- The names of the artists performing at the Mahotsav were announced today
- This year, more than half of the artists will be performing at the mahotsav for the first time
PUNE: The Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav, organized annually by the Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal, will be held this year from Wednesday, December 10 to Sunday, December 14 at the Maharashtriya Mandal Sports Complex in Mukundnagar. The names of the artists performing in the Mahotsav this year were announced by the Executive President of the Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal, Shrinivas Joshi, at a press conference held today. This is the 71st year of the Mahotsav, and more than half of the artists will present their art on the platform of ‘Sawai’ for the first time, Shrinivas Joshi also informed.
Shilpa Joshi, Shubhada Mulgund, Dr. Prabhakar Deshpande, Anand Bhate, and Trustees of Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal were also present at the press conference held today. Giving more information about the Mahotsav, Shrinivas Joshi said, “Many veteran artists have presented their art in this Mahotsav, which was started by my father, Bharat Ratna Pt. Bhimsen Joshi in the name of his Guru Sawai Gandharva. The avid and knowledgeable audience also loved the Mahotsav immensely. This year, the 71st Mahotsav is being concluded, and to provide a platform to the promising artists along with veteran artists, many promising artists will be presented at the Mahotsav. Notably, more than half of the total number of artists will be presenting their art in the Mahotsav for the first time. Through this, we are making a sincere effort to provide a capable platform to young artists.”
The list of artists who will perform at the 71st Mahotsav is as follows –
Day 1 – Wednesday, December 10, 2025 | 3 pm to 10 pm
The 71st Mahotsav will begin with Delhi-based Lokesh Anand performing on the Shehnai. Lokesh has been trained in shehnai by his father, Kalicharan, Guru Pt. Ananthalal and Pt. Dayashankar. Dr. Chetna Pathak, a vocalist of the Kirana Gharana, will then present her vocal recital. Dr. Pathak is a disciple of Swaryogini Padma Vibhushan Dr. Prabha Atre. This will be followed by the accompaniment of the Mishra brothers, Ritesh and Rajnish Mishra, vocalists from the Banaras Gharana and sons- disciples of Pt. Rajan Mishra. Pt. Shubendra Rao, a disciple of Bharat Ratna Pt. Ravi Shankar and his wife Vidushi Saskia Rao-De-Haas will then perform on the Sitar and Cello. Saskia, who is originally from the Netherlands, trained under the guidance of Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia has practiced Indian music for a long time and has built new bridges between Eastern and Western musical traditions by creating a unique instrument called ‘Bharatiya Cello. The first day will conclude with a performance by veteran vocalist Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar.
Day Two – Thursday, December 11, 2025 | 4 pm to 10 pm
The second day will begin with a performance by classical vocalist and composer Hrishikesh Badve. This will be followed by a performance by Indrayudh Majumdar, a talented Sarod player of the Senia Maihar Gharana. Indrayudh is the son and disciple of Padmashree Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar. This will be followed by a performance by Vidushi Padma Deshpande, a senior vocalist of the Kirana Gharana and granddaughter-in-law of Sawai Gandharva. This will be followed by the accompaniment of internationally renowned Saxophonist George Brooks and Pt. Krishnamohan Bhatt to conclude the second day. George Brooks has achieved an unprecedented fusion of jazz & Indian classical music and Pt. Krishnamohan Bhatt is a disciple of Pt. Ravi Shankar.
Day Three – Friday, December 12, 2025 | 4 pm to 10 pm
The third day of the Mahotsav will begin with the performance of emerging Santoor player Satyendra Solanki. Solanki is a disciple of Pt. Omprakash Chaurasia. This will be followed by a vocal performance by Shrinivas Joshi, disciple and son of Bharat Ratna Pt. Bhimsen Joshi. Ustad Shujaat Hussain Khan, an artist of the Imdadkhani gharana, will then perform on the Sitar. The third day will conclude with a performance by Vidushi Dr. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, a senior vocalist of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana.
Day Four Saturday, December 13, 2025 | 3 pm to 12 midnight
The fourth day will begin with a performance by Siddhartha Belmannu, a young, talented singer from Bangalore. Belmannu is a disciple of Pt. Vinayak Torvi of the Kirana and Gwalior traditions. This will be followed by a performance by Pune-based Anuradha Kuber, a leading vocalist of the Bhendi Bazaar Gharana. Pt. Rupak Kulkarni, a leading flautist of the Maihar Gharana and the first Gandabandh disciple of Padma Vibhushan Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia will perform on the flute after that. This will be followed by a performance by Dr. Bharat Balvalli. This will be followed by an accompaniment by Vidushi Kala Ramnath (Violin) and Vidushi Dr. Jayanthi Kumaresh (Vichitraveen). Vidushi Kala Ramnath is an Indian violinist who is respected worldwide as the creator of the ‘singing violin’. Vidushi Dr. Jayanthi Kumaresh is a leading player, researcher, composer, and teacher of the Saraswati Veena, the national instrument of India. The fourth day of the Mahotsav will conclude with a dance performance by Meghranjani Medhi, a famous Kathak dancer from Assam. She is the daughter and disciple of renowned Kathak guru Marami Medhi and renowned singer Joy Prakash Medhi and has also received guidance from Padma Vibhushan Pt. Birju Maharaj.
Day 5 – Sunday, December 14, 2025 | 12 noon to 10 pm
The fifth and final day of the Sawai will begin with the vocal recital of Bharat Ratna Pt. Bhimsen Joshi’s senior disciple and Kirana Gharana vocalist, Pt. Upendra Bhat. This will be followed by a performance of Shruti Vishwakarma Marathe, a vocalist from the Kirana and Gwalior tradition. Shruti is a disciple of Dr. Veena Sahasrabudhe and Pt. Kedar Bodas. This will be followed by the vocal recital of promising young artist Aniruddha Aithal. This will be followed by the vocal performance of well-known singer Sawani Shende. Sawani is a disciple of renowned vocalist Dr. Veena Sahasrabudhe. This will be followed by the violin performance of Dr. L. Shankar, an internationally renowned violinist, singer, composer, and a leading pioneer of East-West music tradition. Dr. Shankar has played an important role in the world-famous ‘Shakti’ group along with John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain, and T. H. Vinayakam. This will be followed by the singing of veteran vocalist Padma Shri Pt. Venkatesh Kumar. The 71st Mahotsav will conclude with the ‘Arghya’ program presented by vocalists of the Kirana Gharana. In this, Pt. Upendra Bhat, Shrinivas Joshi, Anand Bhate, and Viraj Joshi will give a vocal tribute to the gurus.
The artists who are presenting their art for the first time in the Mahotsav are as follows –
Lokesh Anand. Dr. Chetna Pathak, Shubendra Rao, Saskia Rao-De-Haas, Hrishikesh Badve, Indrayudh Majumdar, George Brooks, Pt. Krishnamohan Bhat, Satyendra Solanki, Siddhartha Belmannu, Anuradha Kuber, Pt. Rupak Kulkarni, Dr. Bharat Balvalli, Meghranjani Medhi, Shruti Marathe, Aniruddha Aithal, Dr. L Shankar.
Kalyani Group is the presenter of Mahotsav, and Kirloskar Group, Magarpatta City Group, P. N. Gadgil & Sons, Kele Group, Ranjekar Realty, Lokmanya Multipurpose – Co-operative Society, Suhana and Asha Publicity have supported this year’s 71st Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav.
Along with this, the ticket sale of the 71st Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Festival will start from Monday, December 1st, and this year, festival tickets will be available to the connoisseurs at Shirish Traders opposite Kamala Nehru Park in Erandwane, Behre Ambewale in Shanipar, Abhiruchi Foods in Sahakarnagar, and Desai Bandhu Ambewale in Karve Nagar.
The tickets for the entire festival will be Rs. 5 thousand and Rs. 3 thousand for the chair, and the entire festival ticket for the Indian session will be Rs. 500. The tickets for the Indian session of the festival for students will be at a discounted rate of Rs. 250. Please note that in addition to the above-mentioned places, online tickets for the festival will also be available at ticketkhidakee.com.