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 yearthe 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 andmusicians 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.

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.