37th Pune Festival To Be Inaugurated By Governor C P Radhakrishnan On August 29

The ‘Pune Festival’, a splendid confluence of art, culture, music, dance, and sport, commemorates its illustrious 37th edition this year. This celebration will unfold from 27 August to 6 September 2025 during the grandeur of the Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav festivities. The inauguration program will be ceremonially presided over on Friday, 29th August 2025 at 4:30 PM at Shri Ganesh Kala Krida Rangmanch, Swargate, Pune, by the hands of Governor of Maharashtra C. P. Radhakrishnan. 

The occasion will be further graced by the eminent presence of Union Minister of Tourism and Culture Shri. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol, Minister of Higher and Technical Education-GOM Chandrakant Patil, Minister for tourism-GOM Shambhuraj Desai, Minister of State for Urban Development Madhuri Misal. Alongside them MP Supriya Sule, MP Medha Kulkarni, MP Shrirang Barne, MP Sunetra Pawar, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress President Harshavardhan Sapkal, and Deputy Director of MTDC-Pune Shama Pawar and Naval Kishore Ram, Commissioner of PMC will attend as special invitees, as conveyed by the Pune Festival Vice-President Krishnakumar Goyal and Chief Co-Ordinator Adv. Abhay Chhajed during the press briefing. Also present on the briefing were Pune Festival Cultural Programme Co-ordinator Dr. Satish Desai, Former Minister of State for Home Ramesh Bagwe and Abdul Inamadar, Trustee – Azam Campus.

The impending Pune Festival shall be adorned with a resplendent array of events and spectacles. These include the grand inaugural ceremony, Ashok Hande’s presentation ‘Awara Hoon’, ‘Divine Confluence’ – an exquisite Japanese dance rendition conceptualised and curated by Smt. Manisha Sathe, the Kerala Mahotsav, a unique Twins’ Gathering, Sangeet Saubhadra, Naradiya Kirtan Mahotsav, Marathi Kavi Sammelan, Hindi Hasya Kavi Sammelan, Indradhanu, Ughavate Taare (Rising Stars), Mrs. Pune Festival, Voice of Pune Festival, women’s dance competitions, a makeup artistry contest, performances of Lavani, Marathi and Hindi melodies, a tourism-centric symposium, a photographic exhibition by Pune’s eminent press photographers, exhibition of works by renowned cartoonist from Maharashtra, an exhibition of Warli paintings and an exclusive showcase and competition of paintings depicting the twelve forts designated by UNESCO these events will epitomize the cultural grandeur of this year’s Pune Festival.

Furthermore the Pune Golf Cup Tournament, Boxing, The Dirt Track, Mallakhamb, Carrom, Chess, Bodybuilding and Skating competitions will bring a spirited athletic dimension to the Festival’s vibrant programming.

To commemorate the centenary year of six towering luminaries – veteran vocalist Manik Varma, eminent composer Shrinivas Khale, maestros Madan Mohan, O. P. Nayyar and Salil Chowdhury along with the acclaimed Natya Sangeet vocalist and actress Jaymala Shiledar – a specially curated programme featuring their timeless melodies shall tenderly evoke deep nostalgia and emotional resonance.

The events of the Pune Festival will unfold at Shri Ganesh Kala Krida Rangmanch, Bal Gandharva Rangmandir and Kaladalan, Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad, and Savarkar Memorial Hall. Additionally an array of sporting competitions will be staged across multiple venues throughout the city. Notably all programmes of the Pune Festival shall remain entirely free of charge for audiences.

Lokmanya Tilak propagated the concept of the Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav to every corner of Maharashtra. During that era the celebrations comprised recitations of mythological tales, kirtan, powade, folk arts and traditional village fairs.

Drawing inspiration from this tradition in 1989 the then Chairman of the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation MP Suresh Kalmadi instituted the grand cultural extravaganza known as the ‘Pune Festival’. Unfolding each year for ten consecutive days and now in its 37th edition the Pune Festival has come to be regarded as one of the nation’s foremost cultural celebrations. Its pioneering legacy has catalysed the inception of numerous cultural festivals across the region for which it is now reverently hailed as ‘The Mother of All Festivals’. Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi served as the President of the Pune Festival, since its inception while veteran actress and danseuse, Padma Shri MP Hema Malini continues to serve as its Patron.

The Pune Festival is jointly organised by Pune Festival Committee the citizens of Pune, MTDC and the Dept. of Tourism, GOI.

The ritualistic installation of the Ganesh idol for the 37th Pune Festival will take place on Wednesday, 27th August at 10:00 AM at Hotel Saras, Nehru Stadium, Pune and will be performed by the Commissioner of PMC Naval Kishore Ram accompanied by his spouse. The religious rites will be solemnised by Vedic scholar Pandit Dhananjay Ghate Guruji.

For the 37th edition of the Pune Festival the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation and the Kohinoor Group serve as the main sponsors with Panchshil and Suma Shilp as associate sponsors. The festival is further supported by co-sponsors including Bharat Forge, NECC, IIFL Capital, Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College, Suhana Masale and Ahura Builders.

In keeping with its tradition of honouring excellence the Festival will at its inaugural ceremony confer the prestigious ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ as well as the ‘Pune Festival Awards’ to distinguished figures whose contributions have left an enduring imprint upon their respective domains.

This year the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ will be bestowed upon Dr. Shivajirao Kadam, Vice Chancellor of Bharati Vidyapeeth and Dr. P. A. Inamdar, Vice Chancellor of Dr. P. A. Inamdar University. Additionally the ‘Pune Festival Award’ shall be conferred upon veteran playwright Dr. Satish Alekar, Indian cricketer Kedar Jadhav, Maharashtra Kesari Prithviraj Mohol, Dnyandev Kamathe of Mauli Agro Tourism Centre and entrepreneur Supriya Badwe in recognition of their distinguished achievements.

The Pune Festival upholds a cherished tradition of honouring the city’s Ganesh Mandals that have celebrated the centenary of the Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav. At every inaugural ceremony the ‘Jai Ganesh Puraskar’ is conferred a distinction instituted in memory of the late Prataprao (Tatya) Godse of the Shreemant Dagdusheth Halwai Sarvajanik Ganpati Trust. This year the distinction of the ‘Jai Ganesh Puraskar’ shall be conferred upon the ‘Naidu Ganpati Mandal’ of Rasta Peth in recognition of its enduring devotion and contribution.

Inaugural Ceremony

As in every year the inaugural ceremony of the present edition shall be nothing short of spectacular. The proceedings shall commence with the mellifluous strains of the shehnai rendered by the venerable maestro Tukaram Daithankar accompanied by his group. This will be followed by the ritual of lamp-lighting and the auspicious Ganesh Aarti.

Thereafter the Kalavardhini Dance Group will present a Bharatanatyam invocation to Lord Ganesha choreographed by the accomplished danseuse Arundhati Patwardhan. The Janaki Group of Garba and Folk Arts will offer a powerful performance entitled ‘Shiv Tapasvinche Nrutya’ under the choreography of Bhairavi Sachdev. International students from Symbiosis Institute will enthrall the audience with their creative ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ dance repertoire. This programme is conceptualized and directed by Amruta Roikar and Co-ordinated by Rupali Chaudhary.

A distinctive highlight will be the Mallakhamb demonstrations performed by the young gymnasts of the Maharashtra Mandal. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Sikkim’s integration into India, the Ruturang Cultural Group will present the ‘Maruni’ folk dance’ of Sikkim alongside the vibrant ’Bihu’ dance of Assam curated by Karuna Patil and Devika Borthakur.

Adding further splendour students from Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh studying at the Ishwarpuram Institute (Pune) shall perform the ‘War Dance of Nagaland’ and the ‘Festival Dance of Arunachal’ co-ordinated by Vineet Kuber. ‘The Pune Malayali Federation’ will showcase a performance by artistes from Kerala symbolising the spirit of national integration under the direction of Rajan Nair. The Tribal Research and Training Institute of the Directorate of Tribal Welfare will present the indigenous ‘Tarapa’ dance arranged by Pushpalata Madavi.

The evening will culminate with a unique Kathak–Lavani jugalbandi brought to life by the Payalvrund Dance Academy, choreographed by Nikita Moghe. Together, these artistic presentations will constitute the cultural highlights of the inaugural ceremony offering audiences a veritable panorama of India’s rich traditions and diversity.

The inaugural ceremony will be compered in Marathi by Yogesh Deshpande and in English by Sarita Mulchandani.

Shri Ganesh Kala Krida Rangamanch

All India Mushaira: The Pune Festival will once again host the celebrated All India Mushaira an evening of verse dedicated to the ideals of national unity and communal harmony. The event is scheduled for Saturday, 30th August at 8.00 p.m. at the Ganesh Kala Krida Rangamanch. This will be inaugurated by MP Fauzia Khan.

Renowned poets from across the country will lend their voices to the gathering including Govind Gulshan (Ghaziabad), Irshad Anjum (Malegaon), Arif Saifi (Hyderabad), Nikhath Amrohvi (Amroha), Sajjad Zanzat (Roorkee), Mehek Kairanvi (Hyderabad), Zubair Ali Tabish (Jalgaon), Dr. Iftikhar Shakeel (Raichur), Abbas Qamar (Delhi), Kaleem Javed (Kiratpur) and Hisamuddin Shola (Pune). The Mushaira will be conducted by Anjum Shayar.

Dr. P. A. Inamdar, Vice Chancellor of Dr. P. A. Inamdar University has organized this programme. Mrs. Abeda Inamdar, President of the Deccan Muslim Institute, Pune is the Co-organizer.

This year’s Mushaira carries a special significance as it marks the 26th consecutive edition of this prestigious gathering within the larger celebration of the Pune Festival.

Awara Hoon: A Centenary Homage to Raj Kapoor

On Sunday, 31st August at 7:00 p.m. the illustrious stage of Shri Ganesh Kala Krida Rangamanch shall resound with a magnificent theatrical presentation entitled ‘Awara Hoon’. This grand spectacle has been especially curated to commemorate the birth centenary year of the legendary filmmaker, actor and producer Raj Kapoor. Conceived and directed by senior writer-director Ashok Hande this production will showcase Raj Kapoor’s cinematic legacy through narration, songs, dance and video presentations. Leading 125 artists will perform memorable songs and dance sequences, bringing alive the grandeur that has always defined Raj Kapoor’s creations. This presentation promises to be as majestic as the works of the great showman himself.

Divine Confluence (Japanese Dance Presentation): On Monday, 1st September 2025 at 7:00 p.m. the Ganesh Kala Krida Rangmanch will witness ‘Divine Confluence’ a unique program by Manisha Nrutyalaya. This special event will showcase a blend of Oriental and Indian art forms, featuring Kathak, Japanese Taiko drumming, traditional and world music, the Korean Fan Dance, Heaven Lady and the Chinese Stick Dance. The concept and direction of this spectacular fusion are by Guru Pandita Manisha Sathe and Mr. Yasuhito Takimoto. http://www.punefestival.in