Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Festival

Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Festival

The Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav (formerly known as the Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsav and simply known as Sawai) is an annual Indian Classical music festival held in Pune since 1953. Arguably the largest, most popular, and sought-after Indian Classical music festival in the world, the festival is hosted by the Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal (ASPM) and initiated by Pt. Bhimsen Joshi as a memorial music conference commemorating the life and work of Pt. Joshi's guru, Pt. Sawai Gandharva alias Rambhau Kundgolkar, the festival's namesake.

While Pt. Joshi was leading the organization of the festival, performing artists received personal invitations from Pt. Joshi to perform at the festival. With an emphasis on Hidustani Classical Khayal music, instrumentalists, dancers, dhrupadiyas, Bhakti musicians, Ghazal musicians, Qawwaliyas, and Carnatic musicians frequent the concert lineup.

A younger artist's debut performance at the festival connotes their "arrival" and promise to the Classical music scene of India (most recently including Rahul Deshpande, Kaushiki Chakraborty, and Mahesh Kale.

Since its inception, the festival has grown into a prominent cultural soiree for Pune's musical connoiseurs, featuring the foremost musicians of traditional Indian musical forms.