Citygritty 8212; Pune

Expert soundsAmol Nisal has never known what stage fright means. Probably because he started learning classical music at the age of three...

Expert sounds
Amol Nisal has never known what stage fright means. Probably because he started learning classical music at the age of three, and at 21, is already a seasoned classical vocalist. Nisal is the disciple of Pandit Gangadhar Pimpalkhare of Pune, and still attends classes.

Although a qualified engineer, he is more inclined to pursue a career in music. And this seems to be just the right time for him to forge ahead. On Saturday, October 3, he will receive the D.V. Paluskar Smarak Pratishthan award for winning the classical music competition organised by the Pratishthan. Nisal also entertained the audience at the Navratri Mahotsav on September 26, where he was invited to sing and won much praise for his performance.

Excursion into yesterday
The heady taste of independence, the youthful spirit, carefree capers 8211; college memories are made of this and much more. To relive just those times, some students of the 1949 batch of College of Engineering, Pune, will take a trip down memory lane on an excursion to the fort of Raigarh.

Says V D Kulkarni, who is co-ordinating the trip, 8220;It was not difficult to track down our classmates as around 13 of them, who have settled down in Pune, are listed in the directory. Some of us from the 1949 batch of COEP civil engineering had met early last month but that was a relatively short meeting. Most of us have retired from active work and have time on our hands.8221; At the suggestion of fellow student V.M. Jog, the group have decided to undertake a two-day excursion to the fort of Raigarh on October 10 and 11. Seems like they have one memorable flashback time ahead.

Artistic integration
Vikram Kulkarni and Vaishali Pathak, two enterprising Pune artists, have put up their paintings at the Sunrise Cafe, Jangli Maharaj Road, which will be on display till October 19. Pathak concentrates on using tribal elements in her work, inspired by Madhubani and Warli styles of art. Kulkarni paints landscapes with fine brush-strokes, a technique which he has obviously mastered. Cafe Sunrise is easily becoming an artistic centre, a place to keep a eye on!

Kulkarni also joins hands with three other artists in another exhibition titled Art Innate, at Holiday Inn on October 10, 11 and 12. Anu Kelkar, Nilesh Pawar and Nitin Hadap, who all have created very distinct styles, will come together to make this a memorable exhibition. Kelkar is influenced by rural themes, and one sees bullock-carts and peasants painted in reds and browns. Nilesh Pawar has developed a Manjit Bawa-style, very easy on the eye. It will be an exhibition worth a look.Moonlight serenade
They call it Kojagiri celebrations closest to the moon.8217; A tall order perhaps but Nihan Estates, a real estates firm, promises a new high for Kojagiri Purnima, which falls on October 5, at Hollywood Highlands, a farmhouse plot scheme near Pune, located 3,000 ft above sea.

The celebrations include a vegetarian dinner with traditional masala milk, coupled with entertainment in the form of games, music and dandiya. The firm is also willing to provide transport if required to help those interested go the distance.