A melodic salute to those who serve society

In an inspiring confluence of music and social purpose, Kolkata recently witnessed a unique felicitation ceremony titled Kolkata Music Festival, that honoured eminent healthcare professionals and social workers through the language of music. Conceptualised by noted percussionist Pt Subhen Chatterjee and sitarist Mita Nag, the initiative was born out of a shared vision to recognise unsung heroes whose work has transformed lives – especially in the fields of medicine and social service.
“This has been brewing for a long time,” said Mita Nag, sitarist and mentor at Pt Chatterjee’s Peshkar Academy. “Pt Subhen Chatterjee and I belong to the same musical fraternity and have worked closely for years. He’s been performing with my father since the ’90s. We are like family. One day we were discussing how we could do something meaningful for health workers and social activists, and decided to honour them through what we know best – music.”

Held in association with the Gokul Nag Memorial Foundation, Peshkar Academy, Jog Foundation and Omkar Trust, the event marked the first edition of what the organisers hope will become an annual tradition. The idea, Nag explained, was to keep the format simple and the musical identity fluid. “We wanted music in its totality, not confined to any genre. Of course, classical music forms the basis but we wanted scope to grow and diversify in future editions of Kolkata Music Festival.”
The felicitation honoured a remarkable roster of medical professionals and social workers including Dr SN Roy, Dr Ashoke Ganguly, a homeopath widely consulted by musicians, Dr Kinsuk Das, a gastroenterologist, Dr Gautam Mukhopadhyay, an oncologist, and Dr Parthasarathi Sarkar, along with two committed social workers – Ajoy Ghosh, who is known for organising the biggest annual blood donation camp in north Kolkata’s Cossipore, and Rajib Roy, director of Hope Care, an organisation for the elderly and for geriatric assistance & caregiving.
The evening unfolded with a powerful lineup of performances that celebrated the spirit of collaboration, featuring both acclaimed maestros and deserving but lesser-known artists. The concert began with 1000 Fingers, a one-of-a-kind instrumental ensemble comprising 100 participants, conducted by Pt Subhen Chatterjee and Sri Arindam Barman. This was followed by Janab Wasim Ahmed Khan’s performance accompanied by Pt Samar Saha on tabla and Janab Sarwar Hussain Khan on sarangi. Smt. Supriya Shah presented a soulful sitar recital with Samir Nandi on tabla, while Pt Biswajit Roy Chowdhury's violin recital was enhanced by the accompaniment of Anirban Dasgupta on tabla. The evening culminated with Pt Debojyoti Bose’s sarod recital, joined by Dobjit Patitundi and Rohen Bose on tabla.
“We had some incredible participants. They may not be household names yet, but they absolutely deserve the spotlight,” said Nag, underscoring the event’s aim to support not just excellence, but potential.