One of Chandigarh’s oldest and most prestigious classical arts festivals, All-India Bhaskar Rao Nritya and Sangeet Sammelan, was organised by Pracheen Kala Kendra, from March 12 to 14 at Tagore Theatre, Sector 18.For the first time, the 55th edition of the festival will also be organised in Vadodara from March 21 to 22, marking an expansion of the long-standing cultural event beyond Chandigarh. The Vadodara leg of the festival is being organised as a tribute to Bhaskar Rao Bhakhle, who had served as a faculty member at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda during his lifetime.A celebrated platform dedicated to Indian classical music and dance, the Sammelan brought together the three principal streams of the classical tradition — gayan (vocal), vadan (instrumental) and nritya (dance). The performances in Chandigarh offered audiences three evenings of classical recitals by eminent artistes.The opening evening featured a vocal recital by Vidushi Indrani Mukherjee, followed by a Bharatanatyam performance by Vidushi Vidhya Subramanian and troupe. The subsequent days presented performances by distinguished artistes, including Pt Purbayan Chatterjee (sitar), Guru Sharmila Biswas (Odissi dance), Pt Ronu Majumdar (flute), Pt Nayan Ghosh (tabla) among others.Speaking about the festival, Sajal Koser, secretary of Pracheen Kala Kendra, said, “The Sammelan has played a significant role in placing Chandigarh prominently on India’s cultural map.”Koser also highlighted the scale of the institution’s outreach, noting that Pracheen Kala Kendra has more than 3,800 affiliated institutions across India and abroad, with over three lakh students appearing in its examinations. Sharing the future plans, Koser said, “We are planning to include theatre and Western classical music in the festival, and we are also in the process of building a Centre for Cultural Excellence.”