24th Bal Gandharva Music Festival To Be Held In Jalgaon From January 9-11

Jalgaon: The 24th Bal Gandharva Music Festival, known as Khandesh's cultural benchmark for classical music and the only one in the country held in the name of Bal Gandharva, is being organised by the Late Vasantrao Chandorkar Memorial Foundation from January 9th to 11th for three days.

The festival is being held at the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje Natya Mandir from 7 to 11 pm, and the preparations for the festival are complete, said Deepak Chandorkar, the executive trustee of the Late Vasantrao Chandorkar Foundation, while speaking to FPJ  today.

The festival will begin with a Ganesh Vandana (prayer) by Nupur Khatawkar, Komal Chauhan, Hetal Chauhan, Sakshi Mali, Snehal Phadke, and Tanaya Patil. This will be followed by a classical vocal performance by artist Shruti Bujarbaruah. In the second session, Chirag Katti will present a sitar recital.

Shruti Bujarbaruah (Vocal)

Shruti Bujarbaruah is an Indian classical vocalist and playback singer. Originally from Assam, Shruti started learning classical music from her parents, Munindra Bujarbaruah and Mrs. Sangeeta Bujarbaruah, from the age of four. She has obtained the 'Sangeet Visharad' and 'Sangeet Alankar' degrees from Bhatkhande Sangeet Vidyapeeth, Lucknow.

Along with pure classical music, she also showcases her melodious voice in semi-classical music forms such as Thumri, Dadra, Marathi Abhang, Bhajan, and Ghazal. She has received numerous awards for her contributions to the field of classical music.

Chirag Katti (Sitar)

Chirag Katti is a highly talented and promising young sitar player in contemporary Indian classical music. Chirag, who received his musical training from his father and guru, Pt. Shashank Katti, is an 'A' grade artist of All India Radio (AIR). He has performed in AIR's prestigious 'National Programme' in both 2017 and 2024. He is a recipient of the 'Surmani' award and is an empanelled artist of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). He has also received a scholarship for sitar playing from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

On Saturday, the 10th, in the first session, renowned sarangi player Ustad Sabir Khan, son of the late Ustad Sultan Khan, will present his sarangi recital, while the second session will feature a jugalbandi (duet) between renowned Kathak dancer Nidhi Prabhu and celebrated Flamenco dancer Kunal Om.

The music festival will conclude with a concert of instrumental ensemble featuring Nadaswaram, Tavil, and Mridangam. This ensemble will be performed by Shreya Devnath, M. Karthikeyan, and Praveen Sparsh. It has been announced that Mangala Khadilkar will be the compere for all three days of the festival.