – Sri Ajoy Dutta (The Phanusman of Kolkata – Sky Lanterns) and Sri Barun Ganguly (Lathikhela, the traditional stick-fighting art)
Confectionery Heritage – Makhanlal Das, Nandalal Dutta and Mistanna Bhandar
Art Connoisseurship – Sri Debnath Biswas, Museum & Mural Artist
History, Research & Writing – Sri Saikat Neogy and Sri Soumyabrata Dasgupta

This felicitation segment underscores something important: Rituraag isn’t only about celebrating a birth anniversary or a musical tradition — it’s about recognising the quieter custodians of Kolkata’s identity, the people who keep its lanterns, its sweets, its martial arts, and its stories alive.

Distinguished Guests

The event will be graced by Mr. Daniele Panfilo, Consolato d’Italia in India, Kolkata; Mr. Biswajit Ganguly, Trustee Member, Aurobinda Bhavan; and Mr. Arindam Mukherjee, Director, Institute of Social & Cultural Studies and Dr. Debdatta Chakraborty, great granddaughter of Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee — a guest list that reflects the concert’s blend of art, diplomacy and scholarship.

Event Details

Venue: Khelat Bhavan, 47 Pathuriaghata Street, Kolkata-6 Date: 26th July / Time: 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Organized under the leadership of President Banibrata Pal and Secretary Indranil Banerjee, Rituraag is, in every sense, a community’s love to uphold its own heritage — offered through the timeless vocabulary of raga and ritu.