Lucknow: Bhajan and ghazal singing competitions under the Regional Music Competition of the Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Akademi (UPSNA) were held on the concluding day of the second phase at Sant Gadge Ji Auditorium, Lucknow. The second phase of the competition was organised from December 8 to 11, drawing young vocal talents from across the state.
On Thursday, December 11, competitions in light classical music—bhajan and ghazal singing—were conducted in three categories: junior, senior and youth. In bhajan singing, Varanasi’s Disha Sharma secured first position in the junior category, Bareilly’s Ajay Shankar topped the senior category, while Sarang Kumar from Varanasi emerged winner in the youth category. In ghazal singing, Aanchal Gond of Mau won the junior category, Anushka Singh from Banda stood first in the senior category, and Jyoti Kumar Agrawal from Meerut claimed the top spot in the youth category.
In the bhajan junior category, Disha Sharma (Varanasi) stood first, followed by Khyati Khare (Mirzapur) in second place and Nihar Sahay (Agra) in third. In the senior category, Ajay Shankar (Bareilly) won first prize, Dhara Khare (Ghaziabad) was second and Vinayak Agrawal (Meerut) third. In the youth category, Sarang Kumar (Varanasi) secured first position, Priyanka Srivastava (Lucknow) second and Sonal (Bareilly) third.
In ghazal singing, the junior category saw Aanchal Gond (Mau) win first prize, followed by Swaroopika Satsangi (Agra) and Drishti Pandey (Lucknow). In the senior category, Anushka Singh (Banda) stood first, Shubhi Pandey (Prayagraj) second and Swarit Tiwari (Bareilly) third. In the youth category, Jyoti Kumar Agrawal (Meerut) won first prize, Shruti Mishra (Varanasi) was second and Ankush Nirmal (Lucknow) third.
The jury advised participants to avoid excessive classical complexity in bhajan presentations and emphasised the importance of lyrical clarity and correct pronunciation.
The competition was inaugurated by Akademi Chairman Prof. Jayant Khot, Vice-Chairperson Vibha Singh and Director Dr Shobhit Kumar Nahar, along with invited judges Santosh Kumar Agnihotri, Ustad Gulshan Bharti and Dr Seema Bhardwaj, who jointly lit the ceremonial lamp. The judges were also felicitated with angavastras. The event was coordinated by Renu Srivastava and Dr Pawan Tiwari, while stage proceedings were conducted by Sunil Shukla.
Several noteworthy performances added vibrancy to the competition. Ajay Shankar of Bareilly, associated with the Gorakhnath Temple priest community, impressed the audience with the bhajan “Mohe Apni Sharan Mein Le Lo.” Young artists from Ayodhya, Mathura, Gorakhpur, Meerut, Banda, Prayagraj, Moradabad, Agra and Bahraich also presented devotional and ghazal compositions, reflecting a rich diversity of styles and traditions.
The UPSNA informed that the year 2024–25 marked the golden jubilee of the divisional classical music competition, which was expanded to include light classical genres such as bhajan and ghazal. While around 900 participants took part across 21 centres in 18 divisions last year, the 2025–26 edition witnessed participation of nearly 1,100 artistes across 23 centres. In view of growing enthusiasm, two new centres—Lakhimpur and Farrukhabad—were added this year.
