MUMBAI: The seventh annual Bansuri Utsav that will take place on 4 and 5 January at the Shri Shiv Samartha Mandal's High School Grounds in Thane is sure to be a delight for music lovers all over. The Utsav will witness performances from Padma Vibhushan awardees like Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma and Trilok Gurtu. Kishori Amonkar, also a Padma Vibhushan will be felicitated with the Pandit Hariprasad Chauradsia award and a cash prize of Rs. 1 Lakh.

Organiser and renowned flautist Vivek Sonar, in conversation with Radioandmusic.com, spoke about challenges he faces in putting together the Utsav. "The biggest challenge is arranging for funds, but we are still managing somehow. This is our seventh edition. Sponsors are not keen because they want exposure in Mumbai and our Utsav is in Thane. Thane is a big city and the crowd is different from Mumbai and Bansuri Utsav is probably one of the biggest activities in Thane. Since it is also the birth place of the Utsav, we are continuing organising there. That said, if we get enough funds, we will definitely go to Mumbai. In fact, we are planning on arranging the next Bansuri Utsav in Mumbai too."

Speaking further about the kind of audiences the Utsav attracks, Sonar said, "Flute is the only instrument that touches your soul. We usually get a huge crowd, due to the fusion compositions we perform. This year, there will be Trilok Gurtu, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma and Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. There is always a mixed crowd, but in Bansuri Utsav the audiences largely comprise of the youth. We get a lot of admissions at our academy and queries post Utsav. Of course, age is no bar when it comes to music lovers. In Thane we have some of our old supporters and a big audience from all over Thane district. A large section of our audiences come from Mumbai to see the Flute Symphony." Due to shortage of space for audiences the year before, the Utsav is being held in open grounds to accommodate more people.

A one of a kind set up, the Flute Symphony is a performance by all the students of Sonar's academy Gurukul Pratishthan, of ages ranging from 10 to 85 along with their Guru (teacher). "The Flute symphony has a composition by my Guruji and another by me. There will also be other pieces based on different Ragas and some fusion pieces with elements of Jazz. For the first time, we will be introducing violin in our Flute Symphony. The students come from different walks of life and have been rehearsing together for about five months now. We want to show people that something like this can and does happen in India and it happens only at the Bansuri Utsav." said Sonar.

The Utsav will commence with the Flute Symphony and conclude with a performance by Sonar's Guruji, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. There will also be, on the second day, a performance by Trilok Gurtu, Ravi Chari and Vivek Sonar along with the felicitation of Kishori Amonkar for the Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia award. There are several ‘first-times' that make this edition different from the previous ones; for the first time it will be a 2 days festival, violin will be introduced into the flute symphony, Shivkumar Sharma will be performing in, Trilok Gurtu will be performing in Mumbai-Thane, there will be give a 1 Lakh cash prize to Kishori Amonkar who will be felicitated by Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, three Padma Vibhshan awardees- Kishori Amonkar, Pt. Shivkumar Sharma and Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasia- will be a part of the Bansuri Utsav.

"I want to promote Indian classical music through flute, which is why I started the Utsav in 2007. This is an annual event that I host for the students from my academy to come together and perform to an enthused gathering of music lovers. The intention is to help the audiences begin a new year on a melodious note," signed off Sonar.