A two-day national Hindustani classical music festival, Hindustani Sangeet Sambhrama, is being organised in Hubballi on Sunday and Monday. Bharatiya Sangeet Vidyalay, Dharwad, Kshamata Seva Samsthe and Mangala Bharati, founded by MP Pralhad Joshi, are jointly organising the event where musical tributes will be paid to legendary musicians Sitar Ratna Rahimat Khan, Pt. Sawai Gandharva, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur and Gangubai Hangal.

Mr. Pralhad Joshi told presspersons here on Friday that the festival would begin at 9 a.m. on Sunday at Gokul Garden on Gokul Road in Hubballi.

Pt. Ganapati Bhat Hasanagi, Pt. Anand Bhate (Pune), Anuradha Kuber, Savni Shende, Vasanth Kambra (Sarod, Jodhpur), Pt. Kushal Das (Sitar, Kolkata), among others, would perform on the inaugural day, he said.

On Monday, the festival would begin at 5.30 p.m. and vocalist Pt. Venkateshkumar (Dharwad) and flautist Pt. Rajendra Prasanna (Delhi) would perform, he said.

Pt. Ravindra Yavagal, Udayaraj Karpur, Ravikiran Nakod, Sridhar Mandre, Raghavendra Nakod will accompany the artistes on the tabla and Sudhanshu Kulkarni, Sarang Kulkarni, Guruprasad Hegde will provide accompaniment on the harmonium.

Entry is free. Passes can be collected from Hotel Swati, Hotel Ganesh, Hotel Chalukya, Hotel Krishna Bhavan, Hotel Ananth Residency in Hubballi and from Hotel Brindavan, Hotel Hoysala, Bharatiya Sangeet Vidyalay, Hotel Maitri Palace in Dharwad.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Hubballi – February 24th, 2018

Actor, director and producer K. Kashinath, 67, who was instrumental in changing the direction of Kannada cinema in the late ’70s, died on Thursday after a brief illness. In his four-decade career, Kashinath acted in over 40 films and directed 16. He was a rarity: besides directing, he wrote dialogues, songs, and even scripts. He was instrumental in the growth of several film-makers such as Upendra, Sunil Kumar Desai, music director Manohar, and he promoted actors Abhinaya, Umashree, Bank Janardhan, and Vanitha Vasu.

In the late ’70s, when Kannada cinema was clearly demarcated as commercial and art, Kashinath created his own genre. He changed the perspective of a protagonist and anti-hero and carved a niche for himself. Besides mirroring the generation he was in, he spoke against social evils such as dowry often employing the double entendre. Many even accused him of damaging the image of Kannada film industry. Undeterred, Kashinath carved his own path and soon became a cult figure.

Though he made his debut as a director in the comedy drama Aparoopada Athithigalu (1976), his talent came to the fore with Aparichita (1978), where new actors Shobha, Suresh Heblikar, M.V. Vasudeva Rao, Sundar Krishna Urs and Kokila Mohan made an entry. His landmark film Anubhava, starring Umashree (now Minister for Kannada and Culture) and Abhinaya created ripples for its content. Recently, speaking to the media, Kashinath had said: “Some were embarrassed, some criticised, while some secretly felt that Anubhava was their own experience.”

He was working till the very last. In fact two days ago, he dubbed for his upcoming film Oll Munsami, directed by Anand Priya. His recent film Chouka was not only a box office hit, but also provided a new lease of life for Kashinath.

Thousands of fans and political leaders paid their last respects. As Upendra put it, with Kashinath’s death, it is curtains to a glorious chapter in Kannada industry.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Muralidhara Khajane / Bengaluru – January 18th, 2018