MUMBAI:  The Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal (ASPM) has announced that the 57th edition of the annual Savai Gandharva music festival will be postponed.

Pune, the host city of the festival,  was badly affected by the H1N1 virus,  and continues to be plagued by sporadic cases of swine flu.  

"There are close to 10,000 people who visit the festival, and many times they are sitting very close to each other. In such a
scenario, even if one affected person comes in contact with those around, it can cause a pandemic," said an official from the Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal The festival has been held every December in Pune for the last 56 years.

ASPM executive secretary Shrikant Deshpande reasoned that informing the loyal followers who come every year from various countries was also important, "I had to take this decision at the earliest because there are many visitors who book their flights and plan their visit beforehand - it would be unfair to leave them in the lurch," he added.

The Savai Gandharva festival is held in the month of December every year. In the last 56 years, there have not been any changes except for the festival's venue and timings due to the Supreme Court's directive that banned the use of loudspeakers after 10 pm.

Deshpande was clear that they are not canceling the festival, "It's not that we are canceling the festival altogether,"he said. "We are definitely doing it, but we'll have to look into a number of things before we decide on the date,"  he added.

Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsav was started by Bharat Ratna Kirana gharana maestro Bhimsen Joshi in 1952 as a tribute to his guru Sawai Gandharva and remains one of the most sought-after Indian classical music festivals in India.

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