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Pune : Embracing the strength and spirit of women a diverse array of competitions like Miss Pune Festival, Mrs. Pune Festival, Painting, Dance, Bridal Makeup, and cooking have been organized in the 35th Pune Festival Mahila Mahotsav. Along with this, Kirtan Mahotsav of women kirtankars is also going to be a special attraction. This Mahila Mahotsav will be inaugurated by Patron of Pune Festival, actress and danseuse Hema Malini (MP) at Balgandharva Kaladalan on Saturday 23rd September at 11.00 am by lighting the lamp. She will also mark the opening of the painting competition and exhibition "Canvas of a Dream Girl," which will showcase paintings painted on her by women painters throughout the country.
Since the inception of Pune Festival, Suresh Kalmadi, President of Pune Festival, has encouraged various competitions for women under Mahila Mahotsav, providing a platform for women to showcase their talent and fostering their growth. The women's competitions offer enticing prizes, adding an extra layer of motivation for participants to showcase their skills and talents. Like every year, this year too we are thrilled and delighted at the continued enthusiastic response to the various women's competitions said Pune Festival Vice President Krushnakumar Goyal and Chief Coordinator Adv. Abhay Chhajed during the Press Conference.
Painting competition –
Regarding the painting competition, organizer Adv. Anuradha Bharti (Mob. 9422078956) from Nivedita Pratishthan announced that a painting competition and exhibition called 'Canvas of a Dream Girl' portrait and composition will be organized by the 'Akruti' group, consisting of over 350 talented women painters from across the country at Balgandharva Kaladalan from Saturday 23rd to 25th September. This marks the fourteenth year for this esteemed competition. It will be inaugurated on Saturday, 23rd September at 11.00 am by renowned actress and danseuse Hema Malini (MP), who also serves as the Patron of the Pune Festival. Interestingly, in this competition, female contestants will showcase their artistic talents by creating portraits of Hema Malini or crafting posters from any of her iconic films. All the artworks participating in the competition will be on display for three consecutive days, starting from Saturday, September 23rd to Monday, September 25th from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, allowing art enthusiasts and visitors ample time to appreciate these creations. The exhibition will be free for all. In addition to the portrait of Hema Malini, like every year, the exhibition will also feature an additional hundred captivating paintings.
The exhibition will showcase a diverse range of artistic mediums, including pencil sketch, charcoal, acrylic colour, oil paint, and watercolour on canvases varying in size from 18 x 22 to 22 x 30 inches. Furthermore, as a special highlight, a live portrait of Hema Malini will be created during the event, employing both oil paint and watercolour techniques.
The highlight of this year's exhibition is the collaborative effort of 50 women painters hailing from various states such as Punjab, Haryana, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, all part of the 'Akriti' group. They will meticulously hand-paint the iconic 'Ganesha Image' logo of the Pune Festival on a canvas spanning approximately 8 feet in width and 18 feet in length. Following the completion, the artists will adorn both sides of the canvas with depictions of the Ashtavinayaka, featuring four on each side. This splendid artwork will then be presented as a generous gift to the Pune Festival. Dr. Rajetri Kulkarni, Professor, SNDT College and Mrs. Hema Jain, Ex-Professor, JJ School of Arts will serve as esteemed examiners. Prizes will be distributed by Shri Rahul Balwant, Principal Abhinav Kala Vidyalaya, Pune. The print media partner is Varad Infotech and Pahari Natural and Pidilite are going to give prizes.
Miss Pune Festival competition -
Miss Pune Festival competition coordinator Supriya Tamhane (Mob. 9881149995) said that this competition, which has become a national attraction and is popular among young women, is being held this year at Ganesh Kala Krida Rangmanch on Tuesday, September 26th, from 4.00 pm to 7.00 pm. Many young women who participated in this competition have gone on to shine in national and international competitions, TV channels and modeling. This is the 9th year of the competition. The Miss Pune Festival competition evaluates women at various levels, encompassing beauty, personality, family values, and societal contributions.
300 young women, aged 18 to 28, participated in this. 20 young women were selected for the final round. Contestants will undergo a comprehensive series of assessments including fitness, dental check-ups, dance rehearsals, and captivating photo shoots to showcase their skills and grace. Similarly, underwater photography will also be included in this.
The final round consists of three segments, with the first part focusing on the contestants' introduction in traditional ethnic attire such as lehenga, saree, and ghagra. The second part involves a party wear top and a dance round, with the top 10 contestants advancing to the final round where they will wear elegant gown-like attire, and after procrastination, one winner and two runners-up will be crowned. Apart from this, Best Talent, Miss Photogenic, Best Fitness, Best Hair, Best Smile will also be selected.
Ashutosh Rathore of Rydhun Dance Academy will perform the choreography of the contestants as well as the finalists. Bhavesh Bhateja will moderate the program. Fashion and Dance Choreographer, Grooming Mentor, Show Director and Costume Stylist Jui Suhas is guiding the preparation and training of all the female contestants. This year's judges are director Yogesh Deshpande, music director Vishwajit Joshi, actress Ritooja Shinde, actor Stavan Shinde, choreographer Omkar Shinde and Femina Miss India Maharashtra Apurva Chavan. The event is sponsored by Kohinoor Group.
Mrs. Pune Festival competition -
Amruta Jagdhane (Mob. 9637758906) coordinator of the 'Mrs. Pune Festival' competition, said that the personality competition for married women will take place at Balgandharva Rangmandir on September 24th from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
There will be two age groups of 26 to 36 and 37 to 50 years. More than 140 married women participated in it. The preliminary selection will be based on self-introduction and presentation, with 20 women advancing to the final round, comprising 10 in the first group and 10 in the second group. Over the course of three consecutive days, the contestants will undergo grooming sessions and participate in a talent round as part of their preparation. On the day of the competition, the selected 10 women from each of the two groups will engage in self-introduction and question-and-answer sessions in the later rounds. Six women will be chosen and among them, one winner and two runners-up will be selected from both groups. Ravibala Kakatkar, Prachiti Punde and Omkar Shinde will act as judges. Grooming will be done by Dr. Aishwarya Jadhav and coordination will be done by Archana Sonawane and Ashutosh Jagdhane along with adv. Amruta Jagdhane. This event is sponsored by VLCC and Blaze Academy for makeup and Prajakta Joglekar for the photo shoot.
Bridal Makeup competition -
The coordinator of the bridal make-up competition Deepali Pandhare (Mob. 9923040444) said that this year the bridal make-up competition has been organized for the first time under Mahila Mahotsav. The wedding day marks a significant moment in a woman's life, symbolizing the union of two families, her acceptance of responsibilities as a wife, and a natural emphasis on beauty and decoration. While women possess inherent beauty, makeup artists skillfully enhance and bring out their natural radiance. Pune Festival has created a platform for those makeup artists. On Wednesday, 27th September, from 12.00 pm to 3.00 pm at Balgandharva Rangmandir, either a Maharashtrian bride or a South Indian bride will undergo a makeup transformation. There will be 6 prizes in this competition. With over 100 women participating, makeup artists will beautify the models accompanying them during the competition. The judges of this competition are Atul Shidhaye, Anjali Joshi and Bhakti Sapke. Priyaj Dance Academy, Pre Nrutya Academy, and the Fantastic Four group will deliver captivating dance performances.
Dance Competition -
The coordinators of the dance competition are Sanyogita Kudale (Mob. 9921030001) and Deepali Pandhare (Mob. 9923040444). Regarding this competition, Sanyogita Kudale said that the dance competition for women under Mahila Mahotsav will be held on Thursday 25th September at Balgandharva Rangmandir at 12.00 pm. The competition will feature a 3-minute solo dance segment in two age categories, 18 to 35 years and 36 to 50 years, as well as a 5-minute group dance competition, with a maximum of 10 female contestants, in the age range of 18 to 50 years. Mesmerizing performances encompassing fusion Bollywood, Kathak, Odissi, Kathakali, Lavani, and folk songs will be performed. A total of 32 women from both age groups have participated in the solo dance competition, while 12 groups in the 18-50 age group have taken part in the group dance competition. The judges of this dance competition are dance choreographer Omkar Shinde and others.
Cooking Competition –
Karuna Patil (Mob. 9860402780), coordinator of the cooking competition, said that this year the cooking competition will be organized at the Mahila Mahotsav on Monday, September 25th at All India Shri Shivaji Memorial Institute of Hotel Management, Shivaji Nagar from 12.00 PM to 5.00 PM. The competition comprises two sections, one for women and the other for hotel management students. In this competition, participants are required to prepare dishes using either a single grain or a mix of jwari, bajri, ragi, rajgira, varai/bhagar, rale, or a combination of these grains. The second section of the competition will encompass both sweet and spicy culinary creations. Judges will evaluate the entries based on taste, nutrition, innovation, presentation, and hygiene. Each dish must be accompanied by a concise written recipe specifying the types and quantities of grains used. So far 50 women have participated in this competition. Anjali Wagle is the mentor of the cooking competition. There will be a talk show by celebrity chef Parag Kanhere and Madhura Bachal of Madhura Recipe at the competition venue. Last submission date is 20th Sept. Online registration on www. punefestival.in
Women's Kirtan Mahotsav –
Women's Kirtan Mahotsav coordinator Kirtan Visharad Nivedita Mehendale (Mob. 9850891512) said that Naradiya Kirtan Mahotsav under Mahila Mahotsav will be held on Sunday 24th September from 5.00 pm to 8.00 pm at Sri Harikirtannottejak Sabha's Vyas Auditorium, Opposite Telephone Exchange, Bajirao Road. On this occasion the program "Vande Vinayakam" will be presented. The event will feature Namana slokas, a collective Naradi Naman, Abhang of Jayostute Sri Mahan Mangale, and a performance of Purvarang by Tanmayee Mehendale inspired by it. Following this, topics like women's chakri, stories of Queen of Jhansi, Maharana Pratap and freedom hero Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and 3 children's stories will be presented in Uttararang.
Child kirtankars Lopamudra Singh, Kaumudi Marathe and Anushree Brahme along with Archana Kulkarni, Tanmayee Mehendale, Nirmala Jagtap and Nivedita Mehendle will participate in this respectively. Gauri Pawar (Tabla), Pranjali Padhe (Harmonium), Sandhya Sathe (Cymbals and Taal) and Madhavi Raje will sing on this occasion.
The program will be presided over by senior kirtankar Nandini Patil, vice president of Harikirtanotejak Sabha. Senior sitar player Ustad Usman Khan, senior Gandhian thinker and Warkari kirtanist Ulhas Pawar, famous singer Dayanand Ghotkar and senior musician Nakul Talwalkar will be present as special guests. The entire program will be moderated by Adv. Dhanada Kulkarni Gadagkar. Vaidya Gems and Diamond, Pune are the sponsor.
Pune Festival Vice President Krushnakumar Goyal and Adv. Abhay Chhajed, Chief Coordinator of Pune Festival, emphasized that there is no entry fee for the show in Mahila Mahotsav, inviting all Pune residents to participate in and enjoy the events.
Main Sponsors are Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation and Kohinoor group. The associate sponsors are Jamnalala Bajaj foundation, Panchashil, Suma Shilp, National Egg Coordination committee and co-sponsors are Bharat Forge, Kumar Reality, and Sinhagad institute.