Mumbai, 22nd July 2025: The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), India’s premier arts and culture institution, proudly presents the 15th edition of its annual Indian music festival, Bandish: A Tribute to Legendary Composers, supported by HSBC India, from August 1 to 3.
Day 1 opens with Special performance highlighting the traditions of the ‘Guru-Shishya Parampara’ by the artistes supported by NCPA HSBC India Partnership, followed by a shared stage presentation by Shounak Abhisheki and Devaki Pandit featuring compositions of renowned composer Jitendra Abhisheki covering the genres of khayal, dadra, bhajan, and natyageet. Further, Sajan Mishra and Swaransh Mishra compositions of Banaras gharana stalwarts Bade Ramdas, Chhote Ramdas & Nanak Prasad Mishra. Day 2 features a solo recital by Carnatic vocalist T. M. Krishna with compositions of Muthusvami Dikshitar, whose 250th birth anniversary is being celebrated this year. He will present kirtana, ragamalika, and nottusvara sahitya. The finale on Day 3 is a specially curated evening of film music composed by the eminent music composer-director R. D. Burman. Curated and presented by Jolly Mukherjee, the evening will feature special appearances by Shailendra Singh and performances by renowned singers Alok Katdare, Shrikant Narayan, Vibhavari Apte Joshi, and Mahalaxmi Iyer, accompanied by 30 musicians. The event will be hosted by compère Yunus Khan.
This year also marks a decade of HSBC’s committed patronage to the NCPA’s Indian music programming – a partnership that has strengthened India’s cultural legacy through consistent support for performance, pedagogy, and public access.
Over the last 10 years, HSBC India has supported ‘Bandish’, presenting nearly 150 brilliant artistes and accompanists to approximately 8,000 attendees. Dr. Survarnalata Rao, Programming Head-Indian Music & Research Scientist at the NCPA, reflects on this bond. “History shows that the performing arts have often received patronage from aristocratic and royal quarters, and often, the patrons were given credit in the composition, mentioning their name. Today, multinational business houses like HSBC are strengthening their hands in promoting the treasure of musical works which we have with us in India. The NCPA is delighted to have on board an esteemed CSR partner like HSBC India to support our overarching mission to preserve, promote and propagate arts in India. We follow a holistic perspective, which not only takes into consideration the performer, performance, the guru and the shishya [the student] but also the audience,” she says.
One of the several initiatives patronized by HSBC is ‘Support to Guru-Shishya tradition’ initiative, which has seen eight renowned gurus including Hashmat Ali Khan, Akram Khan, Lalith Rao, Iqbal Ahmed Khan, Dinkar Panshikar, Shubhada Paradkar, Vinayak Torvi and Praveen Karkare, mentor 26 disciples over the years, propagating the oral traditions. Yet another initiative, Guru in Residence, offers intense training with a maestro.
Workshops and educational initiatives have also played a vital role in widening the scope of educational initiatives. From 22 workshops and 4,491 physical attendees to 34,759+ online views, the numbers underscore India’s growing appetite for deeper engagement with Indian music.
Another standout initiative, the Promising Artistes Series, has spotlighted many emerging performers since 2018—some of whom are beneficiaries from the Support to guru-shishya tradition initiative.
Since its inception, this partnership has evolved from a concert series into a comprehensive platform for performance, mentorship, and education. In the past decade, ‘Bandish’ festival has revived interest in historic compositions and provided a national stage for both stalwarts and emerging talent. In HSBC India, the NCPA has found a partnership that goes beyond mercenary exchange.
Speaking on the milestone, Mr. Hitendra Dave, CEO, HSBC India, shared,
“We deeply value our collaboration with the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai. This year, we are celebrating 10 years of HSBC India’s association with NCPA, a partnership that continues to collectively enable the preservation and propagation of performing arts and artistes. HSBC’s journey with NCPA’s Bandish reflects our commitment to supporting and preserving Indian art music. It brings to life the rich and diverse traditional repertoires of Indian music through presentations by some of the great names of Indian music. Our sincere appreciation to NCPA for its commitment to excellence.”
As the ‘Bandish’ festival enters its 15th year, and the NCPA-HSBC partnership marks a decade, the festival continues to honour tradition while opening new pathways for education, access, and excellence in Indian music.
