Sawai Gandharva’s hometown Kundgol is all set to host a musical festival

DHARWAD: Kundgol in the Dharwad district is a holy place for Hindustani classical musicians and music lovers because it was here that Rambhau Kundgolkar, popularly known as Sawai Gandharva, trained the doyens of Hindustani music like Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and Gangubai Hanagal in their formative years, who went on to achieve great heights in the field of music and rose to international acclaim.
The Nadgirwada, Rambhau's Kundgol residence, has been a venue where hundreds of musicians have enthralled audiences during Sawai Gandharva memorial music concerts to pay tribute to the great guru. Every year, Pt Bhimsen Joshi would organise a mega music festival in Pune in memory of his guru, inviting top artists to perform.
Now, the ‘wada’ named as ‘Shri Sawai Gandharva Smaraka Vishwastha Samsthe (Memorial Trust) Sabhangana’ is decked up to host a music concert to mark the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Pt Bhimsen Joshi on Tuesday evening. The department of Kannada and Culture, Sangeet Nrutya Academy and Shri Sawai Gandharva Smaraka Vishwastha Samsthe have organised the festival.
Hindustani classical vocalist and musicologist Pt Nagarajrao Havaldar (in picture), Nikhil Joshi (sitar), Harish Kulkarni (flute), Sadashiv Patil, Ashok Nadgir, Mukta Muzumdar, Basavaraj Hediggonda and others will perform.
Pt Nagarajrao Havadar, a recipient of Karnataka Kalashree award, is one of the leading vocalists of Hindustani classical music. He has authored several books, his latest being Bharat Ratna Pt Bhimsen Joshi, The Voice of the People.
“I have performed at several places in India and abroad but nothing like being invited to sing at Kundgol festival. I deem it a great privilege to perform at the place where the doyens Pt Bhimsen Joshi, Gangubai Hanagal lived to learn music,” said Nagararao.
Kundgol MLA Kusumavati Shivalli will inaugurate the festival at 8pm.