A classic century

The celebrations,which are a dedication to Late Devgandharva Pandit Gayancharya Bhaskarbuva Bakhale,will begin on September 1 with a Shri MahaVishnuYag at PBGS. “A palkhi procession will then carry the statue of Pandit Gayancharya Bhaskarbuva Bakhale from the Tilak statue at Mandai to the PBGS office. This will be a splendid procession as 100 Pakhawaj players will be a part of it,” Datar says,adding,“In the evening,we have planned pan-supari and prasad for all our patrons from Pune and other places. This is open to all music lovers.”

The aim behind the year-long celebrations is to bring old and young artists together. “That is why in our first programme on September 4,we will have performances by Dhrupad maestro Pandit Uday Bhavalkar as well as eminent Hindustani classical singer Malini Rajurkar,” Datar reveals. The event will also see the launch of the PBGS website.

Another event slated for October 18 is the felicitation of classical vocalist Pandit Ullas Khaskar. “We will bestow him with our Pandit Ram Marathe Award. The evening will also see a performance by Pandit Khaskar,” Datar says,adding,“After these two main events,we will finalise performances for the following months and intimate our audiences accordingly.”