Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (KD/AF) - pic - Ganesh S Perla

Mangalore, Jun 1: Konkani Samskritik Sangha which celebrated its silver jubilee last year will organize a music concert by renowned Hindustani musician Pandit Venkatesh Kumar on Saturday June 2 at Town Hall here.

This was announced by Sangha president Raghava Kamat at a press meet here on Friday June 1.

Venkatesh Kumar hails from Lakshmipura, a hamlet in the Bellary district. He was born and brought up in a rural ambience with ancestral folk tradition and was strongly influenced by his father, a renowned folk artiste. Impressed by his genuine dedication to music pandit Puttaraja Gawai tutored him in the Gurukula system and he has effectively inherited the Gwalior Gharana with all its nuances.

He has featured in national programme of music and has been an ‘A’ grade artiste of All India Radio since 1988.

He has been awarded Rajyothsava award and titles ‘Swara Shree,’ ‘Sangeeta Sudhakara’ and ‘Sangeeeta Ratna’ conferred by well-known cultural organizations. He has more than 10 audio commercial cassettes and CDs to his name and has also authored a text book of music which has been prescribed for examinations conducted by the state government.

At present he is serving as a faculty member at Dharwad University where he teaches music to undergraduate students.

Among those present at the press meet were Sangha members M R Kamat, Venkatesh Baliga, Ramesh Krishna Shet and Praveen Kumar Kamat.