Bal gandharva rang mandir

The third edition of the World Jazz Festival (WJF) conceived and produced by Banyan Tree in conjunction with Alexander Beets from the Amersfoort Jazz Festival in the Netherlands, was held in Mumbai on April 29th and 30th, 2023 at the Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir in Bandra, Mumbai. This festival had also been held in Pune, Bengaluru and Dehradun prior to Mumbai. It is an amazing truth that not too many jazz festivals, anywhere are performed without the music of Duke Ellington. Added to that, at least for the WJF was the name of the Brazilian maestro Antonio Carlos Jobim; ample tribute in song was paid to ‘Tom’ Jobim, particularly by the Lucas Santana Band, which won many hearts over the festival. Incidentally, the airport at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil is called the Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport, demonstrating the high esteem in which Jobim is held. A major surprise at the festival was Lucas Santana, a Brazilian soprano and alto saxophone player and band leader. Santana was perhaps the first sax player from Brazil to play in Mumbai, and possibly India. He displayed immense prowess, not merely with the Jobim standards but with a great understanding of the mainstream jazz idiom and the blues. The band version of “Heritage,” a blues original, where Santana played a beautiful alto sax demonstrated his understanding of the traditional blues sound in jazz. (He said to us later that he was embarrassed by praise, so we will leave it at that!). In Santana’s band was also a hi...

Pune: Like the Shaniwarwada fort, the Balgandharva Rangmandir in the heart of the city’s J.M. Road area, occupies a central place in Pune’s socio-cultural fabric. The iconic auditorium, named in memory of the legendary Marathi singer-stage actor, has witnessed a Golden age of Marathi theatre and music. The Pune Municipal Corporation’s decision late last month to redevelop the landmark structure, now in its 50th year of existence, has elicited sharp reactions from some of Maharashtra’s most prominent theatre exponents who, whilst welcoming the idea of redevelopment, have cast aspersions on the civic body’s intent and methods. The auditorium was conceived by legendary Marathi litterateur Pu. La. Deshpande in the late 60s. With its superb acoustics and lighting systems it was considered among the best, not just in Maharashtra, but also in India. “I remember how Pu La consulted his peers and also youngsters like us. The excellent sound and light facilities made this the best in the country,” actor and theatre activist Amol Palekar told The Hindu . The PMC’s standing committee chief Muralidhar Mohol while setting aside ₹10 crore to rejuvenate the auditorium had said the plan was to construct three auditoria — for professional theatre, experimental theatre and an open air venue. Mr. Palekar was apprehensive as he said the process was shrouded in complete secrecy. “While redevelopment in itself is a welcome idea, why weren’t any details about the proposal shared with the city’s t...

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Pune: The civic body has decided to provide a separate water line for Balgandharva Rangmandir to ensure adequate supply and also planned repairs and maintenance work at Mahatma Phule Auditorium in Wanowrie and Annabhau Sathe Hall on Satara Road. Recently, district guardian minister Chandrakant Patil held a meeting to discuss the problems faced by artists and visitors at the Pune Municipal Corporation-run (PMC) auditoriums. Civic officials said they are preparing a list of repairs, including air-conditioning, sound systems and arrangement of lights at the facilities. “ A contractor has been appointed to run the canteen as many visitors had demanded food facility at the auditorium,” a civic official said. He added, “We are also taking measures to minimize the nuisance of mosquitoes.” The civic body has asked MahaMetro to expedite the work and clear the Sangita Datar, a recent visitor to the auditorium, said the toilet was stinking and the facility needed a major overhaul. “The air conditioning was not functioning smoothly besides the toilet facilities. All auditoriums should be maintained properly,” she said.

Legendary play Sangeet Maan-Apmaan,first showcased in 1911,will be staged in its original form at the Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir on Saturday. The five-and-a-half-hour play was originally produced by Kirloskar Natak Mandali and debuted at Mumbai’s Ripon Theatre on March 12,1911 with Bal Gandharva as the chief artiste and K P Khadilkar directing it. A commemorative festival organised by threatre company Marathi Rangbhoomi is showcasing the play in five cities this year,with the last stop being Pune. The show in the city,with three principal characters,will feature over 40 songs,including most of the rare original compositions that had been truncated over the years to reduce the length of the play. “The play is an imaginary story of a woman whose ambitions are driven by wealth. Her ideas shift when she meets a senapati. She gradually realises the importance of bravery in a man. The truimph of character over material superiority is the moral of the story,” says Varsha Joglekar,who is part of the play. The songs for the play had been written by Khadilkar while the music had been weaved in by Govindrao Tembe. Marathi Rangbhoomi has,since 1949,produced 1,000 shows of the play. The first play had featured Jayamala Shiledar in the main female role of Dhamini. The adaptation on Saturday will feature her 58-year-old daughter Kirti Shiledar in the same role. “My mother essayed the role close to 1,200 times in her career. My father first played the role of Lakshmidhar when he was 18. My...

With rumours and allegations flying around ever since the draft of the new Balgandharva Rangmandir was announced, former mayor Murlidhar Mohol made his intentions clear before the media by calling it a genuine need for a better auditorium in the city. The news that Balgandharva Rangmandir will soon be demolished has created ripples among theatre lovers, actors and people in general but Murlidhar Mohol assured the media that there will be no commercial establishments coming up in the area and that the new auditorium will also still be called Balgandharva Rangmandir . (Rahul Raut/HT PHOTO) Mohol had announced the project in 2018 while he was part of the standing committee but had met with fierce opposition from theatre actors and producers to the extent an opposition rally was held right at Balgandharva Rangmandir calling it a heritage and tradition passed down for generations by noted playwright PL Deshpande. Calling a press conference on the same premises, Mohol clarified, “Fifty-four years ago, PL Deshpande, too, faced the same opposition when he planned this iconic Balgandharva Rangmandir . Now it is the need of the hour to have a better auditorium which fulfils all the needs of theatre today. There is no catch in this proposal nor is it political.” The news that Balgandharva Rangmandir will soon be demolished has created ripples among theatre lovers, actors and people in general but Mohol assured the media that there will be no commercial establishments coming up in the...

Bandra’s Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir is finally ready after a wait of over two decades. Leased to K Raheja Foundation in 1992 by the BMC to redevelop an open-air theatre into a closed auditorium, the site has seen its fair share of controversies. The new auditorium, in the quiet residential lane of St Theresa’s Road, is set to open to the public mid-August. Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir in Bandra boasts of a 740-seater auditorium. Pic/Sameer Markande ADVERTISEMENT Once it opens, it will be the third biggest events venue after St Andrew’s and Rang Sharada in Bandra. The open-air theatre, named after one of the most famous Marathi singers and stage actors, had run into ruin in the early 1990s and become a haven for drug addicts, say sources. Wanting to refurbish the space in a more functional way, the BMC joined hands with K Raheja Foundation, a part of realty group K Raheja Constructions. The new look In its new avatar, Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir boasts of a 740-seater auditorium, with two special boxes on either side of the balcony, designed by a Singapore-based architect. “We have fitted this auditorium with the latest lighting and sound equipment. A closed auditorium is a better fit for this city, its monsoon and a location like Bandra. This way, there is better acoustics and neighbours will not complain of the noise, unlike with an open-air theatre,” says architect Mahinder Chande, chief executive officer of K Raheja and in-charge of this redevelopment. The upper floors have d...

The Culture Scoop Newsletter includes exclusive stories, the best content from museums, downloadables, art-humour and curated recommendations (mostly with an India and Asian focus). Let us know how frequently you’d like to hear from us. We’ll use this information to make sure we’re only sending you content you’re interested in. You can also subscribe to our Thank you for staying with us! Bal Gandharva (26 June 1888 – 15 July 1967) was the undisputed king of Marathi musicals and theatre. He was born as Narayan Shripad Rajhans in the Nagthane village of Palus taluka, located in the Sangli district of Maharashtra. Even though women had started to work in theatre as early as the 1870s, the trend of celebrated female characters being played by men had continued till the early 1930s. Bal Gandharva played the role of women in over 27 original plays & 5000 stage shows (a period spanning over 40 years!) Music was an essential part of Narayan’s childhood : his father Shripadrao, loved singing and played sitar for pleasure. It was his daily routine to sing bhoopalis (Marathi devotional songs) accompanied by the melodious tunes of his sitar early in the morning. Moreover, Narayan’s mother Annapurnabai, and aunt Haribai, were into singing what were known as “women’s songs” that were popular in the late 19th century. His exposure to theatre too, started early and because of family: Narayan’s maternal uncle Vasudevrao Puntambekar, was one of the founders of a drama troupe called Natyakal...