25 women painters celebrated a unique activity during the Pune Festival by painting various tourist spots of Maharashtra on a canvas measuring 50 feet long and 3 feet wide. 32 women painters from the Akriti group of women painters participated in this event, held at Lokmanya Auditorium, Kesari Wada, Pune. Tourist places such as the Konkan coast, Vidarbha, Madhya Maharashtra, West Maharashtra, Pune, the 12 Jyotirlingas, Maharashtra forts, forest resources, major temples of Maharashtra, and Atal Setu were depicted on this canvas. The women painters used acrylic colors, watercolors, chalk, pencil, and charcoal for their creations.
The inauguration of this unique 50-foot-long painting took place on Tuesday, September 10, at 10:00 am. The event was inaugurated by MP Medha Kulkarni, followed by the felicitation of the women painters.
To attract more local and foreign tourists to Pune, which is growing as a tourist city, and to promote Pune's branding worldwide, several activities have been organized by the Pune Festival in collaboration with the Directorate of Maharashtra Tourism. This painting activity is one of them, according to coordinator Anuradha Bharti.
On September 9, the 'Ugvate Taare' and 'Indradhanu' programs for emerging and budding artists, part of the 36th Pune Festival at Balgandharva Rangmandir, concluded. More than 300 child and youth artists participated, performing classical singing, classical dance forms like Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, and Odissi, as well as playing instruments such as tabla, flute, harmonium, guitar, violin, satar, sarod, keyboard, and synthesizer. Other performances included Gandharva singing, monologues, devotional songs, film songs, Bollywood and Western dance, and other art forms. The audience responded enthusiastically to the young artists.
This year marks the 27th year of this program at the Pune Festival, which provides a platform for emerging artists aged 5 to 12 and young artists aged 13 to 20.
Meanwhile, on September 8, Balgandharva Rangmandir was decorated with banana poles, coconut garlands, pylons, and a phukalam (flower rangoli) as the venue showcased Malayalam culture through performances of Chenda Melam, Ganesh Vandanam, Bharatanatyam, classical and semi-classical dances, songs, Thiruvathirkali folk dance, and Mohiniyattam. The Kerala Mahotsav concluded under the Pune Festival. On behalf of the Keralites of Pune city and district, the Kerala festival was celebrated with enthusiasm on Sunday.
On this occasion, child artists from Kerala residing in Pune district presented a traditional dance performance showcasing Kerala's culture. Oppana (Muslim ethnic dance) and Margamkali (Christian ethnic dance) were also performed, beautifully reflecting religious harmony in Kerala's culture.
