When the Bansuri Met the Blogosphere: A First-of-Its-Kind Interaction with Ronu Majumdar

Mumbai | 17 February 2026: 

In a landmark cultural evening that beautifully bridged classical heritage with contemporary digital voices, Padma Shri awardee and globally acclaimed Bansuri maestro Ronu Majumdar engaged in an exclusive, first-of-its-kind blogger interaction in Mumbai. 

Over 20 prominent bloggers from Mumbai gathered for the intimate session, making it a pioneering initiative where a classical music legend connected directly with the digital creator community through one-on-one conversations. The event marked a significant step toward bringing Indian classical music into deeper dialogue with new-age media platforms.

The evening commenced with a formal introduction highlighting Majumdar’s illustrious journey spanning over four decades. A disciple of the Maihar gharana tradition and a torchbearer of Hindustani classical music, he has performed across prestigious global stages and collaborated extensively with legendary composer R. D. Burman. His cinematic contributions include iconic films such as 1942: A Love Story, while his global compositional work for large-scale productions like Mystic India further underscores his international acclaim.

Following the introduction, Ronu Sir presented a short live flute recital, instantly immersing the room in the meditative and soulful resonance of the bansuri. The performance set the tone for what unfolded as an evening of depth, nostalgia, and heartfelt storytelling.

During the interaction, Majumdar candidly shared anecdotes from the golden era of Indian music, reminiscing about his creative journey alongside stalwarts such as R.D. Burman and the legendary Kishore Kumar. He offered rare insights into studio recordings, improvisational processes, and the discipline behind sustaining classical purity within cinematic frameworks.

A highlight of the evening was the discussion around his recently released single, You & Me. The composition, intimate and deeply evocative, reflects a soulful dialogue between artist and listener. Drawing inspiration from Kishore Kumar’s lullaby in the film Kanwara Baap, the piece carries emotional warmth while maintaining classical integrity. Through this project, Majumdar once again demonstrates his ability to blend tradition with contemporary sensibilities, ensuring the bansuri remains relevant across generations.

The session concluded with individual blogger interactions, allowing attendees to capture exclusive insights and engage in meaningful conversations. Ronu Sir’s warmth, humility, and openness left a lasting impression, transforming the gathering into more than just a media event — it became a celebration of music, memory, and mentorship.

This historic interaction not only reinforced Ronu Majumdar’s stature as a cultural icon but also highlighted the growing importance of digital creators in shaping conversations around classical arts in modern India.

About AR Rahman, Bansuri maestro Ronu Majumdar said - When AR Rahman came into picture lot of people lost their job because Dil Hai Chotasa like melodies were recorded on keyboard. But when you listen to the flute Rahman is using original flute. His original name was Dilip. It's sad that recently he gave very nasty interview. I don't agree with you, Dilip. You are not Rahman for me. You are still Dilip for me. You played under Illayaraja and we both were beginners at that time. So don't do all these things be careful what you say. It's my advice to you Dilip.

Finest Indian artists to perform in Music, Theatre, Fine Arts, Crafts in Mahindra Group's various Cultural Festivals

A pioneer in promoting Indian art and culture ranging from rock music, performing and visual arts and crafts, Mahindra Group has unveiled the much-awaited Cultural Events Calendar for the year 2023-24 with incredibly enriching and impactful events that are a true celebration of Indian culture and communities that aim to ignite a vibrant cultural exchange and create a magnetic pull for artists from across the world while prioritising millennial engagement.

 

Aiming with its Cultural Outreach initiative to serve as a catalyst to preserving India’s traditions while ensuring that these cultural practices continue to flourish in the modern world.

 

The group is known to host some of the most talked about events in the country, playing a pivotal role in keeping the Indian cultural legacy alive across the globe with its tastefully curated events. Through time, these exclusive festivals with a strategic purpose have grown manifold in aspects of scale, footfalls and geographic locations, and have positively impacted the brand, its stakeholders and various art forms of traditional and contemporary India - leaving an indelible impression on its audiences.

 

And fuelled by this remarkable success, the group seeks to add greater impetus in enabling a spectrum of diverse audiences on an artistic discovery across North and South India via its cultural outreach initiatives.

 

Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META) is the only national level recognition in the field of theatre; Mahindra Blues Festival - the biggest blues festival in Asia - has hosted worldwide legends like Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal, Johnny Lang, Popa Chubby, Jimmy Thackery and the likes. The Mahindra Sanatkada Lucknow Festival launched in 2010 as a showcase of craft traditions, involving master craftsmen from the regions, has over the years transformed into a resplendent concoction of art, music, theatre, literature, dance, heritage, experiential exhibitions, and cuisine, in a grandeur intrinsic to Awadh. Mahindra Kabira Festival brings together the leading exponents of classical, folk and Sufi music and evocative poetry recitals, intending to be a beacon of love and hope in the Poet’s place of birth, while promoting the city’s cultural heritage.

 

In 2022-23, Mahindra Group resurrected the iconic Independence Rock fest which unfolded to be a roaring celebration of the genre, and also launched two new IPs - Mahindra Roots and Mahindra Percussion, all with an aim to offer a comprehensive symphonious experience comprising poetry, rock, classical, and folk music in multilingual forms. These powerful events together showcase artists and performances that strike a chord with everyone, particularly with millennials to strengthen their cross-cultural understanding and facilitate cultural preservation.

 

Jay Shah, Vice President – Cultural Outreach at Mahindra Group, said, “People make culture, just as culture makes people. India’s culture is a melting pot of diversity, steeped in rich history and heritage, and infused with numerous art forms, dialects and languages, creating a fertile ground for artistic exchange. Our Cultural Outreach Initiative is meant to bring communities together and promote the many aspects of the Indian cultural landscape that remain unexplored, particularly from the lens of the youth. After prospering for centuries many arts are now fighting for survival, many are struggling for mere acknowledgement. In the face of modernization and changing societal values, preserving these artistic traditions becomes imperative to safeguarding India's cultural identity. The endeavour is to present these dwindling art forms in a modernized fashion to millennials, bring in relevance and reignite the affinity for them. We achieved this to a great extent through the Kabira, Sanatkada and Roots festivals last year. And so, we are thrilled to announce another year of power-packed cultural festivals and we hope it will drum up similar support and a loyal following for the years to come.”

Listed below are the upcoming programs that promise to take fans on a soulful, artistic journey with an element of discovery, making the fests the beating heart of Indian arts and culture.

Mahindra Independence Rock Festival (4th & 5th November 2023): The rock festival was initiated to revive the rock scene in India through music alone besides providing the young independent rock musicians with a creative platform to express non-conformist ideas, freedom of speech, inclusivity, and equality.

Mahindra Kabira Festival (15th - 17th December 2023): The Mahindra Kabira Festival is held annually on the historic ghats of Varanasi with an aim to unleash the mystic melodies and artistic vibes of the Poet-Saint Kabir and convey the essence of Kabir’s philosophy to new-age audiences.

Mahindra Sanatkada Lucknow Festival (2nd - 6th February 2024): The Mahindra Sanatkada Lucknow Festival is an annual five-day affair dedicated to a beautiful slice of Awadh’s syncretic culture.

Mahindra Blues Festival (10th & 11th February 2024): Asia's largest Blues festival, and emerging as an iconic Western music event that has now embedded itself in the cultural tapestry of Mumbai by continuously showcasing the world's biggest blues names at Mehboob Studios.

Mahindra Roots Festival (24th & 25th February 2024): Mahindra Roots Festival which made its debut this year, aims to revive and showcase India’s multifaceted cultural roots embedded in performing and visual arts while enabling young minds to rise from their roots. The festival spans theatre performances, tribal music forms, immersive storytelling, folk music, classical music and poetry in multiple languages to bring millennial and Gen Z audiences closer to a melting pot of voices and art intrinsic to the pulse of India’s cultural matrix.

Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards Festival (14th-20th March 2024): The META Awards has been serving as a platform that has levelled unknown theatre companies on the same stage with well-known ones. By far, the platform has presented over 100 theatrical masterpieces from all over India and is referred to as an institution that recognises, nurtures and promotes great theatre.

Mahindra Percussion Festival (23rd March 2024): The festival is a first-of-its-kind platform that traverses various music genres, led by resounding percussion beats while celebrating the heartbeat of music. Intending to democratise various art forms and with artists breaking creative boundaries, the Mahindra Percussion Festival evokes a celebration of rhythm that deeply stirs human emotions, creating a world-class cultural experience.

Over the years, the overwhelmingly positive reaction that these initiatives have received shows that Mahindra Group is fiercely committed and successful when it comes to the support and patronage of the arts. Recognizing India's penchant for extraordinary experiences, several companies have joined forces with Mahindra, including Hyperlink Brand Solutions which has conceptualised and executed four of the seven cultural events (I-Rock, MBF, MRF and MPF). The Cultural Outreach programme is designed for the long term and also amalgamated with philanthropic endeavours, much in tandem with Mahindra’s Rise philosophy, one that ultimately seeks to create a positive impact for the community, the brand and Indian arts & culture