Posted On:
15 NOV 2026 8:56PM by PIB Delhi
In a major initiative to encourage young musical talent and carry forward India’s rich and diverse musical heritage, Akashvani is launching the inaugural season of the “AIR Rising Stars”, a nationwide series of special musical concerts exclusively by the young artists below 30 years of age. The first season of the concert series will be organised at 26 locations across the country from 17th November to 30th November 2026. These concerts will provide distinguished national platform to young and emerging musical artists to showcase their talent and connect with wider audiences.
The initiative is being undertaken as part of the celebrations marking 90 years of Akashvani and reflects its continued commitment to identifying, nurturing and promoting musical talent across generations. AIR Rising Stars seeks to carry this legacy forward by placing the spotlight on the next generation of performers.
Focus on Young Graded and Emerging Artists
The concerts will primarily feature young graded artists of Akashvani below 30 years of age, representing different genres and musical traditions. In cases where suitable graded young artists are not available in a particular category, deserving ungraded young artists may also be provided an opportunity, subject to the prescribed guidelines and selection by the concerned Akashvani Station.
The concerts will showcase the diversity of India’s musical heritage through Hindustani Classical Music (Vocal and Instrumental), Carnatic Classical Music (Vocal and Instrumental), Light and Folk Music, Western Music and other regional musical forms, as appropriate to the participating stations.
Nationwide Celebration at 26 Locations
The concerts will be organised by 26 participating Akashvani Stations at Shimla, Dehradun, Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Suratgarh, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Dharwad, Bengaluru, Mysuru, Madurai, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli, Kolkata, Imphal, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Sangli, Nagpur, Puducherry, Jammu, Guwahati and Rampur.
Each participating station will organise a musical concert at a suitable venue, featuring promising young artists from the respective region. Eminent personalities, music connoisseurs, youth icons, students and members of the public will also be invited to encourage the participating artists and make the initiative a nationwide celebration of young musical talent.
Multi-Platform Broadcast and Digital Outreach
A key feature of AIR Rising Stars: Season-1 will be its extensive multi-platform broadcast and digital outreach, taking the performances of young artists beyond the concert venues to audiences across the country.
The concerts will be broadcast through the network of Akashvani Stations and will also receive coverage on Doordarshan, on “Raagam” Youtube channel of Akashvani, youtube channels of 26 Akashvani Stations, “NewsOnAir” mobile app and Prasar Bharati’s “WAVES OTT” platform. This integrated broadcast strategy will provide participating artists wider visibility through radio, television and digital platforms.
Cash Prizes for Top Three Performances
To encourage young artists and promote wider digital engagement, cash prizes and certificates will be awarded to the three participating artists whose performances secure the highest number of views on YouTube by 15th January 2027.
First Prize: ₹20,000
Second Prize: ₹15,000
Third Prize: ₹10,000
This initiative will provide additional recognition to young performers and encourage them to reach out to wider audiences through digital platforms.
It may be noted that Akashvani has a long tradition of organising the Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan , which has successfully completed 67 editions. Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan provides an esteemed platform for renowned Top Grade and A Grade artists to showcase their musical excellence, whereas AIR Rising Stars is an exclusive initiative aimed at providing a dedicated platform to young graded artists, who otherwise have limited opportunities to perform in such prestigious concert platforms organised by Akashvani.
Through “AIR Rising Stars:”, Akashvani aims to create a distinctive national platform for the next generation of musicians while strengthening the connection between India’s enduring musical traditions and its youth. The initiative will further reinforce Akashvani’s longstanding role as a promoter of India’s rich cultural and musical heritage and a nurturing ground for emerging musical talent.
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Mahesh Kumar/ Utkarsh Upadhyay