3-day long Ellora-Ajanta festival to begin from Feb 25

Lokmat News Network

Aurangabad:

The much-awaited Ellora-Ajanta cultural festival of three days will be held at Sunehri Mahal, from February 25 to 27.

Meanwhile, the committees are in tune with the flutist Pandit Rakesh Chaurasia, singers Mahesh Kale, Rahul Deshpande, Hariharan, Shankar Mahadevan, Shujat Khan, drummer Shivamani and sitarist Ravi Chari to grace the festival. The names of the artists will be announced soon.

Earlier, a one-day long festival was proposed to be organised at Ellora Caves for the G20 delegates, but it has been scrapped and now the three-day long festival will be conducted at Sunehri Mahal, situated on the campus of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University (Bamu), it is learnt.

Meanwhile, a parent committee under the chairmanship of the collector Astik Kumar Pandey has been constituted. This committee is in coordination with subordinate committees looking after the finalisation of the artists, accommodation and transportation, finance, stage and sound, security, food, sanitation, medical service and electricity. It may be noted that the festival will be organised on a grand level through public participation and the sponsorers.

Events at Sunehri Mahal

The district collector confirmed the dates of the cultural festival, and venue and also briefed upon the preparations being made to conduct the event. “We will be inviting the ambassadors of three countries to grace the festival. The names of the artists will also be declared soon.

“We were planning to conduct a one-day cultural feast specially for the G-20 delegates, but the proposal is still under pipeline as nothing has been materialised in this regard, so far,” he said.