A music festival titled ‘Khushrang’, jointly organised by Shri Ramsheth Thakur Samajik Vikas Mandal, Panvel and Nadbrahma Sadhana Mandal, was held in Panvel with participation from artists and attendance from music enthusiasts.
The event took place at the Market Yard auditorium, where audiences gathered from the evening onwards to witness performances across classical music, bhajan and Kathak dance.
Festival inaugurated with traditional ceremony
The programme began with a lamp-lighting ceremony and Saraswati pujan in the presence of Pandit Girish Sanzgiri, H.B.P. Nivruttibua Chaudhary, Pandit Maruti Patil, Pandit Umesh Chaudhary, Ustad Rafat Khan Niyazi, Nagnath Patil and Vinod Todekar.
Series of classical performances presented
The opening performance was presented by Pandit Girish Sanzgiri, who rendered Raag Puriya Dhanashree with a bada khayal ‘Ab To Ritu Maan’ followed by a chhota khayal ‘Beet Gaye Jugwa Piharwa’. He concluded with the abhang ‘Dnyaniyanchya Raja’.
This was followed by a performance by Pandit Mahesh Kulkarni, who presented Raag Shri Kalyan with a bada khayal ‘Ajahun Aaye’ and a chhota khayal ‘Jhananan Baaje Payaliya’, concluding with a composition in Raag Sohni.
Fusion of music and dance in curated segment
A segment conceptualised by Pandit Vinayak Naik brought together vocal, instrumental and dance elements. The presentation included Kathak performances by Arya Mahajan and Rutuja Kulkarni, accompanied by rhythmic compositions such as kaayda, tukda and rela, along with a jugalbandi by the accompanying artists.
Concluding performance
The festival concluded with a vocal performance by Pandit Umesh Chaudhary, a disciple of Ustad Aslam Khan. He presented Raag Bihag with ‘Shri Ram Shri Ram Jai Jai Ram’ as a bada khayal and ‘Ab To Rat Laagi’ as a chhota khayal.
This was followed by a thumri in Raag Khamaj, compositions including ‘Ketaki Gulab Juhi Champak Ban Phooli’, and concluded with ‘Vaikunthichya Raya’ in Bhairavi.
Accompaniment and organisation
The performances were supported by harmonium accompaniment from Pandit Vinayak Lalit and Smita Manohar, tabla by Vinayak Naik, Prasad Sutar and Mahesh Kanole, and pakhawaj by Somdatt Mane and Suraj Gondhali. Vocal support during dance segments was provided by Tanushree Jog and Sudhindra Bagal.
The programme was compered by Sopan Adhav.
The festival was organised with the efforts of H.B.P. Vasant Patil, Vinod Todekar, Akshay Chaudhary, Anil Koli, Jagdish Mhatre, Machhindra Patil and their team.
Audience participation
The event saw attendance from a large number of music enthusiasts, with audiences responding to the performances throughout the programme.
Organisers expressed their appreciation to the artists, accompanying musicians and attendees for their participation.
