25th Khazana Ghazal Festival To Raise Funds For Children At Worli Hospital
The landmark 25th edition of 'Khazana - A Festival of Ghazals' has been announced, bringing together India's top musical talent for a two-day fundraiser to support underprivileged cancer patients and thalassemic children. All proceeds from the silver jubilee event will benefit the Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA) and the Parent's Association Thalassemic Unit Trust (PATUT), which partners with local healthcare facilities including the SRCC Children's Hospital in Worli to sponsor life-saving treatments.
Conceived by the late ghazal maestro Pankaj Udhas, the festival is celebrating a quarter-century legacy of blending music with philanthropy. Veteran ghazal artiste Talat Aziz, who co-founded the festival alongside Udhas and Anup Jalota, recalled at the announcement event that the idea was born over a simple cup of tea. Following Udhas's passing, his wife Farida Pankaj Udhas and daughters Nayaab and Rewa are carrying his vision forward.
This year's milestone edition will feature a lineup of prominent performers, including Hariharan, Sonu Nigam, Vishal Bhardwaj, Rekha Bhardwaj, Javed Ali, Sudeep Banerji, Madhubanti Bagchi, Sunil Mungee, Aleena Bharti, and Tejas Gambhir. The event will also pay a special tribute to the iconic Asha Bhosle and showcase the winners of the Khazana Ghazal Talent Hunt 2026.
The funds raised from the festival remain vital for pediatric healthcare. Over the last eight years, PATUT has sponsored more than 175 bone marrow transplants for children under the age of ten, costing Rs 1 lakh per child, in collaboration with SRCC Children's Hospital in Worli and Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital in Parel.
According to organizers, India currently ranks third globally in new cancer cases, while 10,000 children with Thalassemia Major are born in the country annually. CPAA has addressed these challenges by reaching over 10.6 lakh patients with medical, financial, and emotional support, while PATUT has conducted over 500 thalassemia screening tests and 25 HLA typing camps in 2026 alone.
