Pune: Stage Set For 71st Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav From December 10 

Pune, December 10, 2025: Preparations for the 71st Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav have been completed, setting the stage for one of Pune’s most iconic classical music festivals. The prestigious event will be held from December 10 to 14, 2025, at the Maharashtriya Mandal Sports Complex in Mukundnagar.

This year, organisers have enhanced the festival setup with a significantly larger screen and an upgraded ultra-modern sound system, promising audiences a richer and more immersive musical experience. The festival continues to uphold its legacy while integrating advanced technology to elevate viewer engagement.

The list of artists who will perform at the 71st Mahotsav is as follows – 

Day 1 – Wednesday, December 10, 2025 | 3 pm to 10 pm

The 71st Mahotsav will begin with Delhi-based Lokesh Anand performing on the Shehnai. Lokesh has been trained in shehnai by his father Kalicharan, Guru Pt. Ananthalal and Pt. Dayashankar. Dr. Chetna Pathak, a vocalist of the Kirana Gharana, will then present her vocal recital. Dr. Pathak is a disciple of Swaryogini Padma Vibhushan Dr. Prabha Atre. This will be followed by the accompaniment of the Mishra brothers, Ritesh and Rajnish Mishra, vocalist from the Banaras Gharana and sons- disciples of Pt. Rajan Mishra. Pt. Shubendra Rao, a disciple of Bharat Ratna Pt. Ravi Shankar, and his wife Vidushi Saskia Rao-De-Haas will then perform on the Sitar and Cello. Saskia, who is originally from the Netherlands, trained under the guidance of Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, she has practiced Indian music for a long time and has built new bridges between Eastern and Western musical traditions by creating a unique instrument called ‘Bharatiya Cello’. The first day will conclude with a performance by veteran vocalist Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar.

Day Two – Thursday, December 11, 2025 | 4 pm to 10 pm

The second day will begin with a performance by classical vocalist and composer Hrishikesh Badve. This will be followed by a performance by Indrayudh Majumdar, a talented Sarod player of the Senia Maihar Gharana. Indrayudh is the son and disciple of Padmashree Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar. This will be followed by a performance by Vidushi Padma Deshpande, a senior vocalist of the Kirana Gharana and granddaughter in law of Sawai Gandharva. This will be followed by the accompaniment of internationally renowned Saxophonist George Brooks and Pt. Krishnamohan Bhatt to conclude the second day. George Brooks has achieved an unprecedented fusion of jazz & Indian classical music and Pt. Krishnamohan Bhatt is a disciple of Pt. Ravi Shankar.

Day Three – Friday, December 12, 2025 | 4 pm to 10 pm

The third day of the Mahotsav will begin with the performance of emerging Santoor player Satyendra Solanki. Solanki is a disciple of Pt. Omprakash Chaurasia. This will be followed by a vocal performance by Shrinivas Joshi, disciple and son of Bharat Ratna Pt. Bhimsen Joshi. Ustad Shujaat Hussain Khan, an artist of the Imdadkhani gharana, will then perform on the Sitar. The third day will conclude with a performance by Vidushi Dr. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, a senior vocalist of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana.

Day Four Saturday, December 13, 2025 | 3 pm to 12 midnight

The fourth day will begin with a performance by Siddhartha Belmannu, a young, talented singer from Bangalore. Belmannu is a disciple of Pt. Vinayak Torvi of the Kirana and Gwalior traditions. This will be followed by a performance by Pune based, Anuradha Kuber, a leading vocalist of the Bhendi Bazaar Gharana. Pt. Rupak Kulkarni, a leading flautist of the Maihar Gharana and the first Gandabandh disciple of Padma Vibhushan Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, will perform on the flute after that. This will be followed by a performance by Dr. Bharat Balvalli. This will be followed by an accompaniment by Vidushi Kala Ramnath (Violin) and Vidushi Dr. Jayanthi Kumaresh (Vichitraveen). Vidushi Kala Ramnath is an Indian violinist who is respected worldwide as the creator of the ‘singing violin’. While Vidushi Dr. Jayanthi Kumaresh is a leading player, researcher, composer and teacher of the Saraswati Veena, the national instrument of India. The fourth day of the Mahotsav will conclude with a dance performance by Meghranjani Medhi, a famous Kathak dancer from Assam. She is the daughter and disciple of renowned Kathak guru Marami Medhi and renowned singer Joy Prakash Medhi and has also received the guidance from Padma Vibhushan Pt. Birju Maharaj.

Day 5 – Sunday, December 14, 2025 | 12 noon to 10 pm

The fifth and final day of the Sawai will begin with the vocal recital of Bharat Ratna Pt. Bhimsen Joshi’s senior disciple and Kirana Gharana vocalist Pt. Upendra Bhat. This will be followed by a performance of Shruti Vishwakarma Marathe, a vocalist from the Kirana and Gwalior tradition. Shruti is a disciple of Dr. Veena Sahasrabudhe and Pt. Kedar Bodas. This will be followed by the vocal recital of promising young artist Aniruddha Aithal. This will be followed by the vocal performance of well-known singer Sawani Shende. Sawani is a disciple of renowned vocalist Dr. Veena Sahasrabudhe. This will be followed by the violin performance of Dr. L. Shankar, an internationally renowned violinist, singer, composer and a leading pioneer of East-West music tradition. Dr. Shankar has played an important role in the world-famous ‘Shakti’ group along with John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain and T. H. Vinayakam. This will be followed by the singing of veteran vocalist Padma Shri Pt. Venkatesh Kumar. The 71st Mahotsav will conclude with the ‘Arghya’ program presented by vocalists of the Kirana Gharana. In this, Pt. Upendra Bhat, Shrinivas Joshi, Anand Bhate and Viraj Joshi will give vocal tribute to the gurus.  

The artists who are presenting their art for the first time in the Mahotsav are as follows –

Lokesh Anand. Dr. Chetna Pathak, Shubendra Rao, Saskia Rao – De-Haas, Hrishikesh Badve, Indrayudh Majumdar, George Brooks, Pt. Krishnamohan Bhat, Satyendra Solanki, Siddhartha Belmannu, Anuradha Kuber, Pt. Rupak Kulkarni, Dr. Bharat Balvalli, Meghranjani Medhi, Shruti Marathe, Aniruddha Aithal, Dr. L Shankar.

Kalyani Group is the presenter of Mahotsav and Kirloskar Group, Magarpatta City Group, P. N. Gadgil & Sons, Kele Group, Ranjekar Realty, Lokmanya Multipurpose – Co-operative Society, Suhana and Asha Publicity have supported this year’s 71st Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav.

Along with this, the ticket sale of the 71st Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Festival will start from Monday, December 1st and this year, festival tickets will be available to the connoisseurs at Shirish Traders opposite Kamala Nehru Park in Erandwane, Behre Ambewale in Shanipar, Abhiruchi Foods in Sahakarnagar, Desai Bandhu Ambewale in Karve Nagar.

The tickets for the entire festival will be Rs. 5 thousand and Rs. 3 thousand for the chair and the entire festival ticket for the Indian session will be Rs. 500. The tickets for the Indian sitting of the festival for students will be at a discounted rate of Rs. 250. Please note that in addition to the above-mentioned places, online tickets for the festival will also be available at ticketkhidakee.com.