Nagpur: The world of poetry often captures emotions which transcends the limitations of ordinary language. The 8th day of the ‘Khasdar Sanskrutik Mahotsav 2023’ promised to be a one-of-a-kind blend of poetry and music as the multifaceted Piyush Mishra took the centre stage along with his band ‘Ballimaaraan, a music project’ at Ishwar Deshmukh College of Physical Education premises in Nagpur on Friday.
Eknath Shinde, Chief Minister; Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways; Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister; Shripad Aparajit, Editor of Maharashtra Times; MP Kripal Tumane, Pravin Datke, former Mayor; Parinay Phuke, Nago Ganar, former MP Vikas Mahatme, and Ashish Jaiswal graced the inaugural ceremony.
“It is commendable that along with national artists, local artists also are getting a platform to showcase their talent through the mega cultural festival,” said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis while praising Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, said, “Nagpurians got an opportunity to experience performances of renowned artists, and through this festival many local artists showcased their art.”
Acknowledging importance of cultural growth, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said, “Along side economic development, cultural progress also should happen in the society.” ‘Ballimaaraan’, the band’s name is inspired from the streets of Delhi, as a mark of respect to the legendary Urdu poet, Mirza Ghalib. Piyush Mishra, a lyricist, actor, writer, musician and vocalist, shared insights during his each performance, explaining the contexts and inspirations behind the lyrics.
Mishra also shared anecdotes from his struggling days in Mumbai. He became nostalgic mentioning how his lyrics or poems used to face rejection initially. “Mai unhe sona (gold) maankar jeb mein rakh liya karta tha.” The band performed various popular songs like ‘Woh Purane Din’, ‘Aarambh Hai Prachand’, ‘Dabi Chawanni’, ‘Ik Bagal Mein Chand Hoga’, ‘Zamana Kya Se Kya Hua’, “Jab Shehar Hamara Sota Hai” and many more.
The performances were a fusion of retro and contemporary melodies. Earlier, a nall-biting women dance drama titled ‘Ram Ratan Dhan Paayo’ was presented by Anandi Group. It was written and directed by Aruna Bhide.
In the morning session, a mass recitation of ‘Shri Vishnusahasranam Path’ was held under Jagar Bhakticha programmes. Deveshwar Guruji and group led thousands of devotees during the recitation.
