Kerala’s Bekal Diwali music festival to feature 1,000 artistes
The Bekal Gokulam Goushala Diwali Sangeethotsavam will begin on November 10 in Kasaragod, Kerala, bringing together around 1,000 classical singers and musicians for a 14-day celebration of Indian music.
The annual festival will feature more than 400 hours of music, with concerts taking place simultaneously across two stages for over 14 hours a day. The programme will include Carnatic and Hindustani classical music, namasankirtana, harikatha, bhajans, instrumental performances, ashtapadi, kathakali music, sopana music, shehnai and traditional percussion.
The 2026 edition will feature several prominent musicians, including violinist Padma Vibhushan L Subrahmanyam, Padma Bhushan awardees T N Seshagopal and T V Gopalakrishnan, Padma Shri awardees Aruna Sairam, Bhallesh and Shivamani. Other participating artistes include Shivashree Skandaprasad, Maithili Thakur and playback singers Malavika Sundar and Siddharth Belmannu.
The festival will open with a performance by Nagaratna Hebbar and her team, presenting more than 10 bhajans composed by Vishnuprasad Hebbar, founder of Gokulam Goushala. The compositions have been set to music by Vellikoth Vishnu Bhat.
Cultural Affairs Minister P C Vishnunadh is also scheduled to participate in the inaugural programme, according to Vishnuprasad Hebbar.
With its combination of classical traditions, devotional music and regional art forms, the 14-day event will bring together established performers and musicians from different parts of the country at the Bekal venue.
The festival is scheduled to run from November 10 for 14 days.