Tara announced one day, "Mukti and Shrinivas are going to Ayodhya and they want us to join them. Mukti is performing at a festival there. And added Shrinivas said 'Tell uncle he should come. I will take care of him'. " Being a super-senior his promise made it easier to decide! It was an opportunity to see the Ramlalla Temple as well!
We know them from our Bangkok days! Mukti is a well known Kathak dancer, https://mukti-shri.com/home/. Her website tells us more about her activities. Recently she had her show at the prestigious Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre. https://in.bookmyshow.com/events/pulse-by-mukti-shri/ET00477979
The event 'Ayodhya Residential Sanget Sammelan 2026' was organised by Abhijat Music Forum! This is a unique organisation, wherein well known and budding artists congregate for a few days and perform! Fortunately music lovers are also invited to be part of this festival. I had not heard of this forum. It began in the year 2016.Abhijat Music Forum is an umbrella organization dedicated
to the development and conservation of the art of Indian Classical Music. Our
aim is to conduct innovative and unique residential music festivals that
provide opportunities to genuinely talented artists and provide exposure to
authentic classical music to audiences.
We believe it is important to make use of the collective
expertise of these multifaceted organizations in order to create an
atmosphere suitable for providing a platform for upcoming artists. Abhijat
Music Forum has the blessing of many distinguished artists* in the field of
Indian Classical Music, who always offer their invaluable insight.
It was an unforgettable experience. I saw senior artists mingle informally with the younger artists. It was like being in a close knit family. It was special to meet again Mukti and Shrinivas's Guru and Mentor, Talayogi Padmasri Suresh Talwalkarji. We had met him in Bangkok.
*Sureshji was present all through the sammelan. He also performed and he participated in discussions about the nuances in Music! When I spoke to him, he mentioned that he was with the forum from its initiation and knew the organisers since long!
The program was conducted in Hindi, Marathi and a bit of English while introducing the artists. We were invited to be part of a WhatsApp group! This helped us to connect with each other sharing information. Later, I saw from the comments made about our stay, that many first timers like me were happy with the non-VIP atmosphere of the sammelan. We all stood in a queue for our meals, the cooks were from Pune. We ate the same food! It was nice for me to hear 'Marathi' spoken; I lived in Pune for 24 years!
Being just a lover of music I enjoyed listening to Music which started early in the morning and ended close to midnight. With breaks for meals and some sightseeing for those so inclined. We just took one break for our darshan of Ramlalla!
It was even better for Tara, as a student and as an organizer of music programs! Shrinivas Rao and the Trio (Tara, Gayathri and Viji) arranged many programs in Bangkok. In addition, music teachers came to Bangok to teach music. She was happy to meet Vidushi Archana Kanhare at the sammelan.
WhatsApp members have shared pictures of the artists and a few short videos. I guess these would be seen on the Forum website. I will just share a few pictures of Mukti's performance for the benefit of a few friends who know her! She is family for us!
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