New Delhi:
The prestigious Akashvani Music Festival has been renamed after Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar announced Saturday.
He made this announcement at a Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Centenary Commemorative function organised in Pune on Saturday, a statement from the Ministry of Culture said. The All India Radio, besides its regular music broadcasts, has endeared itself to its classical music listeners by organising the Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan in which prominent artists from across the country perform, it said.
Speaking on the occasion, Javadekar said, ”Doordarshan and All India Radio have opened the doors of the huge musical treasure of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi to the general public. These recordings are now available on YouTube and the Ministry of I&B is making efforts to reach them to a larger audience across the country. ”Music has many forms and it has the power to motivate us. Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal could function for 67 years without break because of the blessings of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. Pandit ji was dear to one and all. The way he performed for shows in foreign countries similarly he performed for people of all the strata of life,” Javadekar said on this occasion. Pandit Bhimsen Joshi has conferred the Bharat Ratna award in 2009. Senior leaders Sharad Pawar and Vinay Sahasrabuddhe were also present on this occasion.
