The music festival owes its inception to an all-night musical soirée organised by the Kendra’s Founder, Mrs. Sumitra Charat Ram, on the eve of the country’s independence. Several greats from the world of Indian Classical Music, such as Ustad Allauddin Khan, Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan, Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ustad Mushtaq Hussain Khan, Pt. Samta Prasad, and Pt. Pannalal Ghosh participated in the event, enthralling the audience until the wee hours.

The grand success of this evening resulted in the formation of the Jhankar Music Circle, which went on to organise monthly concerts as well as an annual festival.

The Jhankar Music Circle’s presentations were held at the Constitution Club, the only venue available in those days. It would not be incorrect to state that the activities of the Circle played an important role in reviving interests in Indian Classical Music.

Sir Shankarlal, the brother of Sir Shri Ram and father-in-law of Mrs. Sumitra Charat Ram, was a great patron of the Arts. After the formation of Bharatiya Kala Kendra in 1952, the Sir Shankarlal Foundation was set up in his memory. It took on the task of supporting this annual music festival and allowed it to grow into one of the oldest and most commendable festivals of India.

The Shriram Shankarlal Music Festival has featured, over the years, almost all the stalwarts of Hindustani Classical Vocal & Instrumental Music. It is a matter of great privilege for artists to be invited to perform at this festival.

In 1993, the Shankarlal Foundation felt that it could no longer assist in organising the festival and requested the Kendra to independently take on the task. The festival continues to be staged by the Kendra as the Shriram Shankarlal Music Festival and has retained its position as a landmark event in India’s cultural calendar.

Some iconic names who have performed here are Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Gangubhai Hangal, the Dagar Brothers, Mallikarjun Mansur, Ram Chatur Malik, Sharafat Hussain Khan, Pt. Jasraj, Begum Akhtar, Girija Devi, Kishori Amonkar, Rashid Khan, Rajan and Sajan Mishra, Ajoy Chakrabarty, Ulhas Kashalkar among the vocalists, and Ustad Bismillah Khan, Ali Akbar Khan, Nikhil Banerjee, Radhika Mohan Maitra, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Sharan Rani Backiwal, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Shivkumar Sharma, Zakir Hussain, Ustad Sultan Khan, Pandit Ram Narayan, and L. Subramaniam.

The festival is usually presented in the springtime every year at the open-air lawns of the Kendra in New Delhi.