The first Hariballabh Sangeet Sammelan was held in:

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 4:
The correct option is 4 because the Hariballabh Sangeet Sammelan, recognized as the world's oldest festival of Hindustani Classical Music, was established in the year 1875. This monumental annual event was initiated by the saint and accomplished classical vocalist, Baba Harballabh, at the sacred Sidh Peeth-Shri Devi Talab in Jalandhar. Its primary purpose was not originally a large-scale music conference, but rather a solemn, musical tribute, or *barsi* (death anniversary), to honor his spiritual preceptor, Swami Tuljagiri, who passed away in 1874. The continuous celebration of this festival since 1875 underscores its profound historical significance in preserving and promoting Indian classical music traditions for over a century and a half.

The incorrect option is 1 (1955):
The year 1955 is incorrect because it marks a much later, though still significant, milestone in the festival's history. By this time, the Sammelan had been celebrated for 80 years. In the mid-1950s (around 1956), a Sangeet Academy was constructed under the banner of Swami Hariballabh, and the festival was officially declared one of the National Festivals by the Indian Department of Tourism. These events demonstrate the festival's national recognition and growth in the post-independence era, not its founding year. The actual founding of the festival occurred over three-quarters of a century earlier.

The incorrect option is 2 (1935):
The year 1935 is factually incorrect as the Sammelan was already a venerable and popular event by this date. It had been running continuously for sixty years, a powerful testament to its enduring cultural relevance. For instance, the renowned nationalist leader Mahatma Gandhi is known to have attended an earlier iteration of the festival in 1919. Therefore, 1935 falls firmly within the established history of the Sammelan and cannot be considered its inaugural year.

The incorrect option is 3 (1895):
The date 1895 is incorrect because it is twenty years after the actual founding of the festival. By 1895, the annual gathering was already a well-established tradition and a sacred custom among regional musicians. The festival was still primarily focused on musicians from Punjab at this time, as the pivotal moment when it opened to prominent artists from outside the region was later in 1901, upon the arrival of Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar. The correct founding date remains firmly in the preceding generation.