Soulful tribute to Swara Samrat
The 90th birth anniversary of the late Swara Samrat (Emperor of melody), sarod maestro Dr. Ali Akbar Khan, witnessed a grand classical music event, put together by his daughter Aneesa Chaudhari, as a fitting tribute to her legendary father, at the St. Andrews Auditorium in the city this week. Pt. Nayan Ghosh, singer Sushila Rani Patel and princess Asha Raje Gaikwad of Baroda, along with the grandchildren of Dr. Ali Akbar Khan, inaugurated the event in the traditional fashion by lighting a lamp. A documentary on the celebrated sarod genius was screened. Ace flautist Pt. Ronu Majumdar, along with his fusion band, Vibrations, performed a couple of soulful compositions of Dr. Ali Akbar Khan and enthralled the audience.
Singing programme at Shivaji Park
Shivaji Park Nagarik Sangh will feature two leading female singers in an evening programme on Tuesday, April 17 at 5.30 pm. Vaijayanti Limaye is a Kirana gharana singer who has trained under the eminent singer Dr Prabha Atre. She has also done playback singing and is a trained classical singer. Shobha Choudhary is based in Indore and has trained under veterans like Balasaheb Poochwale and Chintamani Raghunath Vyas. She has performed all over India and also toured the United States. They will be accompanied on the tabla by Mandar Puranik and on the harmonium by Ravindra Lomte. Admission to the programme is free.
Play on Gandhi by Tata Group
‘OMG – the lesser known side of Gandhi ‘is a treasure of private conversations, letters and thoughts of a man who remained at the centre of every controversy, exasperated every leader and yet led a nation to freedom. A short but refreshingly new play, inspired from Gandhi’s archived journals, will be staged on April 27, 2012 at The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai to support the expansion of Tata Medical Centre, a comprehensive Cancer Care Centre from the Tata Group at Kolkata. The play stars veteran actor Dalip Tahil as Gandhi and Seema Anand, a well-known story teller narrating anecdotes.
Drama on music reality shows
Eminent critic and dramatist Suresh Khare’s new play ‘Sargam’ deals with the profusion of music reality television and the effect it has on children and whether the parents and children can bear the pressure one experiences during such shows. The play is directed by thespian Vikram Gokhale who also enacts the role of a veteran music teacher whose student, played by Sailee Mahadik, sings the songs on stage. The play is presented by Suyog and co-stars Sujata Deshmukh, Shriram Kolhatkar, Mohan Satam, Ajay Tillu, Kushal Nimkar, Jhanvi Panshikar among others.
Tribute to Acharya Allauddin Khansaheb
Acharya Allauddin Music Circle presents Kumar Chaitanya Sapre (Violin) accompanied by Milind Joshi (tabla), Asha Khadilkar (vocal), Bhushan Parchure (tabla) and Siddhesh Bicholkar (Harmonium). The concert will be held on April 21, 2012, Saturday, 7.00 pm at the Karnataka Sangha in Mahim. This annual concert is a tribute to the memory of Acharya Allauddin Khansaheb by the disciples of Maihar Gharana. Entry is free.