Vocal Recital By Ashwini Bhide Deshpande

The Hyderabad Chapter of SPIC-MACAY is hosting the Andhra Pradesh State Convention 2008-09 at ICFAI Business School, Shankarpalli, on 3rd & 4th Jan '09. The convention will comprise of organizational discussions, talks, films, crafts, yoga, and classical and folk performances by some maestros. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande (Vocal), Kalakrishna (Andhra Natyam), Krishna Das and group (Kalaripayattu) and Simhachala Shastry (Harikatha) will grace the event with their performances. On 3rd January, Ashwini Bhide Deshpande will present a vocal recital at 6:30pm.

Ashwini Bhide Deshpande hails from the Jaipur-Atrauli tradition of Khayal singing, a musical genre that bases itself on a repertoire of short songs (2 to 8 lines). Khayals are generally composed either in a variant of Hindi or in Farsi, and these compositions cover diverse topics, including romantic or divine love, praise of kings or gods, the seasons, dawn and dusk, and the pranks of Lord Krishna. The name khayal is derived from an Arabic word meaning 'imagination'.

Ashwini began her training at the age of 5 under the guidance of Pandit Narayanrao Datar. After graduating with a 'Sangeet Visharad' from the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, she started learning from her mother, Smt. Manik Bhide, a Khayal singer herself. She has performed in a number of music conferences in India for over 15 years, and has also had concert tours of Europe and North America.

Currently, Ashwini is under the tutelage of Pandit Ratnakar Pai, from the Jaipur gharana. A resident of Mumbai, Ashwini is a graduate in Microbiology, and has also earned a PhD in Biochemistry. She has recently published a book of 'Bandishes', written and composed by herself.

SPIC-MACAY or the Society For Promotion Of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth, founded in 1977, is a non-profit, voluntary, apolitical and participatory student movement dedicated to enriching education through the spread and appreciation of India's cultural heritage. SPIC-MACAY events are free and open to all.

Please contact Vikas Nagrare (Secretary, SPIC-MACAY, Hyderabad Chapter), at 94406-55273 for further details.