Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Ustad Alauddin Khan Sangeet Evam Kala Akademi is going to organise a two-day Kumar Gandharva Samman Alankaran aur Sangeet Samaroh at Malhar Smriti Mandir, Dewas from Friday evening.
The event is being organised in collaboration with District Administration Dewas in the memory of music maestro late Pandit Kumar Gandharva.
On April 8 (Friday), the artists will be feted with the Rashtriya Kumar Gandharva Samman. It will be followed by the performance of classical vocalist Meeta Pandit from New Delhi and dancer Bimbawati Devi and her troupe from Kolkata. The troupe will present a Manipuri dance.
On April 9 (Saturday), classical singer Atul Khandekar from Pune will perform in the morning session. The flute duo by Suchismita Acharya and Devopriya Ranadive from Thane will be held in the evening session. Mithlesh Kumar Jha, Gandhar Rajhas, Ragendra Singh Solanki will accompany them on tabla, Ravi Killedar on harmonium, Deepak Khasarwal and Kamal Ahmed on sarangi on both the days of the event.
About Pandit Kumar Gandharva
Pandit Kumar Gandharva originally known as Shivaputra Siddharamayya Komkalimath was an Indian classical singer, well known for his unique vocal style and for his refusal to be bound by the tradition of any gharana. The name, Kumar Gandharva, is a title given to him when he was a child prodigy; a Gandharva is a musical spirit in Hindu mythology. Gandharva was born in Sulebhavi near Belgaum, Karnataka in a Kannada-speaking Lingayat family. By the age of five, he had already shown signs of a musical prodigy and first appeared on stage at the age of 10. When he was 11, his father sent him to study music under the well-known classical teacher, B.R. Deodhar. His mastery of technique and musical knowledge was so rapid that Gandharva himself was teaching at the school before he had turned 20. By his early 20s, Gandharva was seen as a star of music and was praised by critics.
