The 29th edition of the Mumbai Sanskriti music festival will begin in virtual mode on Saturday.
Based on the theme ‘Use Live Music to Save Heritage’, four concerts will be held on separate days at 7 p.m. at the Convocation Hall of the University of Mumbai and streamed on the official YouTube channel of the Indian Heritage Society-Mumbai.
The concerts will feature santoor player Shivkumar Sharma (April 10), Sufi singer Radhika Sood Nayak (April 17), tabla player Fazal Qureshi (April 24), and vocalist Dr. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande (May 1).
The Indian Heritage Society-Mumbai has been organising the festival since 1992 at the heritage precinct of Banganga tank, Walkeshwar. Later, it was moved to the steps of the Asiatic Library following a high court order to curb noise pollution. The fest was then renamed Mumbai Sanskriti from Banganga Festival.
Anita Garware, chairperson, Indian Heritage Society-Mumbai, said, “Our heritage, culture, traditions are part of a venerable lineage, which should be conserved. The event is an effort towards this cause, so that we can save and celebrate Mumbai’s heritage through art, architecture and music.”
Dr. Dhananjay Sawalkar, director, Directorate of Tourism, said, “Maharashtra holds the maximum number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites among all States and Union Territories in India, which shows the State’s rich cultural diversity and heritage. Mumbai Sanskriti festival is an excellent initiative to showcase and promote the richness of our culture and we are proud to partner with it.”
The event is jointly sponsored by HSBC and Tata Consultancy Services. “The festival is aimed at increasing awareness of the rich heritage of Mumbai using live music,” the organisers said. The event is supported by the Maharashtra Tourism and curated by Northern Lights. Visit: www.YouTube.com/IndianHeritageSocietyMumbai
