From 17th to 20th September 2015, we celebrated a monumental milestone as the Darbar Festival marked its 10th anniversary at London’s Southbank Centre. It was a decade in the making, and we were proud to present a programme that reflected the sheer breadth and emotional depth of Indian classical music.

We were honoured to have santoor maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma open the weekend, while the legendary Ustad Bahauddin Dagar brought the profound, ancient sounds of the rudra veena to our stage. Other unforgettable highlights included the vocal brilliance of Kaushiki Chakraborty, the pristine Carnatic harmonies of sisters Ranjini and Gayatri, and the international debut of dhrupad singer Pelva Naik.

Beyond the concert halls, our “Yogabliss” sessions and the Darbar pop-up record store created a vibrant community atmosphere throughout the foyer. This anniversary was particularly special because it celebrated ten years of our mission to honour the legacy of Bhai Gurmit Singh Ji Virdee, proving that Darbar has become the premier global home for these timeless art forms outside of India.