Music fest to celebrate Kishori Amonkar in Feb

Pune: Noted vocalists Rashid Khan, Mukul Shivputra, Raghunandan Panshikar and flautist Rakesh Chaurasia are among the attractions of the Gaanasaraswati Mahotsav that will be held at Mahalaxmi Lawns near Rajaram Bridge between February 2 and 4.

Organised by the Natyasampada Pratishthan, the festival acknowledges and celebrates the exceptional contribution of

Kishori Amonkar

in the field of Indian classical music.

“This edition being the first after Amonkar’s demise is a special tribute to the legendary and phenomenal artist. She, with her lifelong meditative pursuit of music, not only carved a niche for herself but also created a new path for others to follow,” vocalist Panshikar said at a news conference here on Tuesday.

The festival will begin with a vocal recital by Aparna Panshikar, followed by a Carnatic Flute performance by Shashank Subramanyam. This session will end with a vocal recital by Ustad Rashid Khan.

The second day of the festival will begin with a Kathak dance performance by Pandit Rajendra Gangani with Rujuta Soman. This will be followed by a vocal recital by Manjiri Asnare-Kelkar. She will be the first recipient of the Gaanasaraswati Puraskar to be awarded in a ceremony before her concert. The session will end with a vocal recital by Pandit Mukul Shivputra.

The morning session of the third and last day of the festival will begin with Raghunandan Panshikar paying a special tribute to his guru Kishoritai. The evening session of the event will have a duet by Rakesh Chaurasia (flute) and Sabir Khan (sarangi). Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjee will follow with a sitar recital. The festival’s grand finale will be a vocal recital by Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande.

The event will also include special felicitations. Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjee will be felicitated with the Gaanatapaswini Mogubai Kurdikar Puraskar and Mauli Takalkar will be conferred the Gaanasaraswati Kishori Amonkar Sangatkar Puraskar for their lifelong contributions in the field of music.