Pune festival pays tribute to vocalist Prabha Atre with 17 new ragas

Pune: A two-day music festival in Pune this month celebrated the legacy of classical vocalist Prabha Atre, with disciples presenting 17 ragas she conceived and composed.

The event, titled NavRaag Prabha, was curated by the Dr Prabha Atre Foundation, which the musician had established. Four of her senior disciples — Atindra Sarvadikar, Arati Thakur Kundalkar, Ashvini Modak, and Chetna Pathak — performed the pieces. Each artist trained under Atre for more than two decades.

Atre, who died earlier, was known for her distinctive interpretations of ragas, meticulously crafted compositions that balanced swara and lyric, and her work creating new ragas. She was also regarded as an influential guru who shaped generations of musicians.

The memorial served as a reminder of her impact on Hindustani classical music, both as a performer and as a teacher who pushed creative boundaries.