Ganeshotsav in Mumbai has long been more than a religious celebration. For generations, its public mandals also served as cultural spaces where music, theatre, lectures and other art forms found audiences beyond conventional auditoriums. An eight-day classical music festival beginning September 17 at Ravindra Natya Mandir, Prabhadevi, seeks to revisit a part of that cultural legacy.
The Directorate of Cultural Affairs, Government of Maharashtra, is presenting the Ganeshotsav 2026 Shastriya Sangeet Mahotsav from September 17 to 24, with performances beginning at 6.30 pm each evening at the Mini Theatre, Ravindra Natya Mandir.
The initiative comes after Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav was accorded the status of a State Festival by the Maharashtra government. As part of the expanded cultural programming around the festival, the eight-day series brings together Hindustani vocal music and a range of instrumental traditions, including flute, sitar, Rudra Veena, violin, sarod, tabla and pakhawaj.
There is also a historical resonance to the initiative. Particularly during the decades following Independence, cultural programmes formed an important part of public Ganeshotsav celebrations in Mumbai and elsewhere in Maharashtra. Classical vocal and instrumental music, natya sangeet, bhavsangeet and public lectures often found space within Ganesh mandals, allowing audiences to encounter established as well as emerging artistes outside formal concert venues.
The new festival attempts to reconnect with that tradition through eight evenings of performances.
The festival opens on September 17 with vocalist Subhadra Desai, accompanied by Yati Bhagwat on tabla and Sudhanshu Gharpure on harmonium. The evening will also feature a flute-sitar duet by S. Akash and Mehtab Ali Niazi, with Swapnil Bhise on tabla.
On September 18, Swar Sharma will present a vocal recital accompanied by Tejovrush Joshi on tabla and Siddharth Mesta on harmonium, followed by vocalist Anuja Zokarkar, accompanied by Swapnil Bhise on tabla and Supriya Modak Joshi on harmonium.
The September 19 programme features vocalists Noopur Gadgil and Nagesh Adgaonkar. Gadgil will be accompanied by Tejovrush Joshi on tabla and Varad Sohoni on harmonium.
On September 20, Mrunalini Desai will present a Rudra Veena recital with Pranay Sakpal on pakhawaj. Vocalist Gandhar Deshpande will also perform, accompanied by Vishwanath Shirodkar on tabla and Varad Sohoni on harmonium.
Violinist Yadnesh Raikar, accompanied by Vishwanath Shirodkar on tabla, will perform on September 21. The evening will also feature vocalist Prajakta Marathe, with Swapnil Bhise on tabla and Siddhesh Bicholkar on harmonium.
On September 22, vocalist Dhananjay Hegde will be accompanied by Yashwant Vaishnav on tabla and Siddhesh Bicholkar on harmonium. The evening will also feature a tabla-pakhawaj duet by Yashwant Vaishnav and Sukhad Munde, with Ruzan Ali Kalawant on sarangi.
The September 23 programme will bring vocalist Vinay Ramdasan, accompanied by Swapnil Bhise on tabla and Siddhesh Bicholkar on harmonium, followed by sarod artiste Abhishek Borkar, accompanied by Yashwant Vaishnav on tabla.
The festival concludes on September 24 with vocalist Kedar Kelkar, accompanied by Tejovrush Joshi on tabla and Varad Sohoni on harmonium, and a vocal duet by Apoorva Gokhale and Pallavi Joshi, accompanied by Swapnil Bhise on tabla and Sudhir Naik on harmonium.
The festival will be compered by Rani Verma, while its planning and curation have been undertaken by Shashi Vyas, Director and Founder of Pancham Nishad.
According to the Directorate of Cultural Affairs, the initiative is intended to preserve and promote the classical tradition, provide a platform to artistes and make classical music accessible to a wider audience as part of the Ganeshotsav celebrations.
The initiative has been organised on the concept of Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister Adv. Ashish Shelar, under the guidance of Dr Kiran Kulkarni, Secretary, Department of Cultural Affairs. Prashant Khedekar, Director, Directorate of Cultural Affairs, has invited music lovers from Mumbai and surrounding areas to attend the festival.
Entry to all performances is free.
Ganeshotsav 2026 Shastriya Sangeet Mahotsav will be held from September 17 to 24, 2026, from 6.30 pm onwards at the Mini Theatre, 3rd Floor, Ravindra Natya Mandir, Prabhadevi, Mumbai.
