Pune:Â Sitar Nawaz Ustad Bale Khan Sangeet Mahotsav will be organized on June 14 and 15
Pune:Â Sitar Nawaz Ustad Bale Khan Sangeet Mahotsav will be organized on June 14 and 15
 The 7th festival is dedicated to Padma Vibhushan Ustad Zakir Hussain
Pune, June 10, 2025: The Suhana Basant Foundation and Kannada Sangh, Pune, are jointly organizing the Sitar Nawaz Ustad Bale Khan Sangeet Mahotsav on Saturday, June 14, and Sunday, June 15. The festival will be held at the Shakuntala Shetty Auditorium, Dr. Kalmadi Shamrao High School, Erandwane, Pune.
The festival will feature three sessions: June 14 at 4 pm, and June 15 at 8:30 am and 4 pm. The festival is open and free for all, on a first-come-first-served basis.
The Sitar Nawaz Ustad Bale Khan family is known for popularizing the sitar in South India. The festival’s founder, Rais Bale Khan, son of Ustad Bale Khan, organizes this event annually in Pune. The 7th festival is dedicated to Padma Vibhushan Ustad Zakir Hussain, informed Rais Bale Khan.
Kushal Hegde, President of Kannada Sangh; Indira Salian, Vice President; Malati Kalmadi, Secretary; and renowned sitar player Ustad Usman Khan will grace the occasion.
On Saturday, June 14, at 4:00 pm, the formal inauguration will be followed by a performance by Viraj Joshi, grandson of Bharat Ratna Pt. Bhimsen Joshi. Viraj, a promising singer of the Kirana gharana, will be accompanied by Abhijit Bartakke (tabla) and Pt. Avinash Dighe (harmonium).
This will be followed by a sitar and sarangi duet by Ustad Rafique Khan and Ustad Sabir Sultan Khan, accompanied by Yashwant Vaishnav (tabla). The first day of the festival will conclude with a solo tabla performance by Ustad Akram Khan and Zargham Khan, accompanied by Nilay Salvi (harmonium).
On the second day, the morning session will begin at 8:30 am with a performance by Kalapini Komkali, daughter of Pt. Kumar Gandharva. She will be accompanied by Prashant Pandav (tabla) and Suyog Kundalkar (harmonium). This will be followed by a performance by Jayateerth Mevundi, a renowned singer of the Kirana gharana, accompanied by Hrishikesh Jagtap (tabla) and Aditi Garade (harmonium).
The evening session on the second day will begin at 4:00 pm with a performance by Dhananjay Hegde, a disciple of Pt. Vinayak Torvi. He will be accompanied by Bharat Kamat (tabla) and Suyog Kundalkar (harmonium). This will be followed by a flute and sitar duet by Pt. Rupak Kulkarni, a disciple of Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia and Ustad Shafique Khan, accompanied by Ustad Akram Khan and Zargham Khan (tabla).
The 7th Sitar Nawaz Ustad Bale Khan Music Festival will conclude with a performance by Padmashree Dr. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, accompanied by Bharat Kamat (tabla) and Suyog Kundalkar (harmonium). Akash Thite will anchor the entire festival.
