Thanekars soak in the melody fountain of Rahul Deshpande

Cometh the monsoon, Hastkala, a household name in Thane and surrounding areas, brings the much-awaited Anandghana Art Festival to the joy of the people. Anandghana is the harbinger of the monsoon and the auspicious month of Shravan.

This year, on August 5, at Dr Kashinath Ghanekar Natyagruha, Hastkala extended a heartfelt invitation to all the music lovers and connoisseurs to soak in the mellifluous voice of the critically acclaimed classical singer, Shri Rahul Deshpande. Shri Deshpande presented some of his beautiful musical collections from his YouTube channel – ‘Rahul Deshpande Collective’, and the classic coalescence of Hindi and Marathi songs won the audience’s hearts.

           
On the eve of the art festival, Pravin Chheda, the founder of Hastkala, a well-known women’s ethnic wear and traditional clothing brand, noted, “We have been serving Thanekars for the past 28 years. We are united with the culture and art of the city, and we are eager to organise many such events in the future.”

The programme garnered tremendous response. Many distinguished dignitaries, including Thanevaibhav’s managing editor Nikhil Ballal, famous Kathak dancer Dr Manjiri Deo and former TMC corporator Pratibha Madhvi, graced the programme with their esteemed presence.

The three-hour-long musical treat started with the song ‘Tuj Magato Me Ata’ and culminated with a melodious rendition of ‘Kaivalya’ from the movie Me Vasantrao. Shri Deshpande was well-supported by musicians Aditya Oak, Tanmay Pawar, Rohan Vanage, Vinayak Joshi, Atul Raninga, Prasad Padhye and Compere Dhanashree Damle.
While it was raining outside, indubitably, the audience inside the theatre was drenched in the sweet downpour. The skyline of Thane did see a mesmerising rainbow, not made from seven colours, but from the seven musical notes that emanated from none other than Shri Rahul Deshpande.