How Giridhar Udupa has been exploring the healing aspect of music

Giridhar Udupa presents the Udupa Music Festival 2026, featuring Begum Parveen Sultana,Thiruvaarur Bakthavathsalam, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and others

Since its inception in 2016, the Udupa Music Festival has grown beyond being a mere celebration of music, transforming into a meaningful platform that reaches out to those with various ailments. Organised by the Udupa Foundation — established in 2015 by well-known ghatam artiste Giridhar Udupa — the three-day event will be held at Bengaluru’s Chowdiah Memorial Hall from February 20 to 22.

The 2026 edition will open with a vocal recital by Begum Parveen Sultana with Ravindra Katoti on the harmonium and Ojas Adhiya on the tabla. The evening continues with a sitar recital by Purbayan Chatterjee, also accompanied by Ojas Adhiya on the tabla.

On February 21, audiences will be treated to a talavaadya kutcheri, featuring vidwan Thiruvaarur Bakthavathsalam on the mridangam, Naveen Sharma on the dholak, and Vijay Shamrao Chavan on the dholki. Later that evening, Ranjani and Gayatri will present a vocal recital, accompanied by Charumathi Raghuraman on the violin, Sai Giridhar Kuchibhotla on the mridangam, and Vazhapally R. Krishnakumar on the ghatam.

The festival concludes on February 22 with a fusion concert, featuring Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt on the Mohana veena, Shashank Subramanyam on the flute, Sivaramakrishnan on vocals, Darshan Doshi on the drums, Sheldon D’Silva on the bass guitar, and Manjunatha Sattyasheel on the drums and percussion.

“The festival is an annual fundraising event, alternating between the Udupa Music Festival and the Udupa Dance Festival. While I curate the music edition, the dance part is curated by my wife and Bharatanatyam dancer Sandhya Udupa,” says Giridhar.

The foundation is a tribute to his father, vidwan Ullur Nagendra Udupa, a mridangist and “my first guru. His health has been deteriorating since 2012, and over the years, he stopped performing or even stepping out of the home. Yet, when I practise, he reacts. That is when I told myself that there are so many people like my father confined to their beds. Hence we decided to take the concerts to them: homes, hospitals and care centres.”