Renowned senior musician and celebrated tabla player Pandit Kiran Deshpande, honored with the Sangeet Natak Academy ‘Amrit Award’ by the Government of India, and the ‘Shikhar Samman’ by Madhya Pradesh, organized the “Guruvan” Vasanta Utsav. The commencement of this special gathering of classical music began with Saraswati Vandana in Raag Jhinjhoti, presented by Sangita Goswami and her disciples. Following that, disciple Vaibhav Dwivedi, under the tutelage of Uma Shankar Tiwari, showcased Vilambit (slow-paced) and Drut (fast-paced) rhythmic patterns, relas, techniques, and clear bols with a solo tabla performance. Subsequently, young artist Sakshi Praveen Shevalikar presented Raag Ahir Bhairav on the Mohan Veena, furthering her family’s musical heritage and winning the hearts of the audience. Representing Indore, Shri Kedar Manish Modak chose Raag Todi for his vocal rendition, showcasing his musical journey as a disciple of the esteemed musician Vidushi Shobha Chaudhari and presenting melodious singing. The program concluded with a performance on the sitar in Raag Shuddh Sarang by Pt. Arun Morone, a top-grade artist from All India Radio Indore. Before the leisurely tempo, he embellished the rendition with soulful alaap and seamlessly integrated mind and rhythm, showcasing the uniqueness of his performance. The melodies of Raag Basant enchanted the audience, and at their insistence, Pt. Kiran Deshpande himself graced the gathering with a tabla accompaniment, adding glory to the event. The entire program featured tabla maestro Dr. Ashesh Upadhyay, Shri Atharv Sangamnerkar, Chandrakhas Pimpalkhare, Samarth Pattrikar, and the late Ustad Nazar Hussain Khan’s disciple and successor Shiran Khan on the sarangi, as well as Shri Amey Pathak and Shailendra Soni on the harmonium. Esteemed musicians such as Shri S.L. Kandara, Shri Anoop Sharma, Shri Praveen Sheoikar, along with music enthusiasts and disciples, were also present at the occasion.
