Citygritty 8212; Pune

The songbird rememberedRemember those beautiful melodies Babuji Dheere Chalna, Thandi Hawa and Mera Naam Chin Chin Choo and the dulcet vo...

The songbird remembered
Remember those beautiful melodies Babuji Dheere Chalna, Thandi Hawa and Mera Naam Chin Chin Choo and the dulcet voice that immortalised them? For admirers of playback singer Geeta Dutt, here8217;s good news. Her voice will return to haunt them. On July 19, the eve of the singer8217;s 25th death anniversary, the city-based organisation, Survihar, has organised a programme where some of her most memorable songs will be played.

Says founder Dr Prakash Kamat, 8220;This is the first time that a programme on the recordings of this talented singer, along with an audio-visual section, has been arranged. Some of her rare non-film songs like the Marathi song, Ja Sang Laxmana, will also be played on the occasion. Geeta Dutt pioneered the club dance kind of songs, a trend that Asha Bhonsle continued with later.8221; On display will be cassettes and records of the singer. For Geeta Dutt fans, 6.30 pm at Ramchandra Sabha Mandap, Ghole Road, is the place to be.

Dialogues on canvas
This is art for life8217;s sake 8211; the life of those who have been dealt a raw deal by fate, the life of those who may not even have the basic necessities, the life of those less fortunate. A collection of works of more than 40 artists from Pune is on display at a three-day exhibition, that started on July 17, at the Inn Galleria, Holiday Inn. Part of the proceeds from the sale of the paintings is in aid of the Concern India Foundation, a non-profit charitable trust.

The themes are as diverse as the style of each painter 8211; landscapes, natural forms, human figures, illustrative figures, abstract, still lives, portraits, historical and mythological subjects8230; in vibrant colours as well as muted hues. Not just paintings, the canvases also display pictures that have an embossed and mural-like effect. While almost every item on the walls makes you look at it once again to inspect the finer details, some like an impression of Ganapati resplendent in orange, charcoal portraits, rustic scenes in earth tones catch your eye.

Amongst the painters whose work can be glimpsed are Dr Bhaiyasaheb Onkar, Ravi Paranjape, Pratap Mulick, Mukund Kelkar, Shobha Patki, Murli Lahoti, Umesh Thakar. Greeting cards are also for sale at the venue, and you can revel in the satisfaction of adding a dash of colour to somebody8217;s life.

Pray it once8230;
If you thought bhajans or devotional songs are for those who have renounced the pleasures of life, think again. 8220;Bhajans are one way of instilling a sense of awareness about our culture and heritage into our children,8221; says Vivek Kudale, of Shree Tukai Devasthan, Vadgaon Budruk. To prove its point, the trust is going to hold a bhajan competition for children below 12 years at the Jeevan Shikshan Mandir. The competition, to be held on Naagpanchami, July 28, in memory of Anant Kudale, will also have another section for children above 12. Just say a little prayer8230;.