'Mumbai Saptarang'...State Golden Jubilee Celebrations...A variety of Cultural Programmes..Including Drama...

Seven Days Cultural Festival at Seven Venues
Starting 22th January to 28th January 2010


As a part of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Maharashtra, the State Government has organized a week-long cultural festival, entitled, 'Mumbai Saptarang, from January 22 to 28th Jan.

The gala event will showcase Maharashtra's arts, culture and traditions at seven different venues across Mumbai. Over 250 artistes from the States, living in remote villages and the hilly areas will present their art in 'Saptarang'. Apart from them, an equal number of artistes from all over the country will highlight the glorious cultural traditions of India.

The distinguishing feature of this year's 'Saptarang' is the prominence given to rural folk artistes and participation of the talented young artistes. The programme is jointly organized in association with the South Central Zone Cultural Centre, Nagpur West Zone Cultural Centre, Udiapur, Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi, Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi, and the N.C.P.A., Mumbai.

The Saptarang event will be organized at the Gateway of India, N.C.P.A., Pu. La. Deshapnde Maharashtra Kala Academy, Nare Park-Parel, Jambori Maidan-Worli, Government Colony Maidan- Bandra, Kannamwar Nagar-Vikroli and Mumbai University's Complex at Kalina.

The grand innovative programme - Mahalokgatha, will have 200 traditional folk artistes present an integrated performance on the stage. Besides, Mahalokgatha programmes like Sufi Quawwali, Special programme of Zee TV's SARAGAMAPA, performance by Shankar Mahadevan, Pankaj Udhas, Bhavani Shankar and Rajashri Shirke will be the attraction at Gateway of India. Each of these programmes will be held every day at 6.30 pm from January 22 to 25. The programme by Shankar Mahadevan will be held at 6.15 a.m. on January 22nd.

The festival of prize-winning one-act plays will be organized at the N.C.P.A. from January 22 to 24, under the title, 'Yuva Act'. The same one-act plays will be performed at Prithvi Theatre on January 24, throughout the day. At the N.C.P.A., folk artistes from Maharashtra will perform Lokdharmi on January 23, and on January 24. Drishyapat - a festival of short films of young directors will also be held. An exhibition of paintings by painters from Maharashtra, under the title of Rang pat will be organized from January 22 to 28. On January 27, in the programme captioned 'Ekapatri', Bharud, Pandawani, Phadwachan will be performed. Marathi 'Natya Sangeet' will be organized on January 28.

Although the entry to all these programmes is free, it is necessary to have entry passes. For 'Yuva Act', and 'Natya Sangeet', there will be tickets at a nominal rate. For all other programmes limited entry passes are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the Ravindra Natya Mandir, Prabhadevi, Maharashtra Watch Colmpany, Dadar (West), and Rhythm House, Fort, Mumbai.

At the Pu.La.Deshapnde, Maharashtra Kala Academy, various programmes like 'Nrityotsav 2010, 'Athavaninna Ujala', audio-visual recording of old musical dramas done 15 years ago, will be presented. All these programmes have no entry fee.

At Parel, Worli, Bandra, Vikroli and Kalina, programmes like Santwani, folk arts, Adowa's music dance festival, 'Sankahipta Mee Natsamarat', Kathakkerang Bhaktike Sang, Agthanayika, will be organized daily at 7 p.m. from January 22 to 28. This year, people from Dombivali and Thane can also enjoy the programmes under 'Saptarang'. The Mahalokgatha programme will be held at Savitrai Phule Natyagriha, Dombivali on January 27 at 8 p.m. and at Gadkari Rangayatan, Thane on January 28 at 8 p.m. Free entry passes are available at these two places.

*Mumbai Theatre Guide takes no responsibility for change in schedule

Aman ki asha at Ajmer Sharief

Sufi qawwals from India and Pakistan set to perform at Dargah Sharief on February 12
Chandna Arora


The members of Fareed Ayaz Abu Mohammad Qawwal and Brothers from Pakistan have spent the past few days in great excitement. It’s not just that they’re doing a concert for Indo-Pak unity, but also that they’re performing at the famed Dargah Sharief in Ajmer! This February 12 concert, organised by Aman Ki Asha, a joint initiative of the Times of India and the Jang Group of Pakistan, is particularly exciting to the two performers because of the venue.
Sabse badi cheez hai ki aman ka paigam hi wahan se shuru hua hai,” says qawwali singer Munawwar Masoom, who is to perform with the qawwal group from Pakistan at the Dargah Sharief in Ajmer the day after for a concert organised by Aman Ki Asha. “Jis cheez ko hum pesh karne ja rahe hain, woh
Khwaja Moinuddin Hassan Chishti Rehmatullah Alai ke darbar se hamare liye zariya bana hai.” Masoom is a wellknown qawwali singer from the Mewati gharana of Bhopal. The gharana includes mostly renowned classical singers, and Masoom is among the few to have taken up qawwali. And he says that this form is the perfect and time-honoured vehicle for the message of aman, or peace. “Khwaja sahib ne jo ekta ka paigam diya – aman ki asha hi kahiye usse – woh logon tak pahuchaya gaya hai, chahe Hindu ho, Muslim, Sikh ya Isai. Qawwali woh paigam hai jiske zariye log ek chhat ke neeche baith kar ek rang mein rang jaate hain aur ek ho jaate hain,” says Masoom.
He says people often ask him why qawwali is not being able to go further ahead in popularity. “Main toh kehta hoon, woh kabhi peechhe gayi hi nahin. All these pop songs these days, they’re only copies of qawwalis. They’ve simply upped the tempo, and the way children dance to these songs has changed,” laughs Masoom.
He says he can testify that not only can music help narrow the gulf between the peoples of the two countries, it can heal pretty much anything. “Qawwali hi nahin, music har cheez ko jodne ka kaam hai. Sur mein hi qawwali hai, bhajan hai, azaan hai… Sur mein bolne se koi bhi baat samajh mein aati hai. Sur hi hai jo sabko ek maqam pe khada kar deta hai,” he says.
Masoom says he wants to present a song of unity at the concert, to be held on February 12, from 10am to 12noon, but adds that that’ll be decided as things go. We say it’s a great idea!
Says Abu Mohammad of Fareed Ayaz Abu Mohammad Qawwal and Brothers, “Bilkul kamaal ka venue hai! Dargah Sharief bahut hi ruhani jagah hai, aur main dua karunga ki hamara program wahan kamyab ho, aur hum zyada kareeb aayein.”
The group traces its roots to a qawwal group instituted by Amir Khusru about 750 years ago, which, incidentally, was formed in Delhi and was called Qawwal Bachhe. “Aman Ki Asha is a crucial undertaking, aur maine pichle ek saal mein hi isme bahut developments dekhi hain,” says Abu Mohammad. “When we performed with the Wadali Brothers in Ahmedabad, there were at least 20,000 people there, and they wouldn’t let us go back. This is the message that we want to give… In every religion, from Meerabai and Bulle Shah to Kabir, the message is the same – aman. We are very close to each other. Artistes
ko toh sarhad waise hi nahin hoti hai na!”
Has he seen music make a difference to people-to-people ties between the two countries? “Yes, yes!” says Abu emphatically. “In Ahmedabad, people said, we don’t know whether what you’re singing is from India or Pakistan, we only know that it’s from the subcontinent. Then we performed something that’s a great favourite in Pakistan and even abroad – “Padharo Mhare Des”. It’s a very famous song that we sing, and the public simply wouldn’t let us go! When we performed at Dilli Haat in Delhi during the Commonwealth Games, itna rush ho gaya ki logon ko apni dukaan sambhalna mushkil ho gaya. We say proudly ki humein Hindustan mein bahut mohabbat milti hai.”





WE ARE VERY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER... WE SAY PROUDLY KI HUMEIN HINDUSTAN MEIN BAHUT MOHABBAT MILTI HAI
– FAREED AYAZ ABU MOHAMMAD QAWWAL AND BROTHERS, PAKISTAN





QAWWALI HI NAHIN, MUSIC HAR CHEEZ KO JODNE KA KAAM HAI. SUR MEIN HI QAWWALI HAI, BHAJAN HAI, AZAAN HAI…
– MUNAWWAR MASOOM, INDIA – FAREED AYAZ ABU
MOHAMMAD QAWWAL AND BROTHERS, PAKISTAN

Kala Ghoda Festival

The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is an annual festival, usually around nine days long, held in late January or early February, in the Kala Ghoda area of South Mumbai, India.

From its inception in 1999, the Festival has grown in stature and popularity, attracting visitors and participants from other parts of the country, and the world.

The Festival is organised by the Kala Ghoda Association (a non-profit organisation that states its objectives as "physically upgrading the Kala Ghoda sub-precinct and making it the Art District of Mumbai") and curated by teams handling each of the sub-festivals.

The sub-festivals feature the visual arts, dance, music, theatre, cinema, literature, lectures, seminars and workshops, heritage walks, special events for children, and a vibrant street festival. Entry to all events is free to all (only restricted by the size of the venues) and costs are met through corporate sponsorship. Venues include The Jehangir Art Gallery, The National Gallery of Modern Art, the David Sassoon Library, Max Mueller Bhavan, Elphinstone College, the K R Cama Institute, the M C Ghia Hall, and the street area of Rampart Row. Rampart Row is closed off to vehicular traffic for the duration of the festival, with the entire area becoming a street mela, with food stalls, artisans selling their creations, artists who sketch instant portraits, street art installations and the like. In recent years, the Festival has expanded beyond the Kala Ghoda crescent, with events being held in Azad Maidan and Horniman Circle as well.

The success of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival has, arguably, encouraged the setting up of several other arts and cultural festivals at that time of the year, when the weather in Mumbai is cool and the sun sets early. These include the Mumbai Festival, the Celebrate Bandra Festival, and in 2007, the Kitab Festival.

However in recent times, local residents have gathered up in arms to complain about the noise, and left over mess that is left at the end of the festival. If some reports are to be believed, the festival is slated to be moved to nearby Horniman circle. However, this change of venue has not been confirmed by the organizers.

Banganga Festival

Banganga Festival, a two-day celebration paying tribute to Mumbai's heritage through rhythm and music, takes place at Banganga Tank. The site comprises temples dating to the 6th century BC, making a dramatic backdrop for performances by renowned Indian classical musicians.

Banganga Festival held every year in the city of Mumbai is a musical tribute to Lord Ram. The aim behind the celebration of this musical carnival is to protect the existing rich heritage. According to the legend Lord Ram had stayed here for some time on his return from Lanka after winning over Ravan. The natives were probably Shaivites and worshiped Shivalinga (Phallus stone). When Ram happened to visit the place locals asked him for water to perform bath ritual for Shivalinga. Lord Ram shot an arrow (Bana) and water profuse from holy Ganges itself.

The major attraction is ringing bells of temple along with praising songs for God. The whole affair gives nostalgia. These songs composed by unknown poets through the ages have become part of local culture and are integral part of temple rituals performed everyday. ‘The same heritage should be protected’ is the idea behind the organizing the Banganga Festival. The main organizer Indian Heritage Society Mumbai and MTDC want to foster the thought of protection of heritage among people.

This two-day musical carnival enlivens the city of Mumbai. The city comes into its true spirit and versatility. People visit temples varying from different class and caste. Volunteers to offer glittering look decorate Temples all over the city. Music, chants, and praising songs of God become popular in these two days. Though started in the year 1992, the festival in these two days makes Mumbai more attractive to tourists.

Elephanta Festival - Elephanta Island

Magnificent rock- cut temples...
Created between AD 450 and 750...
On a historic island off Mumbai harbour...
Dedicated to Lord shiva...
A perfect for a divine Celebration...
A spiritually uplifting once-in-a-lifetime experience...

Theme: The Puranas tell us that Lord Brahma's attempt to create the human race was futile since he had only created the male species. Realizing this, Brahma sought the help of Lord Shiva who obliged by assuming the form of Ardhanarishvara. 'Ardha', 'nari' and 'ishvara', meaning, 'half', 'woman' and ‘God’ respectively, is depicted in the transformation of one side of Lord Shiva's body into that of a woman. This prepared the way for procreation and the emergence of the human race. The sculptures at Elephanta bring out this dichotomy, where the contrasting gender components of the god are clearly expressed. Perhaps the message is that gender differences are therefore complementary and contained within a single entity.

Objective: To commemorate the living heritage of Indian dance, sculpture and art, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) in association with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has organized the Elephanta Festival. The Elephanta Festival is a tribute to classical performers and an initiative to popularize Indian classical dance and heritage art forms. A renowned world heritage site, Elephanta forms a stunning backdrop for India's leading artists as they enthrall you with their music and dance recitals. TCS in partnership with MTDC is delighted to be associated with the Elephanta festival.

Background: The festival will feature eminent artistes, showcasing a traditional welcome with the catchy tunes of 'Koli' fisher folks, the aesthetically erected stage, bright lights, delicious ethnic food and the marvelously illuminated Maheshmurti cave. This festival by MTDC will, once again, bring back the golden moments of our glorious past through this extraordinary extravaganza of enchanting ragas and dance performances.

Highlights: The festival will host a number of ethnic food stalls which will highlight the traditional foods of the locality. There will be a 'Shehnai' program at the Gateway of India and Gemini boats will be arranged with the help of the Navy to ferry the visitors.
Organized by: First started in 1989, this festival is organized by MTDC.
In Association with Tata Consultancy Services.

Artists: Renowned Artist like Zakir Hussian, Hema Malini, Pandit Jasraj performs for the event.


Venue : The festival will be held at the famous Elephanta island

When: 19 Mar 2011 (annual)

Festival Timings:7.00pm - 10.00pm

Tickets:Rs.300/- per day, includes to & fro Launch journey between Gateway of India and Elephanta
Launches will leave Gateway of india between 4.30 p.m. & 6.30 p.m. and will return from 9.30 p.m. onwards from the elephanta Island. The Travel time is approximately 1 hour 15 minutes.

Note: The last launch will leave for Elephanta Island from Gateway of India at 6.30 p.m.


Tickets Availale at:
1. MTDC Reservation Division, Tel.: 2202 6713/2064 4489
2. Gateway of india, Tel.: 2284 1877
3. All MTDC counters
4. Churchgate
5. Rhythm House, Tel.: 2284 2835
6. Archies Gallery, Tel.: 2202 7511 Ext. - 113





Video of Elephanta Festival 2008

58th Sawai Gandharva Music Festival (2010)

(Day 1) Thursday, December 9, 2010
Bhaskar Nath (Shehnai)
Sudhakar Chavan (Vocal)
Bhuvanesh Komkali (Vocal)
Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia (Bansuri)
Begum Parveen Sultana (Vocal)


(Day 2) Friday, December 10, 2010
Smt. Uma Garg (Vocal)
Sawani Shende (Vocal)
Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (Mohan Veena) & U. Shrinivas (Mandolin)
U. Shrinivas (Mandolin)
Pt. Jasraj (Vocal)


(Day 3) Saturday, December 11, 2010
Sharad Khaladkar (Shehnai)
Anand Bhate (Vocal)
Chandrakant Limaye (Vocal)
Pt. Shivkumar Sharma (Santoor)
Smt. Malini Rajurkar (Vocal)

(Day 4) Sunday, December 12, 2010
Morning Performances
Sameer Dublay (Vocal)
Debapriya Adhikary (Vocal) & Samanvaya Sarkar (Sitar)
Pt. Rajan & Pt. Sajan Mishra (Vocal)
Evening Performances
Smt. Meena Faterpaker (Vocal)
Utd. Shakir Khan (Sitar)
Smt. Padma Talwalkar (Vocal)
Upendra Bhat (Vocal)
Deepak Maharaj & Mamta Maharaj (Kathak)
Dr. Prabha Atre (Vocal)

Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsav

Introduction


Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsava is a famous and important music festival held every year in Pune in the month of December. The festival was started in 1953, to commemorate the first death anniversary of Sawai Gandharva, the noted Hindustani vocalist. Well known musicians and even practicing artists gather in Pune to pay homage to the great musician in the form of this colourful festival. Each year the festival is organized by the disciples of Sawai Gandharva with the support of Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal and continues for 3 days. Artists including vocalists, dancers and musicians from all over India of all the gharanas arrive at Pune to show their talent.

Festival History

Rambhau Kundgolkar popularly known as Sawai Gandharva was a noted Hindustani vocalist who passed away on September 12, 1952. A private concert was organized on the sixteenth day after his death where his noted disciples Smt Gangubai Hangal, Pandit Feroz Dastur and Pandit Bhimsen Joshi performed. To commemorate his first death anniversary, his disciples organized a music festival under the patronage of Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal. Witnessing the grand success, this festival became an annual ritual in Pune and it eventually grew exponentially. Today Sawai Gandharva Music festival is one of the important and prominent music festivals of India.

Initially performers only from the Kirana gharana would perform, but today artists from all gharanas take it as a pride and honor to perform in this festival. To perform on the stage of Sawai Gandharva festival signifies the ‘advent’ of an artist in the scene of Indian classical music. Not only famous musicians perform here but people who have attained masters in their chosen field of music also get a chance to display their talent.

The festival today is a hallmark in the annual cultural calendar of Pune. The Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal who started the festival also had the intention of reviving Arya Sangeet Vidyalaya which was founded by Ustad Abdul Karim Khan in 1910, but became inactive by 1947. The original founders of the Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal were Nanasaheb Deshpande, Dattopant Deshpande, Shri BalasahebAtre, Abasaheb Mujumdar, Hirabai Badodekar, Kamlabai Badodekar, Saraswati Rane, Sureshbabu Mane, Shvrampant Divekar, Viththalrao Sardeshmukh, V.S. Sathe, D.V.Natu, Abasaheb Atre, Pandurangshastri Deshpande, Vamanrao Deshpande, Vasantrao Deshpande and Vamanrao Abhonkar. The festival is concluded by a grand performance of Pandi Bhimsen Joshi.

About Sawai Gandharva

Rambhau Kundgolkar known as Sawai Gandharva was born in 1886 in a town named Kundgol in Karnataka. Although he did not belong to a musical family, he showed deep interest in music from his early days and started training under Ustad Abdul Karim Khan. He was much impressed by the singing talent of the young boy and started the arduous task of teaching him the nuances of Indian classcial music. His long hours of training in voice culture made Rambhau a confident vocalist. Later he also learnt from other teachers like Bhaskarbuva Bakhale and Nasir Hussain Khan of Gwalior gharana. His intense training polished his voice further.

After his training, he got married and returned to his native twon where he joined a drama company. He became a popular singer in the company and earned the title of Sawai Gandharva. It was under him and another disciple of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, Sureshbabu, that the Kirana gharana became popular. He started training several students who later on became noted musicians like Bhimsen Joshi, Basavaraj Rajguru, Feroze Dastur and Gangubai Hangal. After his death, following a paralytic attack in 1952, his disciples led by Pandit Bhimsen Joshi started the famous Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsav under the patronage of Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal

Famous gharanas

Gharanas in Hindustani classical music mean a system of social organization connecting musicians by music style, lineage or apprenticeship. Some of the best known vocal gharanas include Gwalior gharana, Agra gharana, Kirana gharana, Jaipur-Atrauli gharana and Rampur-Sahaswan gharana. Pt. Achchan Maharaj (Jagannath Maharaj is a famous exponent of Lucknow gharana, Ustad Masit Khan, Jyan Prakash Ghosh, Keramatullah Khan are exponents of Farukhabad gharana.