ITC Sangeet Research Academy (ITC SRA) has released the third edition of its Desh Ek Raag music series, commemorating 150 years of Vande Mataram ahead of India’s 80th Independence Day.
Titled Desh Ek Raag 3, the music video features nearly 70 participants, including the Academy’s Gurus, Scholars and musician tutors, performing the National Song in Raag ‘Desh’. The initiative brings together classical musicians across generations, including 11-year-old Scholar Baibhab Mukhopadhyay and ITC SRA’s first student, Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty.
ITC Chairman Sanjiv Puri, who also chairs the Board of Trustees of ITC SRA, shared the video on LinkedIn ahead of Independence Day. In his post, Puri described the rendition as a tribute to Vande Mataram and the Hindustani classical music tradition nurtured by the Academy.
The rendition was created by ITC SRA Guru Shri Abir Hossain and recorded at the Academy’s studio, while the music video was directed by Kolkata-based filmmaker and creative producer Pritha Chakraborty.
The latest edition continues the Desh Ek Raag series, which began in 2024 as an Independence Day musical presentation. The second edition, released in 2025, centred on the Guru-Shishya Parampara and also incorporated classical dance.
The 2026 edition features Gurus including Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty, Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar, Pandit Partha Chatterjee, Vidushi Subhra Guha, Pandit Uday Bhawalkar, Shri Omkar Dadarkar, Shri Abir Hossain and Shri Brajeswar Mukherjee.
The release also comes ahead of ITC SRA’s Golden Jubilee in 2027. Established in 1977, the Academy currently trains more than 50 Scholars across its Kolkata and Pune facilities and conducts concerts, festivals and lecture programmes focused on Hindustani classical music.
