The ‘Pune Festival’, a splendid confluence of art, culture, music, dance, and sport, commemorates its illustrious 37th edition this year. This celebration will unfold from 27 August to 6 September during the grandeur of the Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav festivities.

Union Minister of Tourism and Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will inaugurate 37th Pune Festival today, 29th August at 4:30 PM at Shri Ganesh Kala Krida Rangmanch, Swargate, Pune. It will be presided over by former Union Minister for Home, GOI Sushilkumar Shinde. Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol, Minister of Higher and Technical Education-GOM Chandrakant Patil, Minister for tourism-GOM Shambhuraj Desai, Minister of State for Urban Development Madhuri Misal, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress President Harshavardhan Sapkal, MP Sunetra Pawar, MP Medha Kulkarni, MP Shrirang Barne, Commissioner of PMC Naval Kishore Ram and Deputy Director of MTDC-Pune Shama Pawar will be the guest of Honour.

The Pune Festival is jointly organized by Pune Festival Committee, the citizens of Pune and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation. All programs of Pune Festival are free for citizens.

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation and the Kohinoor Group are main sponsors with Panchshil and Suma Shilp as associate sponsors. Co-sponsors are Bharat Forge, NECC, IIFL Capital, Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College, Suhana Masale and Ahura Builders.

In keeping with its tradition of honouring excellence the Festival will at its inaugural ceremony confer the prestigious ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ as well as the ‘Pune Festival Awards’ to distinguished figures whose contributions have left an enduring imprint upon their respective domains.

This year the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ will be bestowed upon Dr. Shivajirao Kadam, Chancellor of Bharati Vidyapeeth and Dr. P. A. Inamdar, Chancellor of Dr. P. A. Inamdar University. Additionally the ‘Pune Festival Award’ will be conferred upon Actress Amruta Khanvilkar, veteran playwright Dr. Satish Alekar, Indian cricketer Kedar Jadhav, Maharashtra Kesari Prithviraj Mohol, Dnyandev Kamathe of Mauli Agro Tourism Centre and entrepreneur Supriya Badwe.

The Pune Festival upholds a tradition of honouring the city’s Ganesh Mandals that have celebrated the centenary of the Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav. At every inaugural ceremony the ‘Jai Ganesh Puraskar’ is conferred a distinction instituted in memory of the late Prataprao (Tatya) Godse of the Shreemant Dagdusheth Halwai Sarvajanik Ganpati Trust. This year the distinction of the ‘Jai Ganesh Puraskar’ will be conferred upon ‘Naidu Ganpati Mandal’ of Rasta Peth.

Inaugural Ceremony

As in every year the inaugural ceremony of the present edition shall be nothing short of spectacular. The proceedings shall commence with the mellifluous strains of the shehnai rendered by the venerable maestro Tukaram Daithankar accompanied by his group. This will be followed by the ritual of lamp-lighting and the auspicious Ganesh Aarti.

Thereafter the Kalavardhini Dance Group will present a Ganesh choreographed by the danseuse Arundhati Patwardhan. The Janaki Group of Garba and Folk Arts will offer a performance entitled ‘Shiv Tapasvinche Nrutya’ under the choreography of Bhairavi Sachdev. International students from Symbiosis Institute will enthrall the audience with their creative ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ dance. This programme is conceptualized and directed by Amruta Ruikar and Co-ordinated by Rupali Chaudhary.

A distinctive highlight will be the Mallakhamb demonstrations performed by the young gymnasts of the Maharashtra Mandal. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Sikkim’s integration into India, the Ruturang Cultural Group will present the ‘Maruni’ folk dance’ of Sikkim alongside the vibrant ’Bihu’ dance of Assam curated by Karuna Patil and Devika Borthakur.

Students from Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh studying at the Ishwarpuram Institute (Pune) will perform the ‘War Dance of Nagaland’ and the ‘Festival Dance of Arunachal’ co-ordinated by Vineet Kuber. ‘The Pune Malayali Federation’ will showcase a performance by Keral artistes from Pune under the direction of Rajan Nair. The Tribal Research and Training Institute of the Directorate of Tribal Welfare will present the ‘Tarapa’ dance arranged by Pushpalata Madavi.

The evening will culminate with a unique Kathak–Lavani jugalbandi by Payalvrund Dance Academy, choreographed by Nikita Moghe.

The inaugural ceremony will be compered in Marathi by Rajesh Damle and in English by Sarita Mulchandani.