Maha Govt's 'Saptarang 2014' musical extravaganza begins

'Saptarang 2014', a musical and cultural festival organised by Maharashtra government, will help provide a platform to budding music talent, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said.
"I am sure the festival will provide ample scope for new artistes to display their talent. I am also confident that the event will showcase the rich cultural heritage of Maharashtra," the chief minister said.
He was speaking on Friday night after inaugurating the festival, being held from January 3 to 9.
The event has been organised by the Cultural Affairs Department.
Immediately after the inaugural ceremony at the Gateway of India here, noted singer Shankar Mahadevan and percussionists A Selvaganesh, Vikku Vinayakram and A Shivamani, enthralled the audience through their performance, titled 'Southern Express'.

A host of programmes have been organised at Gateway between January 3 and 5, Ashutosh Ghorpade, Director of Cultural Affairs, Maharashtra government, said.

The show will then move to Vishnudas Bhave Auditorium in Navi Mumbai on January 6 and 7 and will culminate at Kashinath Ghanekar Natyagriha in Thane on January 8 and 9, Ghorpade said.
January 4 saw an early morning recital by singer Roopkumar Rathod who featured in 'Sufiana', a musical fest of Sufi music.
The same evening saw Reeva and Group presenting youth music. Singers Bhupinder and Mitali Singh followed with an enthralling ghazal rendition.
In the morning hours today, veteran vocalist Kishori Amonkar rendered various ragas to the delight of connoisseurs of classical music.

Leading Bollywood composers Salim-Suleman would perform in the evening.