Modern Festivals of Maharashtra
Every year, MTDC seeks to present the myriad facets of Maharashtra's rich
heritage of the performing arts through a series of festivals held at
important cultural centres.
The years have added a mesmerising allure
to these events, now avidly awaited by lovers of Indian music, art and
culture, who appreciate the artistry of India's leading exponents of classical
music and dance who come from all over the country to perform at the festivals.
Pune Festival
Lord Ganesh, or Ganpati as He is popularly called in Maharashtra, is among the most beloved of Hindu Gods. As Ganesh Chaturthi - his day of birth - approaches every year in August-September, so does the Pune Festival, a celebration of art and culture, song and dance, custom and tradition.
Originally conceived as a localised cultural event, the Pune Festival has, over the years, gained national and international stature and evolved into one of India's landmark cultural happenings. It is one of the few festivals that has been consistently and actively promoted abroad by the government of India, as a major tourist attraction.
Some of the country's internationally renowned artistes have gathered at Pune, and regarded it as a privilege to be invited to perform at the festival.
While it has provided a unique platform for exponents of classical
music and dance it has, keeping pace with changing times, also helped
to promote modern trends in the performing arts, notably the dramatic
arts and the traditional art of rangoli.
A rare treat, the week-long Pune Festival provides a feast of entertainment
for visitors who can participate and revel in traditional and modern
sports events, shop for exquisite textiles and handicrafts, relish the
delectable cuisine and rejoice in the colourful customs of Maharashtra.
To their benefactors, they are grateful; to their enemies, relentless. If they are insulted, they will risk their lives to avenge themselves. If they are asked to help one in distress, they will forget themselves in their haste to render assistance."
The antiquity of this region can be traced to approximately the 3rd century BC, which is when the Maharastri language, a Prakrit corruption of Sanskrit from which the term 'Maharashtra' is derived, was then in use. Marathi, which evolved from Maharastri-Prakrit, has been the lingua franca of the people of this area from the 10th century onwards.
