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Distinguished classical musician and educator Pandit Anil Kumar Saha attended the event as a guest. He is a faculty member at Shanto-Mariam University and has received 18 years of training in classical music under Ustad A Daud Khan in India. He holds a Master of Music degree with a gold medal from Banga Sangeet Parishad, affiliated with Rabindra Bharati University.

As an artist, he has been awarded the Citycell–Channel i Music Award twice. He is also the author of two books on music, “Sangeet Probeshok” and “Sur Nirjhor”, and served as a member of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) music curriculum development committee.

Historically, regions such as Raipur, Lucknow, Gaya and Varanasi were important centres of thumri in the northern Indian subcontinent, where folk influences shaped forms like thumri, kajri, chaiti and hori. In Bengal, the spread of thumri in the 19th century is closely associated with Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Lucknow, who was exiled by the British to Metiabruz in Kolkata in 1857. A patron of the arts, he composed numerous bandishes under the pen name ‘Kadar Piya.’

Other notable figures include Bhaiyasaheb Ganpat Rao of the Gwalior royal family, who composed under the name ‘Sughar Piya,’ and celebrated vocalist Muizuddin Khan of Punjab. Their presence in Kolkata, along with Wajid Ali Shah’s court of musicians, marked a significant chapter in the development of thumri in the region.

Bengal Foundation has also published selected thumri, kajri and chaiti performances by artistes including Shubhra Guha, Girija Devi, Ajoy Chakrabarty, Priyanka Gope, Rashid Khan, Kaushiki Chakrabarty and Suchishree Ray, which are available on its YouTube channel.