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Pune gets ready for another musical treat
The annual Sawai Gandharva Music Festival ended on Sunday but music-loving Puneites are already preparing for another musical treat.
The annual Sawai Gandharva Music Festival ended on Sunday but music-loving Puneites are already preparing for another musical treat.
At least 2,600 Hindustani classical music artistes will perform in Pune at the Antarnaad [the voice within] festival to be held at the SP College Ground today.
The festival, which will see performances by Pandit Rajan and Sajan Misra, Shankar Mahadevan and Chitra Roy, is expected to draw 75,000 people.
The event has been organised by Art of Living Foundation.
Antarnaad will also attempt to enter the Guinness book in the largest samuha gaan [group singing] category as artistes and the audience will sing the Vande Mataram in unison, said event coordinator Shirish Erande.
Sudha Upadhyay, the senior most artiste performing, said: “It is amazing to be part of this magnificent event. In my musical career I have never been part of such an occurrence.”
Most compositions, which will be sung, are based on evening melodies from ancient ragas in the Gandharva Veda.
School teacher Vijaya Amar, trained in Carnatic music, will be participating.
“It is fulfilling is to see so many youngsters there,” she said.
Those who attended all the five session of the Sawai festival however feel Antarnaad could be overkill.
“If there was some gap between Sawai and Antarnaad, the later event would have been received with more enthusiasm,” said director general of Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, who has been attending the Sawai festival for two decades.
