Fitting tributes paid to ghazal samrat Bhat

Nagpur: The 87th birth anniversary of acclaimed Marathi poet Suresh Bhat was celebrated by paying a befitting tribute to him at the narration and presentation of Marathi ghazals, on Monday. Organized at Kaladalan, Vidarbha Sahitya Sangh (VSS), Rani Jhansi Square, Sitabuldi, the programme was titled ‘Dola - Marathi ghazal: Pravaas ani vikas’.
Founder president of Sahitya Vihar and ghazal singer Asha Pandey and principal of Lady Amritbai Daga (LAD) College Deepali Kotwal were present.

The coordinator for library of VSS Dilip Mhaisalkar, who conceptualized the programme, said, “Suresh Bhat was a legendary poet who hailed from Maharashtra. His literary works are celebrated across the country. This event was conceived to pay homage to him on his birth anniversary.”

Shubhada Fadnavis delivered the opening remarks for the evening. Flipping through the pages of Bhat's life, she said, “He was known as Ghazal Samrat for his interpretation of the ghazal form of poetry and its adaptation in the Marathi language. Bhat published his first collection of poems titled ‘Roopgandha’ in 1961. In 1974, he published his second collection ‘Rang majha vegla’. Both of these were the recipients of the state literary awards.”

The husband-wife duo of Sushma and Pradeep Mulmule, took to the stage to present a number of soulful ghazals of Bhat like ‘Tarun aahe ratra ajuni’ and ‘Ranguni rangaat sarya rang majha vegla’. Sushma kindled the interest of the listeners with the narrative and facts behind each ghazal.

They weaved magic with the renditions of other ghazals like ‘Gele ki ti vasant’, ‘Kiti ka kalahal la’, ‘Yeyi sameep majha’ and ‘Lochanat tu cha tu’.

Sushma said, “Anger, envy, shame, contention and his angst about human suffering were reflected in Bhat's poems. He was popular among the youth due to the raging tone in his works.”

Pandey is known to be as the first female writer of ghazals in the Marathi language. She was felicitated by Kotwal for her exemplary work.