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Journalism of Courage
Written by Ruta Patil
The 71st Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav, scheduled from December 10 to 14 at the Maharashtriya Mandal Sports Complex in Pune’s Mukundnagar, will spotlight emerging talent this year. Organised by the Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal, this year’s edition places a distinct emphasis on new voices, with over half the participating artistes performing at the event for the very first time.
“This year, along with senior maestros, we are committed to giving a capable platform to promising young artists. More than half of the performers will be presenting their art here for the first time,” Shrinivas Joshi, executive president of the Mandal, said, announcing the lineup at a press conference.
The festival will feature a rich landscape of gharanas, instruments and ragas, bringing together artistes from the Kirana, Jaipur-Atrauli, Gwalior, Banaras, Bhendi Bazaar, Maihar and Imdadkhani traditions. Audiences can expect renditions in ragas such as Yaman, Marwa, Puriya, Malkauns, Bageshree and Adana, and many more.
The five-day musical journey will begin with the sound of the shehnai as Lokesh Anand opens the Mahotsav, followed by the Kirana style of Dr Chetna Pathak and the Banaras gayaki of Ritesh and Rajnish Mishra. A unique instrumental pairing by Pandit Shubhendra Rao on sitar and Saskia Rao-De-Haas on her Bharatiya Cello will add an innovative dimension before the day ends with veteran vocalist Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar.
Vocalist Hrishikesh Badve and sarod player Indrayudh Majumdar bring fresh energy on the second day, which also features vocalist Vidushi Padma Deshpande and an Indo-jazz collaboration between saxophonist George Brooks and sitar maestro Pandit Krishnamohan Bhatt.
The third day will feature santoor player Satyendra Singh Solanki, followed by a vocal recital by Shrinivas Joshi. The lyrical sitar of Ustad Shujaat Husain Khan and the Jaipur-Atrauli repertoire of Vidushi Dr Ashwini Bhide Deshpande will anchor the day.
On the fourth day, vocalist Siddhartha Belmannu, Anuradha Kuber of the Bhendi Bazaar gharana, and flautist Pandit Rupak Kulkarni will perform, alongside violinist Kala Ramnath and vichitra veena exponent Dr Jayanthi Kumaresh. The day concludes with a Kathak performance by Meghranjani Medhi.
The finale on December 14 will feature Pandit Upendra Bhat, Shruti Marathe, Aniruddha Aithal, Sawani Shende, Dr L. Shankar and Pandit Venkatesh Kumar, before the festival concludes with the traditional Arghya—a tribute by Kirana gharana vocalists Pt Upendra Bhat, Shrinivas Joshi, Anand Bhate and Viraj Joshi.
Ruta Patil is an intern with The Indian Express.
