69th Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav: Names of Performing Artists Announced

Pune, 22nd November 2023:  Shrinivas Joshi, Executive President, Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal, on Wednesday at a press conference, announced the list of participating artists for the 69th Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav, which will be held from December 13-17 at the Sports Complex of Maharashtriya Mandal at Mukund Nagar, opposite Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth.

Speaking about this year’s Mahotsav, Shrinivas Joshi said, “This year we mark the birth centenary year of Pt. Kumar Gandharva, Pt. Ram Marathe and Pt. C.R Vyas. We will be paying out special tribute to these three veteran artists through this year’s Mahotsav with the performances of their disciples and family members”

“Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav strives to present a bouquet of legendary performers along with giving a stage to new talent to boost Indian Classical Music. This year too, we have a stellar lineup of artists who will showcase their brilliance.” asserted Shrinivas Joshi.

On the first day, that is 13th December the Mohotsav timing will be 3PM to 10PM while on the 2nd and 3rd day, that is on 14th and 15th December, the Mahotsav timing will be 4PM to 10PM. On Saturday, December 16, the Mahotsav will start from 4 PM and if permission is granted, will take place till 12 AM. The timings on the last day will be 12 noon to 10PM. 

The list of performing artists in the 69th Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav is as follows:

Day 1 (13th December, 2023):
The first day will commence with the mellifluous shehnai of Shenai exponent Tukaram Daithankar. This will be followed by a vocal rendition by Sanjay Garud, a disciple of noted Kirana Gharana vocalist Pt. Shrikant Deshpande. Post this Kalapini Komkali will pay her tribute to her father and Guru Pt. Kumar Gandharva to mark his centenary birth year. This will be followed by a Sarod performance by Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, a disciple of Bahadur Khan of Senia Maihar Gharana. The first day will conclude with the enthralling vocals by Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar.

Day 2 (14th December, 2023):
The second day will begin with a performance of Ankita Joshi, an emerging vocalist and disciple of Mewati Gharana maestro Sangeet Martand Pt. Jasraj. The second presentation will be by eminent vocalist Pt. Upendra Bhat, a disciple of Bharat Ratna Pt. Bhimsen Joshi of the Kirana Gharana. This will be followed by a captivating Sitar performance of Partha Bose who hails from the same Sitar tradition as Nikhil Banerjee. The closing program for day two will be with the melodious vocals by Vidushi Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande, a disciple of Manik Bhide of Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana.

Day 3 (15th December 2023):
The third day will commence with a vocal performance by young and emerging Rajat Kulkarni of Kirana Gharana. The second performance will be by Padma Deshpande, granddaughter-in-law of Kirana Vocalist Pt. Sawai Gandharva. Then there will be an alluring Sitar performance by well-known Sitarist Niladri Kumar. The third day will conclude with vocal recitals of Pt. Ajay Pohankar of the Kirana Gharana. He will be accompanied by his son and disciple Abhijit Pohankar.

Day 4 (16th December, 2023):
The fourth day will begin with vocals by Prajakta Marathe paying her tribute to her grandfather Pt. Ram Marathe to mark his centenary birth year. The second session will be a joint performance by vocalist Debapriya Adhikary and Sitar player Samanway Sarkar, from the same musical legacy as Pt. Girija Devi. After this, connoisseurs will get to witness a rhythmic Kuchipudi Dance by Yamini Reddy, a well-known Kuchipudi dancer and choreographer. This will be followed by a Santoor performance by Abhay Rustum Sopori, the son and disciple of Santoor player Pt. Bhajan Sopori from Kashmir. Day four will end with vocal recitals by celebrated vocalist Begum Parveen Sultana of the Patiala Gharana.

Day 5 (17th December, 2023):
The last day of the Mahotsav will commence with the performance of vocalist Shrinivas Joshi, son and disciple of Bharat Ratna Pt. Bhimsen Joshi. It will be followed by a vocal recital by Pournima Dhumale, a disciple of Pt. Babanrao Haldankar of Agra Gharana. Then Pt. Suhas Vyas will pay tribute to his father and Guru Pt. C. R Vyas to mark his birth centenary year. After this, there will be an instrumental program of Carnatic music – ‘Atma Ensemble’ featuring Aishwarya Venkatraman and associate players. The next program will be the much-awaited rendition by Kaushiki Chakraborty of the Patiala Gharana. This will be followed by a melodious flute performance by Sangeet Natak Akademi award winner Ronu Majumdar. The 69th Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav will conclude with the performance of Swaryogini Padma Vibhushan Dr. Prabha Atre, who belongs to the Kirana Gharana.

First-time performers:
Ankita Joshi, Partha Bose, Rajat Kulkarni, Prajakta Marathe, Pournima Dhumale, Aishwarya Venkatraman, and associate players and Yamini Reddy.

The Mahotsav has been supported by Kalyani Group, Kirloskar Group, Nanded City, PN Gadgil and Sons, Saraswat Cooperative Bank Ltd., DY Patil University, Prithvi Edifice, Buldhana Urban Cooperative Credit Society, Gokhale Constructions, Lokmanya Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Suhana and Asha Publicity. Indian Magic Eye is responsible for marketing and brand communications for the Mahotsav.