Lata Mangeshkar International Music Academy inaugurated

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Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis presented the Lata Mangeshkar Award to Usha Mangeshkar during the inauguration ceremony of the Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar International Music Academy in Mumbai on September 28, Lata Mangeshkar’s birth anniversary. The singer had passed away early this year on February 6.

The international music college set up by the Maharashtra government as a memorial to legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar will begin with six certificate courses from October. The courses will be for one-year and around 150 students can be enrolled for (i) Hindustani classical music, (ii) flute, (iii) tabla, (iv) sitar, (v) harmonium and keyboard and (vi) music production and sound engineering, according to Prof. Vishwanath Sabale, Dean, J.J. School of Arts, Mumbai, and Director, the government’s directorate of arts, under which 200 art schools are run.

The state plans to begin diploma and degree courses from next year, after the college building is developed on the plot allotted at the Kalina campus of Mumbai University. A temporary space has been presently allotted on the second and third floors at the P.L. Deshpande Academy in midtown Prabhadevi to run the certificate courses.

After the final 7000 sq. foot premises is developed, longer three or four year courses will be set up for Std. XII students. As of now, the certificate courses will be for those who have passed Std. X (school). A museum is also being planned.

Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pandit Niladri Kumar and A.R. Rahman are guides in the preparation of the syllabi for the courses, Prof. Sabale told News India Times over the phone.

Pt. Hridaynath Mangeshkar and Usha Mangeshkar, Adinath Mangeshkar, Suresh Wadkar, Mayuresh Pai (convenor of the event as well) and Prof. Vishwanath Sabale will be on the advisory council.

“The college has been affiliated with the directorate of arts, which will issue the certificates to the students. The idea is to train musicians in Indian classical music at an international level and above all at affordable costs,” Sabale said.

He mentions that the concept of the school was Lata’s own and the idea was mooted in 2020 along with Uday Samant, who was then Minister for Higher and Technical Education.