Aruna Sairam to perform at Sawai Gandharava music fest
PUNE, November 25: The 56th edition of Sawai Gandharva Music Festival, organised by the Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal, will begin on December 11. The musical extravaganza is scheduled to take place at the New English School grounds in Ramanbaug.
The festival, which began 55 years ago, had featured some great names in Indian classical music over the years.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Executive Secretary of the Mandal Shrinivas Joshi, who is also the son of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, said that ``it is a matter of great pride and joy that Pandit Joshi has been honoured with the Bharat Ratna. But there is also a sense of sadness and loss because we do not have Pandit Feroz Dastur in our midst any more." Dastur, who passed away earlier this year after a prolonged illness, was like the senior Joshi, a disciple of the legendary Sawai Gandharva.
Srinivas said that though Dastur would be missed, an effort would be made to make this year's festival as successful as ever. Asked if Pandit Joshi would perform this year, Mr. Shrinivas Joshi said it was entirely up to his father and nothing was decided yet.
"Everyone has been asking us if this year's festival is going to be bigger and grander, but it is already both big and grand. How do we make it even more bigger?" said Shrikant Deshpande, also the Executive Secretary of the organisation and grandson of Sawai Gandharva.
This year, around 10 artistes would be performing for the first time at the festival. These include vocalists Krishnendra Wadikar, Suhas Vyas, Prasad Khaparde, Madhup Mudgal and Madhuri Dandge. "Accomplished Carnatic vocalist Aruna Sairam will also perform at this year's edition. Though I am looking forward to the other performers as well, she is one person I am excited about as she is known to sing my father's Marathi Abhangs in a place like Chennai," Mr. Joshi said. Other first-timers at the festival include sitarist Farhan Khan, son of renowned sitarist Ustad Rais Khan, sarod player Tejendra Majumdar, violinists Ganesh and Kumaresh and Kathak dancers and siblings Anuj and Smriti Mishra.
Apart from these, the line-up also includes renowned names like vocalists Pandit Jasraj, Devaki Pandit, Pandit Ajay Chakravarti, Arshad Ali, Malini Rajurkar, Pandit Rajan and Pandit Sajan Mishra, Vinayak Torvi and Shrinivas Joshi. The other big names include santoor maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, shehnai exponent Tukaram Daithankar and flautist Pandit Ronu Mujumdar. "The festival will end with a performance by renowned vocalist Prabha Atre. A new feature at this festival is the Taal Vadya Kacheri' that will see percussionists Akhilesh Gundecha, Anup Singh, Himanshu Mahant, Manoj Singh and sarangi exponent Sarwar Hussain perform together," said Mr. Deshpande.
"Pandit Joshi being honoured with the Bharat Ratna has made the festival more special. Like last year, we have planned a photography exhibition featuring Pandit Joshi over the years," said Mr. Shrirang Godbole, President of Indian Magic Eye, the communications and branding agency that handles the festival. The programme schedule is given below:
The festival, which began 55 years ago, had featured some great names in Indian classical music over the years.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Executive Secretary of the Mandal Shrinivas Joshi, who is also the son of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, said that ``it is a matter of great pride and joy that Pandit Joshi has been honoured with the Bharat Ratna. But there is also a sense of sadness and loss because we do not have Pandit Feroz Dastur in our midst any more." Dastur, who passed away earlier this year after a prolonged illness, was like the senior Joshi, a disciple of the legendary Sawai Gandharva.
Srinivas said that though Dastur would be missed, an effort would be made to make this year's festival as successful as ever. Asked if Pandit Joshi would perform this year, Mr. Shrinivas Joshi said it was entirely up to his father and nothing was decided yet.
"Everyone has been asking us if this year's festival is going to be bigger and grander, but it is already both big and grand. How do we make it even more bigger?" said Shrikant Deshpande, also the Executive Secretary of the organisation and grandson of Sawai Gandharva.
This year, around 10 artistes would be performing for the first time at the festival. These include vocalists Krishnendra Wadikar, Suhas Vyas, Prasad Khaparde, Madhup Mudgal and Madhuri Dandge. "Accomplished Carnatic vocalist Aruna Sairam will also perform at this year's edition. Though I am looking forward to the other performers as well, she is one person I am excited about as she is known to sing my father's Marathi Abhangs in a place like Chennai," Mr. Joshi said. Other first-timers at the festival include sitarist Farhan Khan, son of renowned sitarist Ustad Rais Khan, sarod player Tejendra Majumdar, violinists Ganesh and Kumaresh and Kathak dancers and siblings Anuj and Smriti Mishra.
Apart from these, the line-up also includes renowned names like vocalists Pandit Jasraj, Devaki Pandit, Pandit Ajay Chakravarti, Arshad Ali, Malini Rajurkar, Pandit Rajan and Pandit Sajan Mishra, Vinayak Torvi and Shrinivas Joshi. The other big names include santoor maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, shehnai exponent Tukaram Daithankar and flautist Pandit Ronu Mujumdar. "The festival will end with a performance by renowned vocalist Prabha Atre. A new feature at this festival is the Taal Vadya Kacheri' that will see percussionists Akhilesh Gundecha, Anup Singh, Himanshu Mahant, Manoj Singh and sarangi exponent Sarwar Hussain perform together," said Mr. Deshpande.
"Pandit Joshi being honoured with the Bharat Ratna has made the festival more special. Like last year, we have planned a photography exhibition featuring Pandit Joshi over the years," said Mr. Shrirang Godbole, President of Indian Magic Eye, the communications and branding agency that handles the festival. The programme schedule is given below:
| December 11, 2008 (THU) | |
| 4.00 pm | Shehnai exponent Tukaram Daithankar, santoor maestro Pt Shivkumar Sharma and vocalists Krishnendra Wadikar, Suhas Vyas and Pt Ajay Chakravarti |
| December 12, 2008 (FRI) | |
| 4.00 pm | Sitarist Farhan Khan, Kathak dancers Anuj and Smriti Mishra and vocalists Prasad Khaparde, Devaki Pandit and Malini Rajurkar |
| December 13, 2008 (SAT) | |
| 4.00 pm | Violin jugalbandi' by Ganesh and Kumaresh and vocalists Arshad Ali, Madhup Mudgal, Pt Rajan and Pt Sajan Mishra |
| December 14, 2008 (SUN) | |
| 8.00 am | Vocalists Pt Jasraj and Vinayak Torvi and flautist Pt Ronu Mujumdar |
| 4.00 pm | Taal Vadya Kacheri, vocalists Prabha Atre, Aruna Sairam, Shrinivas Joshi and Madhuri Dandge, sarod exponent Tejendra Majumdar |
