Speaking at the performance Dr. Palash Sen thanked Rahul Deshpande for inviting him to be part of Vasantotsav and wished the festival immortality. He said, “This festival technically has more Indian classical performances and yet being invited to perform here is a privilege. India does not have a dedicated music industry as the primary industry is the film industry and music just becomes a part of it, but when I see festivals like Vasantotsav, I am overwhelmed and thankful that music is been given its respect as a separate identity.“

“Euphoria Band completed 25 years recently and being able to perform in Pune is special as my relationship with Pune dates back to the time when I studied in AFMC Medical College for a brief period,” he added further.

The audience went down memory lane with the electric performance as Dr. Palash Sen sang their iconic songs. Beginning with ‘Vakratunda Mahakarya’ they went on to sing ‘Rok Sako Toh Rok Lo’, ‘Bhula Sab Bhula Jahan’, ‘Dhoom Pichak Dhoom’, ‘Tu Hi Meri Zindagi’, ‘Kaise Bhulegi Mera Naam’, ‘Raja Rani’, ‘Duet of Dhoom Pichak Dhoom’ with Priyanka Barve, ‘Ek Ajnabi Haseena Se’, ‘Khwabon Mein Joh’, Punjabi Hit song  ‘Jugni’, ‘Jaane Khuda’, ‘Khwaamakhaa’, ‘Mehfooj’ and people’s all-time favorite ‘Maeri’

He then took the performance to another level by inviting ‘Taal’ Dhol Tasha Pathak to accompany him with songs like ‘Kabhi Aana Tu Meri Galli,’ ‘Dhagala Lagli Kal,’ ‘Mach Gaya Shor Sari Nagari,’ ‘Jhumma Chumma De.’

He then invited Rahul Deshpande on stage and accompanied him on ‘Musafir Hoon Yaroon’. He concluded his session with ‘Ab Kya Karoo,’ leaving the fans wanting more.

Dr. Palash Sen was accompanied by Prashant Trivedi on Tabla, Rakesh Bharadwaj on Percussion, Aditya Beniya on Guitar, Vishal Mehta on Drums, Akshat Sharma on Flute, Vishal Dixit on Keyboards, Vocal support by Jayashree Basu, Depashree Basu, and Kinshuk Sen.

The post Euphoric Performance by ‘Euphoria’ Band at Vasantotsav appeared first on NRI News.

Bapu Deshpande of the Vasantrao Deshpande Pratishthan, Neha Deshpande, Deepti Mate, Ajit Gadgil of P N Gagdil and Sons, Tejas Upadhye and Rajas Upadhye were present on this occasion.

Rahul Deshpande and Mahesh Kale began their duet performance with an offering to Lord Ganesha with ‘Tuz Magato Mee Aata’ followed by all-time favorite songs like ‘Mogara Phulala’, ‘He Surano Chandra Vha’ ‘Baglyanchi Maal Fule’ and ‘Ghei Chhand’

Speaking about the friendship with Rahul Deshpande, Mahesh Kale said, “Earlier, singers used to have deep and meaningful friendships like the one between Vasantarao Deshpande and Pt. Kumar Gandharva. I share such a friendship with Rahul and I am thrilled that we will be performing saint Kabir’s Bhajan ‘Chadariya Jhini Re Jhini’, the music of which has been composed by me.“

Both performed ‘Chadariya Jhini Re Jhini’, after which they performed ‘Surat Piya Kin Chin Bisurai’ ending with the soulful Bhajan ‘Kanada Raja Pandharicha’ which left the audience diving deep into ‘Vitthal’ chants.

Both Rahul and Mahesh were accompanied by Nikhil Phatak (Tabla), Milind Kulkarni (Harmonium), Sanjoy Das (Guitar), Vishal Dhumal (Key Board), Apoorv Gokhale (Violin), Rohan Vanage (Octopad), Prasad Joshi (Pakhawaj)

This year’s Vasantotsav was presented by Punit Balan Group and was supported by Venkatesh Buildcon Pvt. Ltd. – Ankush Asabe Venture, Bharati Vidyapeeth, P N Gadgil and Sons, Suhana Masale, Lokmanya Multipurpose Co-Op Society, Girikand Holidays, Khaitan & Company, Mascot, Don Studio, and L & Realty

The post Rahul Deshpande and Mahesh Kale Leave the Audience Spellbound with their Concluding Duet Performance at Vasantotsav appeared first on NRI News.

PUNE: The first session of the concluding day of ‘Vasantotsav’ witnessed a captivating solo performance by National Award Winner, Vocalist Mahesh Kale. The 17th edition of Vasantotsav was held at the Suryakant Kakade Farms, Kothrud, Pune.

Dignitaries like Bapu Deshpande of Vasantrao Deshpande Foundation, Neha Deshpande, Deepti Mate, State Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, former Mayor Muralidhar Mohol, Ajit Gadgil, Tejas Upadhyay and Rajas Upadhyay of P N Gadgil were present on this occasion.

Mahesh Kale began his performance by seeking the blessings of all the seniors in the audience. In his first performance, he presented a bandish ‘Eho More Sai Kanwa’ in the Raag Madhuvanti set followed by his composition ‘Kaise Rijhaoo Ab Manako.’Offering his prayer to Lord Ram on the eve of the historical event of the enshrining of Lord Ram in Ayodhya tomorrow, Mahesh sang a Bhajan ‘Janaki Nath’ followed by the pious rendition of the evergreen bhajans ‘Paayo ji Maine Ram Ratan Dhan Paayo’ and ‘Raghupati Raghav Rajaram.’

He was accompanied by Nikhil Phatak on Tabla, Milind Kulkarni on Harmonium, Prasad Joshi on Pakhawaj, Apoorv Gokhale on Violin, Amrut Chanewar, Ankur Chande and Kishori on Tanpura and Rohan Vanage on Percussions.

Mahesh Kale’s performance was followed by the digital release of Rahul Deshpande’s new song dedicated to Lord Ram and his enshrining at Ayodhya. The song was released at the hands of the Minister of Higher and Technical Education of Maharashtra- Chandrakant Patil and BJP State General Secretary Muralidhar Mohol. The song has been composed and sung by Rahul Deshpande, lyrics are by Sameer Samant, and is produced by Sarang Kulkarni. The song is available on Rahul Deshpande’s official YouTube channel.

Post the song release, the second solo session began with the rendition of National Award Winner Rahul Deshpande, the grandson of legendary Pt. Vasantrao Deshpande. He began his performance with Raag Shankara and performed a traditional bandish ‘Jaanu Re Jaanu’ set in Vilambit Teen Taal. After this, he presented the Bandish of Pandit Kumar Gandharva. He then sang Saint Kabirs Bhajan ‘Ram Niranjan Nyaraa Re’

Speaking to the audience, Rahul Deshpande said, “I have been trying to do something new for the past few days. I have had mixed reactions and people think that I am getting into light music only. However, the truth is that I love to sing in all formats and I would be honored if that is accepted by you all as I don’t want to regret it later. Katyar Kaljat Ghuli was one of those experiments and that courage gave me a friend like Mahesh“

Adding further he said, “After years of performance in classical music, I decided to do something different. I learned that one can adapt to different singing styles and I try to bring to you all what I like to see and hear myself”

Rahul Deshpande was accompanied by Dr. Chaitanya Kunte as Harmoniumi, Nikhil Phatak on Tabla, and Prasad Joshi on Pakhawaj.

The day began with the 10th edition of the Vasantotsav Awards, instituted by the Vasantrao Deshpande Pratishthan. This year the awards were bestowed upon senior artist Vidushi Meera Panshikar, a vocalist and Guru from the Jaipur Gharana, and  Sanjay Sant, a gramophone record collector. The young talent award ‘Yuva Vasantotsav Award,’ was presented to Yashwant Thitte for his finesse on the Harmonium. Vidushi Meera Panshikar and Sanjay Sant were presented with a cash award of Rs 51,000/- and a memento each, while Yashwant Thitte was presented with a cash award of Rs21,000/- and a memento. All the awardees were honored at the hands of Bapu Deshpande of the Vasantrao Deshpande Pratishthan.  

This year’s Vasantotsav is being presented by the Punit Balan Group. It is supported by Venkatesh Buildcon Pvt. Ltd. – Ankush Asabe Venture, Bharati Vidyapeeth, P N Gadgil and Sons, Suhana Masala, Lokmanya Multipurpose Co-Op Society, Girikand Holidays, Khaitan & Company, Mascot, Don Studio, and L & Realty

The post Mahesh Kale Captivates the Audience During His Solo Performance During the first half of Day 3 of Vasantotsav appeared first on NRI News.

This year being the 10th edition, Vidushi Meera Panshikar; a senior vocalist and guru from the Jaipur Gharana, Sanjay Sant; a gramophone record collector, and Yashwant Thitte; a young and talented Harmonium player will be the awardees during the ‘Vasantotsav’. Rs 51,000 and a memento will be the award form for a senior musician -guru, and music researcher, while a talented young musician will be bestowed with Rs 21,000 along with a memento.

Vasantotsav Awards will be given on Sunday, January 21, the concluding day of the three-day music fest.

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