Hyderabad, Dec 23: Surmandal has played a pivotal role in turning Hyderabad into a classical music capital. This Hyderabad-based cultural organisation, dedicated to Indian classical music and dance, was founded in 1969 by Shri Mohan Hemmadi with the blessings of the legendary Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. Surmandal is not just an organisation; it is a cultural conscience.
For over five decades, Surmandal has functioned as a platform for preserving, promoting, and presenting Indian classical traditions. It has curated high-quality concerts featuring legendary maestros as well as emerging artists, helping shape Hyderabad into an important centre for classical music appreciation.
Surmandal is a non-profit cultural institution that organises Indian classical music and dance concerts, nurtures young and upcoming artists, honours and preserves the legacy of great maestros, and builds informed and appreciative classical music audiences.
One of Hyderabad’s longest-running classical music organisations, Surmandal has hosted concerts by icons such as Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Smt. M. S. Subbulakshmi, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Dr. Balamuralikrishna, and Ustad Bismillah Khan. It has actively integrated music into the city’s identity by helping name Hyderabad streets after legendary musicians. Known for its aesthetic discipline, intimate concert settings, and cultural integrity, Surmandal continues its journey today under the stewardship of Mr. Siddharth Hemmadi, carrying forward the vision of its founder, Shri Mohan Hemmadi, who is no more.
Surmandal marked its Golden Jubilee on 5 January 2019, commemorating 50 years of uninterrupted service. As part of the celebrations, the organisation paid tribute to Annapurna Devi and Pandit V. G. Jog, acknowledging their immense contribution to Hindustani classical music.
Its 57th anniversary is close on its heels in January. January also marks Triveni Season 3, presented in association with Canara Bank and Parinishtaa Eco Solutions, to be held on 4 January 2026 at Ravindra Bharati. The concert will feature Shri Kaushiki Chakraborty, accompanied by leading accompanists.
Adding a deeply meaningful dimension, renowned Hyderabad-based painter Shri Sachin Jaltare will create a live artwork during the performance. The painting will support Sparsh Hospice, a centre for terminally ill cancer patients—an initiative close to Shri Mohan Hemmadi ji’s heart and supported by the Rotary Club of Banjara Hills.
At a time when platforms for Indian classical music were limited in the city, Shri Mohan Hemmadi envisioned an institution that would do more than organise concerts. His dream was to shape a cultural consciousness—to create discerning audiences, nurture talent, and ensure that classical music remained a living, breathing presence in everyday life. Today, Surmandal has become synonymous with authentic Indian classical music festivals, remembered as much for their artistic rigour as for their intimate, soulful ambience.
Surmandal was established with the blessings of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, whose towering presence in Hindustani classical music symbolised uncompromising excellence. The very first Surmandal concert featured Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, marking an auspicious and historic beginning. That single event set the tone for everything that followed—excellence without compromise and tradition without stagnation.
The second concert in 1970 featured a young prodigy from Assam, underlining Surmandal’s early and enduring commitment to nurturing emerging talent alongside established maestros. Over the decades, this delicate balance—between reverence for legends and faith in the future—became the organisation’s defining hallmark.
“From its first concert with Pandit Bhimsen Joshi to nurturing young talent today, Surmandal remains timeless.”
Through Surmandal, Mohan Hemmadi brought some of the greatest names in Indian classical music to Hyderabad. Over the years, audiences witnessed performances by luminaries such as Smt. M. S. Subbulakshmi, Pt. Ravi Shankar, Dr. Balamuralikrishna, Shri Chitti Babu, and many other giants who shaped the golden eras of Indian classical music.
These concerts were not merely performances—they were cultural milestones. With their disciplined presentation, respectful silences, and discerning listeners, Surmandal events cultivated a refined listening culture. For many Hyderabadis, their first encounter with Hindustani classical music’s towering figures happened under the Surmandal banner.
Gradually, Hyderabad emerged as a significant destination on India’s classical music map—not because of spectacle, but because of sustained and sincere curation.
Surmandal’s contribution extended far beyond concert halls. One of its most visionary initiatives was advocating the naming of city roads and landmarks after legendary musicians, including Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Bismillah Khan, and Pandit Bhimsen Joshi.
These roads—located at Basheerbagh Crossing and Ramkote—were inaugurated by stalwarts such as Dr Balamuralikrishna, Shri K. Vishwanath, and Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia. The initiative embedded classical music into the city’s everyday geography, ensuring that cultural memory lived not only in archives or recordings, but in the streets, people walk every day.
Indian Classical Music lovers in the city have requested the Government of Telangana to name Road No. 14 in Banjara Hills, where Mr. Mohan Hemmadi lived, after him. Surmandal made a formal request to the government some time ago and they reiterated the same now.
“Some cities remember their musicians through recordings—Hyderabad remembers them through its streets.”
Mohan Hemmadi, the man behind the movement for over 54 years, dedicated his life to preserving and propagating Indian classical music. His vision was clear and unwavering: to make classical music accessible to all, to create meaningful platforms for young talent, and to preserve the dignity and depth of the tradition.
“Mohan Hemmadi believed classical music should belong to everyone—and he lived that belief for 54 years.”
Surmandal continues to curate five to six concerts annually, encompassing vocal and instrumental traditions. Its flagship Triveni Concert Series, held every January, ushers in the New Year with a confluence of music and dance, bringing together legendary maestros and rising stars on one stage.
Seasonal presentations such as Barkha Rang, celebrating the monsoon through evocative ragas, and Morning Raaga, offering rare dawn recitals, provide audiences with unique listening experiences. Intimate, members-only concerts at venues such as the Sailing Annexe and Secunderabad Club further deepen the bond between artists and connoisseurs.
Collaborative initiatives—including Uttar Dakshin with Vivid Arts, Sur Sapthak with Sapthak Bangalore, and the Mohan Mitra Mahotsav with the Mitra Foundation—have enriched Hyderabad’s cultural landscape through dialogue and partnership.
Today, Mr Siddharth Hemmadi, son of Mohan Hemmadi, is carrying forward this remarkable legacy with sensitivity and purpose. Rooted in the same values of authenticity and excellence, Siddharth represents a new generation of cultural stewardship—one that understands tradition while engaging with contemporary audiences. Under his guidance, Surmandal continues to evolve without diluting its ethos, remaining relevant in changing times while staying true to its founding vision.
In an era of fleeting attention and fast-changing tastes, Surmandal stands as a living institution—a reminder that classical music thrives when nurtured with sincerity, patience, and vision.
We are also planning to foray into Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and other cities. We would like to extend our footprint to different genres such as Sufi, Ghazals, Kavvali etc. The pandemic has taken on the mental health of the people and issues related to depression, anxiety, and uncertainty, which lead to frustration which not no medicine can help. It also made people realise how much they have been missing music. And it is said, medicines cure, but MUSIC HEALS. The troubled souls need solace.
Listening to music relaxes, eases pain. Humans are hard-wired to respond to music. “If music were a drug, it would be marketable. Music is a noninvasive, safe, cheap intervention that should be available to everyone undergoing surgery, Siddharth said.
As it completes 56 years, Surmandal continues to honour the past, nurture the present, and inspire the future—ensuring that the timeless traditions of Indian classical music remain not only remembered, but deeply lived.
New Delhi, Dec 26: Disciples, enthusiasts of Indian classical music, and members of the Smt. Siddheshwari Devi Academy of Indian Music came together at Triveni Auditorium, Mandi House, on Saturday, December 20, 2025, to pay a heartfelt musical tribute to Vidushi Savita Devi, eminent classical vocalist of the Banaras Gharana, on her 6th death anniversary.
