The organisers affirm that the idea behind this is not so much of a jugalbandi as of allowing each artiste to explore his independent creative potential. The good news for music lovers is that Pandit Bhimsen Joshi whose sonorous voice usually brings the festival to a close will perform this year. Ill- health had not permitted him to perform for the last two years.

The three-day fest features solo performances by prominent vocalists Pandit Jasraj, Pandit Feroze Dastur, Khan Rashidkahan, Malini Rajurkar, Kalpana Zhokarkar, Meeta Pandit, Uday Bhawalkar, Shrikant Deshpande, Ulhas Kashalkar, Padma Deshpande and Shounak Abhishek. Seasoned vocalist Gangubai Hangal will sing along with daughter Krishna.

In another joint performance, former actress Hema Malini will present Bharatnaytam while her daughter Eesha Deol will give an Odissi dance recital. Santoor maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma will perform along with his son, Rohan and Kartik kumar will perform on the sitar along with Niladri Kumar. Crowd-pullers flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia and Purbayan Chatterjee on sitar are among the star attractions in the instrumental section.

Sarod-player Rajan Kulkarni will also feature on the list. Delhi-based Ustad Shafat Ahmed Khan is expected to provide accompaniment on the tabla. The three-day fest will begin to the mellifluous strains of the shehnai played by Tukaram Daithankar, Sharad Khaladkar and Pramod Gaikwad.