“Saptak” is a renowned musical ensemble in Delhi and its surrounding areas. Through their tireless efforts and talent, they have been captivating the ears of many music lovers by experimenting with various types of music. Recently, they celebrated their 10th anniversary on April 6th with an evening of “Musical Fusion” at the Bipin Chandra Pal Auditorium in New Delhi.
Saptak has set upon this musical journey with stupendous and magnificent exposure both lyrically and musically through its talented group of musicians and singers comprised of about 30 passionate singers and musicians coming from all walks of life under the able guidance of Singer Composer duo Mihir Basu and Bishakha Basu.
Mihir Basu has had the opportunity to work with numerous virtuoso artists over the past 30 years, devoted to his musical pursuits. Apart from composing and directing several songs, he has also produced numerous albums. Visakha Basu is an accomplished musician who has excelled in various musical genres in the capital city.
With the unique efforts and skills of these two, through various experiments, the audience had the opportunity to witness the familiar tunes of the music, the unfamiliar tunes anew, on the stage. Undoubtedly, for many music lovers, their performance in the form of experimental fusion, and its reception, is as simple as it is joyful.
Mihir Basu, head of the organization, a Delhi-based musician, with ancestral roots in Kolkata, is aptly assisted in his endeavors’ of reviving Bangla music by his wife, Bishakha, who is also a trained singer working together to enliven Bengali music and instill interest among the people of Delhi especially youths.
According to him, though many Bengalis stay in Delhi, Bengali music hasn’t gained much popularity here. “The Bengali youths living in the Capital doesn’t listen to them. That is because we haven’t been able to present folk and other forms of Bengali music in an interesting form. Rigidity to a certain style will not help in making music popular. We need to adapt to new forms of music and be open to experimentation. In my music, I have continuously tried to do that.”
He informs that so far SAPTAK has produced several theme-based programs and participated in prestigious shows in Delhi and Kolkata. SAPTAK has established its benchmark in rendition quality, perfection, coordination, and performance versatility.
“We have organized multilingual gala events, several workshops, and training programs for upcoming singers. Every year, we organize two Gala events celebrating the Birth Anniversary and Commemoration of the Mahaprayan Diwas of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore incorporating different groups of Delhi NCR. In 2023, Saptak started celebrating Nazrul Jayanti too. SAPTAK with four other choir groups of NCR has embarked upon a unique project of producing an audio CD of Rabindra Sangeet released in 2018.”
Marking its 10th Anniversary, The “Saptak” troupe presented an outstanding concert, in the form of experimental fusion, about the evolution of Bengali music.
This special event in the evening, based on the songs and tunes composed by Mihir Basu, head of the organization, dancers from three popular dance groups of the capital city, namely, Le Rhythm, Creation Dance Academy, and Shinjan Dance Academy performed their dances Choreographed on his songs. The attendees were treated to carefully curated melodious renditions in multiple languages and fusion music genres.
The festival not only celebrated artistry but also fostered cultural exchange and intellectual discourse, reaffirming SAPTAK’s commitment to promoting art, music, and creativity.
SAPTAK firmly believes in promoting a healthy culture for a larger community, especially for the youth, and always tries to promote upcoming talents by giving them a platform to the larger people. in this direction, a few years back they started giving the “Saptak Excellence Award” to groups and individuals who have made immense contributions to the field of spreading Bengali art and culture in Delhi NCR
This “Saptak Excellence Award” was given to Six Cultural Groups and four individuals, the “Special Contribution Award” to Five individuals for their contribution to the cultural field of Delhi NCR, and one “Posthumous Award” was the attraction of the evening.
Organizations such as the Bengal Association, C R Park Kali Mandir, Dakshin Delhi Kalibari, Impresario India, Purbanchal Bangiya Samiti, and Narayani Namastute were recognized.
Individual recipients included Jayati Ghosh (Vocal), Rabishankar Kar (Drama), Nilanjan Sengupta (Instrumental), and Gopa Basu (Recitation).
The special contribution award went to Subranshu Chakrabarty (Photography), Raja Chatterjee (Creative Writing), Subhasish Ghosh (Social Media Publicity), Nilasish Ghosh Dastidar (News Reports), and Anita Basu Halder (Cultural Promotion). A “Posthumous Award” was given to Ranjani Sanyal.
The event ended with a token of appreciation that was given to all artists.
