A Cultural Extravaganza at Bal Gandharva Rangmandir under the 37th Pune Festival
Pune : The 37th edition of the Pune Festival—an illustrious confluence of art, culture, music, dance, sports, and the promotion of tourism—shall be celebrated with resplendent splendour from 27th August to 6th September. In addition to Shri Ganesh Kala-Krida Rangmanch, the Bal Gandharva Rangmandir and Art Gallery shall host an exquisite array of cultural performances spanning ten consecutive days. All these events shall be open to the citizens free of charge, announced Mr. Mohan Tilloo, coordinator of Cultural Programmes at Bal Gandharva Rangmandir, during a press conference. The briefing was also attended by Pune Festival Vice President Krushnakumar Goyal, Chief coordinator Adv. Abhay Chhajed, Cultural Programme coordinator Dr. Satish Desai, along with coordinators of the various events.
This year’s Pune Festival promises a grand showcase of cultural brilliance, featuring an array of programmes including a special Lavani for women, “Dream Girl” a musical tribute to Padma Shri Hema Malini with songs from her iconic movies, ‘Ugawate Taare’ for upcoming talents, ‘Indradhanu’ for young artist, Hindi Hasya Kavi Sammelan, ‘Voice of Pune Festival’ competition, Bharati Vidyapeeth’s ‘Aavishkar Bharati’, a Hindi-Urdu-Punjabi play, ‘Bal Sangeet Mahotsav’ presented by Kaveri Institute Group, ‘Kerala Mahotsav’, Marathi plays, Twins’ Gathering, Marathi Kavi Sammelan, and soulful musical tributes marking the birth centenaries of legends such as Manik Varma, Srinivas Khale, Madan Mohan, O.P. Nayyar, Salil Chaudhary and Jaymala Shiledar. Other highlights include a women’s dance competition, the Mrs. Pune Festival contest, a bridal and mythological-themed make-up competition, Rotary’s ‘Indradhanu’, the classic Marathi musical play ‘Sangeet Saubhadra’, and a Marathi orchestra.
On Thursday, August 28, at 12:30 p.m., a special Lavani performance exclusively for women will be presented, featuring noted dancers Archana Jawalekar, Pooja Sawant, Namita Patil, Sangeeta Lakhe, Prachi Mumbaikar, and Shubhangi Punekar. The programme is coordinated by Shashikant Kothawale. Later that evening, at 9:30 p.m., ‘Dream Girl’—a unique musical presentation featuring songs picturised on acclaimed actress and danseuse Padma Shri Hema Malini—will be performed by renowned vocalist Geetanjali Jhedhe and her troupe.
On Friday, August 29, at 9:30 a.m., ‘Indradhanu’—a collective presentation of dance, music, and instrumental performances by young artists—will be staged. This will be followed at 12:30 p.m. by ‘Ugawate Taare’, a programme showcasing similar performances by school students in the junior category. Later, at 9:30 p.m., a Hindi Hasya Kavi Sammelan will take place, coordinated by Mr. Dilip Sharma. The gathering will feature eminent poets including Sudip Bhola (Delhi), Himanshu Bavandar (Ujjain), Sumitra Saral (Ratlam), Dwarka Jalan (Master of Ceremonies, Pune), and Buddhiprakash Dadhich (Kaikadi, Rajasthan).
On Saturday, August 30, beginning at 9:30 a.m., the ‘Voice of Pune Festival’ competition for college students and the open category will be held, coordinated by Anuradha Bharti. At 5:30 p.m., Bharati Vidyapeeth’s School of Performing Arts will present ‘Aavishkar Bharati 2025’—a special programme of music, dance, and instrumental performances, under the coordination of Sarangdhar Sathe. Later, at 9:30 p.m., the poignant Hindi-Urdu-Punjabi play ‘Jis Lahore Ne Dekhya, O Jamyai Nai’ will be staged, coordinated by Yuvraj Shah and Dhanshree Heblikar.
On Sunday, August 31, at 12:30 p.m., the Kaveri Institute Group will present the ‘Balsangeet Mahotsav’—a special programme dedicated to classical and semi-classical vocal music, coordinated by Pallavi Naik and Aparna Lele. Later, at 5:30 p.m., the ‘Kerala Mahotsav’ will be celebrated by the Pune Malayali Federation, showcasing a variety of traditional dance forms from Kerala. The programme is being coordinated by Rajan Nair, President of the Pune Malayali Federation.
On Monday, September 1, at 9:30 p.m., the musical theatrical recital ‘Priya Bhai, Ek Kavita Havi Aahe’—based on true episodes from the lives of Pu. La. Deshpande and Sunita Deshpande—will be staged. The acclaimed actress Mukta Barve will enact the lead role in this evocative presentation.
On Tuesday, September 2, at 12:30 p.m., ‘Twins’ Gathering’ will be held. The event will explore diverse aspects such as the medical reasoning behind twin births, why twins often have differing destinies, parenting experiences of raising twins, a presentation of selected film songs featuring twins, and a felicitation of the head of Kodinhi village in Kerala—renowned for its unusually high twin births. Later that evening, at 9:30 p.m., the musical theatrical recital ‘Jyacha Tyacha Vitthal’ will be staged. This spiritually enriching production, will feature acclaimed actress Madhurani Prabhulkar in the central role.
On Wednesday, September 3, at 9:30 a.m., a bridal and mythological-themed Make-up Competition for men and women will be held. The event will be coordinated by Dipali Pandhare. At 5:30 p.m., Marathi Kavi Sammelan will take place, to be compered by renowned poet Ramdas Phutane. The line-up will feature celebrated poets including Ramdas Phutane, Mahesh Keluskar (Fonda Ghat), Swapnil Chaudhary (Jalgaon), Prashant More (Malegaon), Mandakini Patil (Kalyan), Nitin Deshmukh (Chandur Bazar), Mamata Sindhutai Sapkal (Pune), Narayan Puri (Nanded), Anjali Kulkarni (Pune), Aba Patil (Magasuli), Gunjan Patil (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), Neelam Mangave (Jaysingpur), Bharat Daundkar (Nimgaon Mhalungi), and Anil Dixit (Pimpri-Chinchwad), among others. Later that night, at 9:30 p.m., a special musical concert titled ‘Soneri-Chanderi Sangeetik Mahfil’ will be staged, paying a centenary tribute to legendary artistes Manik Varma, Srinivas Khale, Madan Mohan, O. P. Nayyar, Salil Chaudhary, and Jaymala Shiledar. The programme will be presented by singers Manisha Nischal, Sanjeev Mehendale and team.
On Thursday, September 4, at 9:30 a.m., a group dance competition titled ‘Nritya Jhankar’ will be held for women from various age groups, coordinated by Sanyogita Kudale. At 5:30 p.m., jugalbandi by Shantanu Gokhale (Santoor) and Hemant Joshi (Tabla) will be staged. This will be followed at 7:00 p.m. by another enthralling jugalbandi featuring Shailesh Bhagwat (Shehnai) and Pandit Vinayak Gurav (Tabla). Later, at 9:30 p.m., a unique programme titled ‘Rotaryche Indradhanu’ will provide a special platform for artistes from the Rotary fraternity. This cultural showcase, featuring music, dance, and instrumental performances, will be coordinated by Mohan Tilloo.
On Friday, September 5, at 9:30 a.m., the; ‘Mrs. Pune Festival’ competition will be held, coordinated by Adv. Amruta Jagdhane. At 5:00 pm, the prestigious Marathi play ‘Sangeet Saubhadra’ will be staged by Swaraj Chhota Gandharva Pratishthan, coordinated by Sucheta Avachat, with Charushila Kelkar as production head. The day will conclude at 9:30 p.m. with ‘Sur Tech Chedita,’ a Marathi orchestra featuring evergreen cinematic melodies, Lavani, Abhang, and Natya-geet. The performance will be presented by renowned singers Shraddha Gaikwad, Harshit Abhiraj, Umesh Kulkarni, and their team.
The overall program management at Bal Gandharv Rangmandir will be jointly managed by Srikant Kamble and Atul Gonjari. The Pune Festival invites Punekars to these programs, which are open and free for all said Mohan Tilloo, coordinator of coordinator of Cultural Programmes at Bal Gandharva Rangmandir
