38th Pune Festival to Feature 21 Cultural Programmes; All Events Free for Audiences
Pune: The 38th Pune Festival is set to offer a vibrant celebration of art, culture, music, dance, theatre, literature and performance, with 21 cultural programmes scheduled at Balgandharva Rangmandir and Yashwantrao Chavan Natyagruha.
Pune Festival President Krishnakumar Goyal, General Secretary and Chief Cultural Programme Coordinator Dr Satish Desai, and Trustee Mohan Tillu said at a press conference that all the programmes will be open to audiences free of cost and appealed to Pune residents to attend in large numbers.
Of the 21 programmes, 14 will be held at Balgandharva Rangmandir, while 7 will take place at Yashwantrao Chavan Natyagruha.
Programmes at Balgandharva Rangmandir
September 18, 9 pm – ‘Asha-Suman’
Nitin Kulkarni will present a musical programme featuring the winners of the Voice of Pune Festival competition. Ten singers and an anchor will participate.
September 19 – ‘Ugavate Tare’ and ‘Indradhanu’
Young performers aged 6–14 and 15–25 will showcase their talent between noon and 3 pm and again from 5 pm to 8 pm. More than 700 participants from 37 schools and junior colleges across Pune city and rural areas are expected to perform various Indian classical, folk, cinematic and western dance forms.
September 19, 9 pm – Marathi Kavi Sammelan
Renowned poet and satirist Ramdas Phutane will anchor the poetry gathering featuring noted poets from across Maharashtra.
September 20, 9.30 am – ‘Voice of Pune’ Competition
More than 200 singers will participate, performing solo and duet songs associated with O. P. Nayyar, Asha Bhosle and Suman Kalyanpur. Participants from outside Maharashtra and students from 12 colleges will also take part.
September 20, 4 pm – ‘Kaveri Parampara’
A programme of classical vocal music, instrumental music and dance organised by the Kaveri Group of Institutes. Dance guru Shama Bhate, vocalist Anand Bhate and tabla exponent Bharat Kamat will be among the special guests.
September 20, 9 pm – ‘Bharati Choir Veera’
Eight singers and ten student musicians will present Marathi and Hindi songs in choir format.
September 21, noon – ‘Maharashtrachi Lokdhara’ Lavani Festival
Noted performers including Namita Patil, Archana Jawalekar, Maya Khutegaonkar and Prachi Mumbaikar will present Lavani performances.
September 21, 5 pm – ‘Satyashodhak Mahatma’
A play based on Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, written by Ramnath Chavan and directed by Yogesh Soman, will be staged to mark Phule’s bicentenary.
September 21, 9 pm – ‘Jai Hind’
A special musical presentation featuring forgotten songs associated with the bands of Subhas Chandra Bose’s Azad Hind Sena. Organisers describe it as a first-of-its-kind presentation in India.
September 22, 5 pm – ‘Swarsamrajni’
A musical play by Natanagar Cultural Association, led by Charudatta Aphale and team.
September 22, 9 pm – ‘Chauthi Cigarette’
A theatrical production inspired by the lives of writers, produced by Yuvraj Shah and directed by Abhijit Chaudhary.
September 23, 3 pm – ‘Miss Pune Festival’
The personality competition for unmarried women aged 18–25 has shortlisted 15 finalists from 70 participants. The finalists will undergo 15 days of training covering heritage-themed ramp walks, interviews, fitness, styling, cyber safety and heritage activities.
September 23, 9 pm – ‘Shivrajya – Eka Navya Yugachi Suruvat’
Around 90 students of Om Dance Academy will present 12 dance compositions depicting the life, history and legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj through dance, acting, dialogue and music.
September 24, 5 pm – ‘Swarayatra’
Khanderao Mule will present a musical journey combining abhangs, devotional songs, bhavgeet and ghazals around themes of values, relationships, hope, struggle and introspection.
Programmes at Yashwantrao Chavan Natyagruha
September 21, 9 pm – ‘Bemisal Rafi’
Ali and Saira Hussain will present a musical tribute to legendary singer Mohammed Rafi.
September 22, 5 pm – ‘Asha Bhosle – Jeevan Sangeet’
A special audio-visual presentation on the life and music of Asha Bhosle, presented by film-music critic Sulabha Ternikar and Usman Sheikh.
September 22, 9 pm – ‘The Superstar’
Mukesh Dedia will present songs picturised on stars including Dev Anand, Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor.
September 23, 5 pm – ‘Namami Shambho’
Shekhar Kendale and his team will present devotional compositions accompanied by percussion instruments.
September 23, 9 pm – ‘Sambhavami Yuge Yuge’
A song, dance and music production based on the life of Lord Krishna, conceptualised and co-produced by Sanskruti Balgude.
September 24, 5 pm – ‘Avishkar Bharati’
Students of Bharati Vidyapeeth’s School of Performing Arts will present Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Sattriya, Mohiniyattam, Kuchipudi and creative dance performances. Around 120 artists in 10 groups will participate.
Festival organisers said the entire cultural line-up will be free for audiences, making the 38th Pune Festival a major cultural attraction for Pune residents and visitors.
