A festival that celebrates the legend Kesarbai Kerkar

The annual Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar festival in Goa once again brought to life a rich musical tapestry

The Kala Academy held the 41st edition of the annual Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Sangeet Samaroha in Goa from January 1 to 14. Amid the third wave of COVID-19, the event managed to bring together artistes from across the country, but one missed the presence of a Carnatic exponent, which has been the norm for the past few years.

The festival opened with a vocal concert by young Ritishka Vernekar from Goa. Slide guitar artiste Deepak Kshirsagar from Baroda displayed a mature understanding of ragas while Mumbai-based Aarti Ankalikar Tikekar showcased her cerebral approach to music and her diverse training with her presentation of raag Jhinjhoti in the Jaipur-Atrauli style. She also sang a Basant Bahar composition of one of her gurus, Pt. Dinkar Kaikini, before concluding with raag Bhairavi, in which her rendition included an unusual nine and a half beat composition by Pt. Chaitanya Kunte, a snatch of a tappa and a tarana. “This stage set in memory of Kesarbai ji calls for a deep approach to music and not for a light presentation,” said Anjali.