CM Samrat Choudhary inaugurates Durga Swarotsav 2026 in Patna
Synopsis
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary inaugurated the SPIC MACAY-organised 'Durga Swarotsav 2026' at Ravindra Bhavan in Patna on October 9, reaffirming the state government's commitment to promoting classical music in Bihar during the Navratri season.
Key Takeaways
Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary inaugurated Durga Swarotsav 2026 at Ravindra Bhavan, Patna on October 9, 2026 .
The three-day festival is organised by SPIC MACAY , the national volunteer movement promoting Indian classical music and culture.
The event is timed with the Navratri season, linking classical arts with devotional tradition.
CM Choudhary publicly reaffirmed the state government's commitment to promoting classical music in Bihar.
SPIC MACAY was founded in 1977 and is known for bringing classical performances to students and the public at minimal cost.
Classical music returned to centre stage in Patna on Friday, October 9, 2026, as Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary inaugurated the three-day 'Durga Swarotsav 2026' — a festival dedicated to Indian classical arts — at the storied Ravindra Bhavan. The event is organised by SPIC MACAY, the volunteer movement that has spent decades carrying classical music and dance into schools, colleges, and public spaces across India.
Posting on X after the inauguration, CM Choudhary declared: 'बिहार में शास्त्रीय संगीत को बढ़ावा देने के लिए हम प्रतिबद्ध हैं' — 'We are committed to promoting classical music in Bihar.' The statement signals the state government's intent to position Bihar as a serious patron of India's intangible cultural heritage.
SPIC MACAY brings Durga Swarotsav to Ravindra Bhavan
SPIC MACAY — the Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth — is a nationally recognised, youth-led volunteer movement founded in 1977. Its festivals typically feature performances by maestros of Hindustani and Carnatic music, classical dance forms, and folk traditions, offered free or at nominal cost to students and the general public. The choice of Ravindra Bhavan, Patna's prominent cultural auditorium, as the venue underscores the event's formal stature within the state's arts calendar.
The three-day Durga Swarotsav is timed to coincide with the Navratri season — a period traditionally associated with devotional arts across North India — making it both a cultural and a ceremonial occasion. The festival's name itself, evoking the goddess Durga and the Sanskrit word for a musical celebration (svarotsav), anchors it firmly in the classical tradition.
Bihar's cultural push and the classical arts
Bihar carries one of India's richest legacies in classical music — from the dhrupad lineages of Darbhanga to the thumri traditions that flourished in the Gangetic heartland. Yet the state's modern infrastructure for the performing arts has historically lagged behind its cultural inheritance. A government-backed inauguration of a SPIC MACAY festival sends a tangible signal that the administration wants to close that gap — using heritage as both a soft-power asset and a point of civic pride for Patna's growing urban audience.
For SPIC MACAY, state-level patronage amplifies reach, bringing its no-barriers ethos — classical music belongs to everyone, not just connoisseurs — to a wider Bihar audience across all three festival days.
Point of View
From the Darbhanga dhrupad gharana onwards, has rarely received commensurate institutional support; state-level endorsement of a nationally respected movement like SPIC MACAY could help change that narrative. The Navratri timing is also politically astute — it connects government action to a period of high civic and devotional energy across the Hindi heartland. Whether this translates into sustained infrastructure for the performing arts in Bihar, or remains a one-off headline, will be the real test of the commitment CM Choudhary has now publicly staked.
NationPress
9 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Durga Swarotsav 2026?
'Durga Swarotsav 2026' is a three-day Indian classical music and arts festival organised by SPIC MACAY at Ravindra Bhavan in Patna, inaugurated by Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on October 9, 2026, during the Navratri season.
Where was Durga Swarotsav 2026 held?
The festival was held at Ravindra Bhavan, a prominent cultural auditorium in Patna, Bihar.
What did Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary say at the event?
CM Samrat Choudhary stated that the Bihar government is committed to promoting classical music in the state, and personally inaugurated the three-day festival.
Why is Bihar considered important for Indian classical music?
Bihar has historically been home to significant classical music traditions, including the Darbhanga dhrupad gharana and thumri styles that flourished in the Gangetic heartland, giving the state a rich but often underinstitutionalised cultural heritage.
