Vai. Mu. Kothainayaki

It was Bhai Mahavir, Governor of Madhya Pradesh, who broke the subdued mood of the city by inaugurating the fourday festival of Carnatic and Indian classical music at Antarang, the cosy and convivial concert hall of Bharat Bhawan, Bhopal. Jayant Kastuar, Secretary of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi, K. A. Kabir, Director of the Rajbhasha and Sanskriti Nideshalaya, Bhopal, and Om Prakash Chourasia, Director of the Ustad Allauddin Khan Sangeet Academy, Bhopal, welcomed the Governor. All agreed upon the need of such functions, which help present the depth and variety of Indian culture and at the same time help promote individual art-forms and artists, a taste for their aesthetic, academic and historical aspects, as well as a sense of fraternity and national solidarity.

The melodious notes of music delighted not only the serious listeners but also casual visitors that thronged the festival billed as Sangeetotsav, which spanned 27-30 September. The festival was organised by the central Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA), in collaboration with the Ustad Alauddin Khan Sangeet Academy and and Bharat Bhawan, Bhopal.