Introduction

The Devnandan Ubhayaker Yuva Sangeet Utsav is an annual music event conducted in Bangalore. The Utsav is a tribute to the late Sri Devnandan Shivaram Ubhayaker, son of the late Vidushi Lalita Shivaram Ubhayaker and the late Sri Shivaram Devarao Ubhayaker. The Utsav brings to the fore the talents of young musicians. The Utsav was founded in 1987 by the late Vidushi Lalita Shivaram Ubhayaker to provide a platform and hence promote young Hindustani Classical artists. Lalitaji's vision for the Utsav was that it should identify rising young talented musicians from all over the country, who are disciples of great masters, and present them to discerning audience in Bangalore. The experience of performing on a big stage in the presence of knowledgable rasikas and music critics, she believed, was a vital part of the growth of an artist apart from the musical training that was imbibed from the Guru. This was also a recognition of the continuing relevance of the Guru-Shishya tradition in propagating classical music.

Artists who have performed in the Utsav over the last two decades and more have today risen to great heights in their art, and in turn trained their Shishyas and sent them to perform at the Utsav. The list of senior artists who have featured as young performers in the Utsav is a glittering one including the Gundecha Brothers, Ustad Rashid Khan, Pandit Sanjeev Abhayanker, Pandit Shaunak Abhisheki, Meeta Pandit, Pandit Niladri Kumar, Pandit Uday Bhawalkar, Pandit Yogesh Shamshi and many others. The Utsav is conducted under the auspices of Smriti-Nandan, a centre for the promotion of Art, Music and Dance..