Gandharva Mahotsav kicks off with 2-min silence

The Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsav, the much-awaited annual musical extravaganza of the city, kicked off on a silent note this year, with the artistes and around 25,000 audience observing two minutes silence to pay tribute to late Pandit Bhimsen Joshi.

However, the performance that grabbed eyeballs was of Pandita Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, a well-known classical vocalist and the first female soloist to bag the Rashtriya Kumar Gandharva Award. She was accompanied by her disciples on the tanpura.u00a0

Deshpande sang one of Panditji's favourite songs 'Ata Kothe Dhaave Mann' which received a resounding applause from the audience.u00a0Dhyas Parva, the first portion of the five-part audio visual film based on Panditji's life directed by Srirang Godbole of Indian Magic Eye Private Limited (IME) was also screened on Day 1.u00a0

The remaining parts of the movie ufffd Guru Bhet Aani Shikshan, Prasadik Gaane, Prachar-Prasar and lastly Sangeet Vichar ufffd will be screened on the respective days.u00a0Simultaneously, an exhibition of caricatures by Prabhakar Wairkar was also organised.

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