“I firmly believe in the profound impact of music, dance, and acting on shaping people’s thoughts and emotions.

Two esteemed figures will be specially honoured during the festival and they are, Kalim Sharafi, marking his 100th birthday on May 8, and the late Sadi Mohammad.

On this day eight years ago, we lost Kalim Sharafi, a distinguished and inspiring figure in music. Renowned for Rabindra Sangeet and Gano Sangeet, he took the cultural front to fight imperialism, communalism and crimes against humanity. Born at Birbhum in West Bengal in 1924 in a Pir (spiritual leader) family, where the practice of music was forbidden, Sharafi began developing revolutionary characteristics at an early age with his love for music, defying his family tradition of treading along the path of religious rituals.